The Road to our Destiny
by HAKDurbin
Summary: Serena and Ash are going on a journey through Kanto for Serena to compete in Pokemon contests and Ash to compete in the Indigo League again. They come across so many of Ash's former companions, including Brock, Dawn, May, and Max. But Ash's new rival, Timothy is on a mission with his Raichu, Eletchu and his friend, Coovers to stop Team Rocket from getting the powerful Gieldanstone
1. Chapter 1

"_So, we meet again. I've been waiting. Have you found an answer yet?_"

Serena plays with her fingers nervously. She tries to keep herself together with her eyes glued to the screen on the video phone, revealing Palermo's face.

It's been almost a month since Serena lost to Aria at the Master Class. Since then, she has been thinking about Palermo's offer to become her personal trainer for performances with no success in reaching a final decision. When Palermo offered the position shortly after Serena lost, she refused because she wished to continue her journey with Bonnie, Clemont, Pikachu, and Ash.

Ash.

He was the reason she left home and went out on her journey in the first place. She went to Lumiose City to retrieve her Fennekin and traveled to Santalune City just to see the boy who helped her when she was little. She didn't know what she wanted to do after finally seeing him again or how to react when she learned he didn't remember her apart from acting like she wasn't disappointed. But when the moment came to decide where to go next, it was Ash who offered Serena to come with him, Pikachu, Clemont, and Bonnie, and she knew in her heart that she couldn't refuse the opportunity. Since that day, Serena, Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, and Bonnie have gone through many adventures, challenges, and made all sorts of friends.

Along the way, Serena became interested in Pokemon showcases and so began to pursue her dream to become Kalos Queen. The path to the Master Class was long and hard, but it helped Serena grow as a person in ways she never thought she would. In the process, she captured a Panchum and an Eevee that evolved into a Sylveon, and her Fennekin became a Braixen. Together with her Pokemon, Serena won three princess keys and made it all the way to the finals for the Master Class, and despite her defeat against Aria, she wouldn't trade her experience as a performer for anything.

Despite all of that, however, Serena has been unsure of Palermo's offer. Ever since the offer was made she cheered for Ash at the Kalos League, she helped defeat Team Flare, and now her friends are getting ready to disband with Clemont and Bonnie staying in the Lumiose Gym and Ash going back to his home in Pallet Town in the Kanto region. So with her companions going their separate ways, Serena is left to figure out what to do now. She doesn't want to go back home to her mother, Grace, and as much as her feelings for Ash have gotten stronger, she has no reason to go with him to Kanto apart from just to stay by his side. So it seems like Serena really has no other choice but to accept Palermo's offer to further pursue her dream to become Kalos Queen.

But even though she still wants to achieve her dream, there is a feeling inside her that implies that she wants to do more. She wants something more meaningful than simply becoming Kalos Queen but hasn't been able to figure out what it is. Luckily, after having a battle and a helpful conversation with Ash, it became clear to Serena. She realized that when she was performing for Kalos Queen or held a performance to cheer up the people of Lumiose City after Team Flare was defeated, she felt very happy to see so many spirits lifted from what she was doing with her Pokemon, and so realized her real dream.

But Serena is nervous to tell all of this to Palermo. She's worried that the woman who was once Kalos Queen will disapprove of what she has to say. And yet she knows this has to be done for herself and her Pokemon.

With her three Pokemon, Braixen, Panchum, and Sylveon standing behind her for support, Serena nods and says, "Yes, Ma'am. I sure have."

"_Alright, what is it?_" Palermo asks.

With all the courage Serena can muster, she shuts her eyes, bows in front of the videophone, and lets it out.

"Forgive me, ma'am, but I can't go with you!" She confesses before facing the screen again. "Aria helped me. She really taught me that my smile can give other people strength. I experienced that for the first time. Even though they've been through so much, people smiled when they watched my performance. That's what made me decide. I want lots of different people to see me perform. That's what I have to do to really grow. If I were to study with you, I'd depend on you too much. That's not what I need."

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon take a couple sets closer to Serena, who turns to look at them as she continues.

"You see, they're my friends," she says. "I wanna see lots of places with my Pokemon. Other regions. And I'm certain we'll all experience things together that will really help us to grow and mature."

"Braixen!" Braixen says happily.

"Pancham!" Pancham says, holding its fist up in the air.

"Veon!" Sylveon says cheerfully.

"It's probably not what you expected, but I made my decision," Serena finishes.

For a moment, there is silence between Serena and Palermo. Then the woman on the screen gives Serena a small smile.

"_Well, that's a shame. I want the best for you too. You're the very first person who has ever turned down an offer of help from me,_" Palermo says. "_Have you decided where you'll go?_"

Serena hesitates and says, "Uh, no, not yet."

Palermo nods in understanding and says, "_Why don't you try competing in Pokemon contests?_"

"Pokemon contests?" Serena asks.

"_Yes, they are different from showcases,_" Palermo says. "_I think competing in them are a great way to gain good experience. They are available in the Hoenn, Sinnoh, Johto, and Kanto regions._"

Serena looks at Palermo, intrigued by hearing the last place Palermo mentioned.

"Did you say there are Pokemon contests in the Kanto region?" She asks.

"_That's right,_" Palermo answers. "_In fact, I think Kanto is going to start its next contest season in a month starting with a contest in Cerulean City._"

Serena freezes in place for a moment before she lowers her head in thought. The way Palermo is describing Pokemon contests, they sound like a perfect way to learn new things, meet new people, and eventually come back to Kalos stronger and more experienced than ever with her Pokemon. It also occurs to her that even though she doesn't know what Ash is going to do after he comes home to Pallet Town, it does sound like she will be able to spend a little more time with him if they fly to Kanto together. A smile emerges on her face; the more she thinks about it.

"_I take it you are interested in going to Kanto?_" Palermo asks with a small smirk on her face.

Serena lifts her head to face the former Kalos Queen on the screen and happily says, "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea."

Palermo gives the honey blonde girl a small nod of approval.

"_Very good,_" she says. "_When you return, maybe you can show me everything you learned while you were there. I'm looking forward to seeing all the way that you'll grow._"

Serena looks at Palermo, confused which makes the woman smile in response.

"_Didn't I tell you? My dear, I'm a big fan of yours,_" she says warmly.

Serena's eyes widen in surprise for a moment before a big smile enters her face.

"Thanks," she says. "I promise I'll come back."

Palermo chuckles while Serena gives her another bow.

"_Safe travels,_" Palermo replies before the image of her disappears.

For a moment, Serena doesn't do anything. Then she turns around to look at Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon with a bright smile.

"Well, everyone, it looks like we know where to go to pursue my new dream," she says.

"Braixen," Braixen says in agreement.

"Pancham, cham," Pancham says with a smirk.

"Sylveon," Sylveon says gleefully.

Serena nods to her Pokemon and says, "Well, then I guess all that's left is to tell everyone else tonight."

"WHAT!?"

It's later in the day, and Serena just announced her plan to Clemont, Bonnie, Ash, Dedenne, and Chespin, who are shocked.

"You're gonna leave us too?" Bonnie asks.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne says while Chespin just cries hysterically.

"Yeah. I realize I need to learn a lot in order to grow as a Pokemon performer, so I gotta go," Serena says with a smile. "There are so many places to see, and it sounds like the Kanto region is a great place to experience Pokemon contests, so I'm going there first."

Clemont is shocked by this news while Bonnie looks sad. Ash, on the other hand, is smiling and walks over to Serena with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"That sounds great. Good for you," he says encouragingly.

"Thanks, Ash," Serena says happily. "I'm not sure where it will lead me, but I'll do my best. _We'll_ do our best."

Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon let out cries of agreement.

"And who knows?" Serena continues. "Maybe we can help lots of other people find their dreams. I think - no, I'm sure I can do that."

"Yeah, go for it," Ash says with a nod.

"Pika!" Pikachu says, pumping its fits in the air.

"I will," Serena says. "Starting with a contest next month in Cerulean City, I'll begin making brand new experiences."

"Great. So when will you leave for Kanto?" Ash asks.

Serena's confidant face stumbles, and her cheeks turn slightly pink.

"Well, Ash, I bought a ticket for the same flight for Kanto that you're taking," she admits.

Ash looks at her, confused.

"What will you do before your contest, then?" he asks. "You just said the contest is in a month, and it only takes a couple of weeks to get from Viridian Airport to Cerulean City on foot, so what will you do with that extra time?"

"Uh...well," Serena manages to say while scratching the back of her head.

Ash sees her struggle to give him an answer, which tells him enough. He smiles and makes a decision without thinking about it.

"Why don't you stay with me in Pallet Town?" he asks.

"W-what?" Serena asks, trying hard not to blush. "Y-you mean come with you to your home?"

"Why not?" Ash asks cheerfully. "I'm going to be there for a while until I figure out what I'm going to do next anyway, and I know my mom doesn't mind when I bring my friends over to stay at our house. Plus, we can visit Professor Oak, and you can meet Tracy and all of my other Pokemon. What do you say?"

Serena hesitates and thinks for a moment before she gives the boy she likes a bright smile.

"Sure," she says, giving Ash a wink. "How can I say no to an offer like that?"

"Great!" Ash says. "I'll call my mom and let her know."

"Okay," Serena says as Ash walks away.

"Well, I'm glad to see that is settled," Clemont says cheerfully.

"Yeah," Serena says.

But as she's smiling, her thoughts are on what will happen during her time in Kanto. Serena wonders what kinds of Pokemon she will see or how hard it will be to perform in contests compared to showcases or what kinds of people she will meet.

But then her mind turns to Ash, and she wonders about how she should handle her feelings for him. For all she knows, she only has two more weeks or so to still be in the same place as him before he likely goes to some new region that neither he nor Serena has heard of before. She knows that he is a dense boy, and her feelings might fall on deaf ears, but in her heart, she knows she must try.

Someday, somehow, she will muster the courage to confess her feelings and be with him forever.

Maybe she will get a chance in Kanto where it all began.

_*Meanwhile, at the Indigo Plateau*_

"Altaria, let's finish it with Dragon Pulse!"

Lance, the Johto League champion, watches with a determined look in his eye as his Altaria shoots out a large red beam. The beam hits a Poliwrath attempting to use Bubblebeam, and it flies into the air upon impact and crashes into the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle," the judge declares. "Altaria is the winner."

Lance grins while his Altaria lets out a call to celebrate its victory. He turns to look at the other side of the field where his opponent is standing. A 28-year-old man with brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing jeans and a gray shirt with a white "H," a purple "A" and a black "K" on the center frowns and takes points at the Poliwrath with a Pokeball.

"Poliwrath, you've been great. Return," he says.

A pink beam comes out of the Pokeball and sucks the Poliwrath inside.

"So we're both down to one Pokemon left, Timothy," Lance says boastfully. "Do you think you have the means to defeat the rest of my mighty dragon Pokemon?"

The man named Timothy merely shrugs in response before he puts away Poliwrath's Pokeball.

"I don't know. I'd say I have a few good tricks up my sleeve," he says before turning to the Raichu standing next to him. "What do you say, pal? You think you can handle three dragon Pokemon and win this thing?"

"Raichu!" The Raichu answers, grinning with sparks coming out of its yellow cheeks.

Timothy smiles before he points at the field and shouts, "Alright, Electchu, let's do this!"

The Raichu nicknamed Electchu runs into the field with a battle-hungry look in its eyes. Lance smirks at the mouse Pokemon and turns to Timothy

"So it's all down to your partner," He asks mockingly. "Let's see how long it can last. Altaria, Dragon Pulse!"

"Electchu, dodge it!" Timothy shouts.

Once again, Altaria shoots out a large red beam, and Electchu jumps just in time.

"Now, use Thunder!" Timothy orders.

Electchu shoots out a large bolt of electricity, and it hits Altaria straight on the chest. It sets the Pokemon flying into a wall resulting in it falling on the floor with swirls in its eyes.

"Altaria is unable to battle. Electchu wins," the judge announces.

Lance frowns and bitterly puts Altaria back in its Pokeball.

"Alright, if that half-sized ball of fur is that strong, let's see it handle this. Go, Salamence!"

He throws a Pokeball, and a Salamence comes out. Lance then takes out a necklace revealing a keystone.

"Two minds become as one! Mega evolve!" he roars.

Timothy and Electchu cover their eyes as several bright beams appear from the keystone and the Salamencite on Salamence's necklace and connect with each other. With a bright flash, Salamence roars triumphantly, having mega evolved.

"Of course, he would have at least one Pokemon that can mega evolve just like the Elite Four," Timothy grumbles in annoyance before turning to Electchu. "Let's not waste any time, pal. Hit it with Thunder!"

Electchu nods and fires another giant bolt of electricity.

"Oh no, you don't. Dodge it!" Lance shouts.

Mega Salamence flies into the air before the ice beam could make contact.

"Now, use Earthquake!" Lance shouts.

Mega Salamence flies down and slams to the ground, causing the ground to shake. Large pieces of debris hit Electchu, and it lets out a howl in pain, but the damage does not seem to hurt it terribly.

"Now Salamence, use Flamethrower!" Lance shouts.

"Electchu, quickly counter it with Thunder then knock the debris back using Iron Tail," Timothy shouts.

Mega Salamence lets out a powerful Flamethrower while Electchu responds in kind with Thunder. The two attacks collide, creating an explosion, but Electchu immediately follows with its tail turning into iron and uses it to knock the debris from Earthquake back to Mega Salamence. The large rocks fly through the smoke from the explosion and hits Mega Salamence, causing it to roar in pain. One of the rocks hit Mega Salamence's right wing, and it struggles to stay airborne, worrying Lance.

"Now, Electchu, Thunder one more time!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu shoots Thunder again, and Salamence's eyes widen, realizing it can't dodge it in time with the state of its wing. The beam hits the dragon Pokemon, and it falls down to the ground and turns back into its normal form with swirls in its eyes.

"Salamence is unable to battle. Electchu is the winner," The judge declares.

"_Just one more to go,_" Timothy thinks in his mind. "_All I need is that one last victory, and I'll finally accomplish part of my goal._"

Lance frowns while bringing his Salamence back in its Pokeball.

"_It seems I completely underestimated his Raichu_," he thinks. "_Whatever I do to stop Timothy and his partner, I better do it quick._"

He takes out his last Pokeball and throws it.

"Dragonite, I choose you!" he shouts.

The Pokeball opens to reveal a Dragonite roaring loudly, showing that it's ready for battle.

"Dragonite, use Outrage now!" Lance shouts.

Timothy becomes uneasy from hearing his opponent make that command. Even though Outrage is not super effective against an electric type Pokemon, he knows Electchu has already taken some damage, and Dragonite's attack involves attacking the target multiple times, which might be enough times to take down his Pokemon.

"Electchu, deflect Outrage with Iron Tail quick!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu takes a defensive stance with its tail turned into iron again, ready to take on the attack. The Dragonite swings its fists repeatedly, but the Raichu uses its tail as a shield to blow every single blow. Timothy's heart begins to sink the more Dragonite hits Electchu's tail, knowing any blow could be used to knock his partner's defense away. Finally, Dragonite raises its paw to prepare for the final blow, which gives Timothy an idea.

"Electchu, jump, and hit it in the face with Iron Tail now!" He orders.

Electchu jumps up and with a spin swats Dragonite in the face with its tail. The dragon Pokemon takes a step back and starts wobbling in confusion.

"Oh no," Lance says in realization. "Dragonite, snap out of it."

"It's too late, Lance," Timothy says with a grin. "Electchu, use Thunder one more time!"

Electchu releases another large bolt of lighting, and it hits Dragonite, causing it to howl in pain.

"Now or never, Electchu!" "Timothy shouts. "Finish it with Hyper Beam!"

Electchu grins and creates an orange ball of energy from its mouth before firing a beam from out of the ball.

"Dragonite, get out of there!" Lance cries desperately.

But it is no use. With Dragonite still lost in a daze, the dragon Pokemon stands helplessly as the Hyper Beam hits it hard and sends it flying high in the air. Dragonite crashes into the ground and groans as it lies down with swirls in its eyes.

"Dragonite is unable to battle!" The judge announces. "Electchu is the winner, which makes the challenger, Timothy Durbin, the winner!"

Timothy stands still for a moment before he gets down on its knees and shakes his fists in the air in relief while laughing hysterically like a lunatic. Electchu runs over and jumps into its partner's arms, laughing as well.

"We did it! We really did it!" Timothy shouts happily as he squeezes his friend. "After all our hard work, we've finally defeated a champion!"

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts victoriously.

Lance sighs sadly and returns his Dragonite back in its Pokeball before walking over to Timothy.

"You battled well, Timothy," he compliments in a defeated tone. "It's not very often that anyone comes close to defeating me much less succeeding. I assume you're planning to replace me as the official champion of the Johto region?"

Timothy and Electchu look at Lance smirking before the man in the "H.A.K" shirt breaks their hug and stand up to face the defeated dragon Pokemon trainer.

"Thanks for the offer, Lance, but you can keep your position," he says. "As much as I worked hard for this moment, the truth is I want to defeat the official champions of every single region. Defeating you and the Johto Elite Four only completes a fraction of my dream."

On the inside, Lance is sighing in relief, but on the outside, he just nods in understanding.

"So what will you do now, then?" he asks.

"I don't know," Timothy answers honestly. "Logic would dictate that I head to another region and fight the league there, but the fact is I already have the badges of every single league. The Johto League is the only one that I've won, thus giving me the chance to face you and the Johto Elite Four. So I guess Electchu and I will just head home and figure things out from there."

Lance nods again and says, "Well, wherever you're going next, I hope you'll give it your all."

"Thanks," Timothy says as he shakes the Johto champion's hand before he walks out of the battle arena with the judge.

Timothy shakes his fists in the air again, feeling giddy inside for winning the battle. He then takes out five Pokeballs and tosses them into the air, and they open to reveal Poliwrath, a Snorlax, Gengar, Gardevoir, and Lucario.

"Great job, everyone. All our hard work has finally paid off," he says with a friendly smile. "We defeated Lance, the bi-regional champion!"

All six Pokemon, including Electchu, cry out happily in joy.

Timothy nods to his Pokemon before looking down at the ground with a fond look in his eyes.

"Well, I guess we better get going," he says. "We've got a long way back to Pallet Town."


	2. Chapter 2

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Come on, Pikachu. I can't see if you don't move!" Professor Oak complains.

"Come here, buddy," Ash says.

Pikachu stops pressing his face against the screen and hops back on Ash's shoulder.

It has been a couple of days since Serena made her decision to go back to Kanto with Ash to compete in the region's Pokemon contests, and today is the day they will be flying to the region. Right now, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie are video chatting with Professor Oak and Ash's mother, Delia, who are calling from Ash's house.

"Hi, Mom, professor," Ash greets happily, leaning his face toward the screen.

"Hi, Ash," Delia greets warmly.

"Have you been well?" Professor Oak asks.

"You bet. I feel great," Ash answers proudly.

Delia smiles in approval before turning to the rest of the group.

"Hi, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont," she greets. "How have you all been?"

"Great," Serena answers with a smile.

"We're doing fine, thank you," Clemont answers.

"I've been having so much fun!" Bonnie says in a giddy voice.

"Mom, there are so many things I have to tell you about," Ash says. "Serena and I will be flying back later this afternoon."

"Good. We can hardly wait," Professor Oak says.

"Just promise me you'll be careful, dear," Delia says before turning to Serena. "Serena, I can't wait to meet you in person. I'm counting on you to bring my boy back to me safely."

"Don't you worry, Mrs. Ketchum. I'll bring him back safe and sound," Serena replies cheerfully.

"Good," Delia says. "And the rest of you, come visit Pallet Town soon. I'll make you a tasty meal."

"Yippee!" Bonnie shouts.

"Thank you," Clemont says happily.

"Alright, let's get packed," Ash says to Pikachu.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu replies.

"Okay, see you later, sweetie," Delia says before she ends the call.

"Alright, I'll help my dad get lunch ready while you guys pack," Clemont says. "It'll probably take about an hour, so better finish packing by then."

"No prob," Ash says before turning to Serena. "That should take us more than enough time to get ready. Right, Serena?"

"Actually, Ash, I already packed all of my things this morning," Serena says. "Besides, I promised my mom I'd call her before we go to the airport."

"Oh, alright," Ash says with a nervous chuckle. "Then I guess I better get going. Let's go, Pikachu."

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu replies while Ash goes up the stairs.

"Alright then," Clemont says before turning to Bonnie. "Bonnie, would you like to help Dad and me with lunch?"

"Sure," Bonnie says glumly.

Serena turns to Bonnie, confused by her sudden change in her demeanor before the little girl follows her brother. She wonders if Bonnie is suddenly missing Squishy again and possibly Greninja, too, after they both left with Z2 to destroy the remaining roots that still appear throughout Kalos despite Team Flare's defeat. The honey blonde girl knows as well as Clemont that Bonnie is not the kind of eight-year-old to be deeply sad unless she has something on her mind that involves someone she really cares about.

Serena sighs, deciding to let it go for now before calling her mother's home number and letting the video phone ring for a couple of seconds before her mother, Grace appears with a smile on her face.

"Hi, Mom," Serena greets.

"Hi, dear," Grace greets. "Are you packed for your trip?"

"Yup, I'm all set," Serena answers. "Ash just went upstairs to pack up before we eat lunch and head to the airport."

"Good," Grace says. "How are you feeling about flying to Kanto? It's been a long time since we moved from our old house in Pallet Town."

Serena's smile fades slightly at that question.

"To be honest, I haven't really thought about that," she answers. "I guess I have been thinking so much about going on another journey and wondering what kind of people and Pokemon I'll meet or the things that I'm going to learn along the way."

"I see," Grace says.

"But I'm going to be staying with Ash and his mom for a couple weeks before I go to Cerulean City," Serena says. "So, I should have plenty of time to see our old house before I start my journey."

"Good," Grace says pleased. "Is Ash going with you on your journey?"

"No, he isn't. In fact, he doesn't know what he wants to do next," Serena answers.

"Oh, so you know what to do next before Ash does. You really have grown," Grace says half-teasingly.

"Aw, Mom," Serena says.

Grace chuckles in response before her face turns serious.

"Are you sure you feel up to going to a region all on your own?" She asks. "You have never been to any places there apart from Pallet Town and briefly Viridian City when we were flying to Kalos.

"The same thing could be said about having only been to Vaniville Town and Lumiose City before I went on my journey," Serena points out. "And besides, I'll have Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon with me, so I won't be alone. And who knows? Maybe I'll catch more Pokemon to help me with Pokemon contests."

Grace nods in understanding.

"Just be careful, Serena," she says.

"I will, Mom. I promise." Serena answers.

"Alright. But call me when you make it to Ash's house," Grace says.

"Okay. Bye, Mom," Serena says.

"By, dear," Grace says.

Serena thinks about Grace's words over going on her journey alone throughout all of Kanto. In her mind, she believes this will be perfect for her and will be a great opportunity to become stronger as a performer and as a person. But at the same time, her heart feels sad about the idea of eventually saying goodbye to Ash despite everything they have been through together. Even though she will see him for a couple more weeks at most before she starts her new journey, it still feels like there isn't enough time left to spend with him or muster the courage to tell him how she feels.

Serena had to force these worries to the back of her mind as she continues through the day. Shortly after lunch, Professor Sycamore dropped by the shop with Alain, the boy who defeated Ash at the Kalos league finals, and his companion, Mirian, along with her Chespin, "Chespie." They announced that they are going on a journey in search of the mega stones, theorizing that more have reappeared somewhere after Team Flare was defeated. Before they left on Professor Sycamore's jeep, Alain and Ash agreed to have another battle the next time they meet, and Mirian thanked Serena for everything.

Eventually, Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie enter Lumiose Airport. While waiting for Ash and Serena's plane to allow passengers to board, the gang decided to take time for Ash and Serena's Pokemon to say goodbye to Dedenne and all of Clemont's Pokemon. Chespin was crying hysterically while saying goodbye to Pancham, Sylveon gave a sad goodbye to Bunnelby after everything the rabbit Pokemon did for her ever since she was first caught as an Eevee, and Hawlucha was fighting the urge not to cry. Each goodbye was sadder than the last even though the Pokemon all knew it needed to be done.

But when Braixen attempted to say goodbye to Dedenne, the little Pokemon couldn't take it and ran away in tears. The whole gang had to hunt it down before they found it through Pikachu's electricity. Bonnie realized that Dedenne didn't want to say goodbye and had to convince it to say goodbye by confessing that she hates saying goodbye as well but knows that everyone has to go chase their dreams. It was hard for Serena, Ash, and Clemont to see Bonnie and Dedenne accept what they had to do, but at the same time, they were proud of them both for facing their problem together.

After they said their goodbyes, they realize there's still a lot of time left before Ash and Serena's flight. Clemont then asks Ash for a favor by asking him to have one last battle. Ash happily agrees, and so the gang walks outside where there is an outdoor battlefield, and Ash and Clemont begin battling with Pikachu and Bunnelby. Serena and Bonnie stand on the sides with Bonnie happily playing the judge.

As the two girls watch Ash and Clemont battle, Serena turns to Bonnie.

"So, are you feeling better about us leaving?" she asks.

Bonnie hesitates before she answers cheerfully.

"Absolutely. We all have our dreams to follow, and I know I'll see you and Ash again when I'm finally a Pokemon trainer," she says before turning to Serena with a sly grin. "Besides, I can only imagine how much quality time you're going to spend with Ash when you're in Kanto."

Serena yelps, and her face turns red in embarrassment.

"Bonnie!" she whines. "It isn't like that!"

"Why not? I mean, you're going to spend two whole weeks together in his house," Bonnie taunts. "Surely that should be more than enough time to tell him how you feel."

Serena whimpers and looks away with her face turning redder, making Bonnie giggle.

"Come on, Serena, you better make a move before you go your separate ways," Bonnie says. "You don't want to say goodbye without saying something after all you've been through together, do you?"

Serena rubs her arm while still looking away from the sly, little girl. Her heart feels heavy at the idea of parting ways with Ash and not saying a thing. At the same time, however, he is a dense boy, and so he might not understand her affections much less return them. Eventually, she sighs and accepts that she should tell him if for no other reason than to use it as a step of becoming stronger.

"You're right, Bonnie, I should tell him," Serena says.

"Yay!" Bonnie says happily. "How are you going to do it."

Serena lets out a nervous groan and says, "I haven't thought that far."

Bonnie pouts childishly before her bright smile returns.

"Well then, I guess you'll have to figure it out during your time in his house," she says.

"I guess so," Serena admits while chuckling nervously.

"Bonnie!" Clemont shouts.

Bonnie and Serena snaps from their moment and turn to see Clemont and Ash waiting for the former to make a call. Bonnie looks to see Bunnelby lying on the ground next to Pikachu with swirls in its eyes.

"Oh, right," Bonnie says before clearing her throat and announcing loudly. "Bunnelby is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!"

"Alright!" Ash shouts while shaking his fist in the air, and he and Pikachu run over to hug enough other.

Serena smiles fondly as she watches Ash and Pikachu celebrate. Part of her wishes she actually saw the battle so that she could have found out how the two of them won. She sighs in a dreamy matter, knowing that Ash's determination during a Pokemon battle is part of why her admiration for him grew so much during their journey in Kalos.

She then subconsciously places her hand on her blue ribbon that he gave to her months ago in Coumarine City. To this day, she remembers dealy how it felt when Ash gave it to her while scratching his nose nervously. Ever since she started wearing it after she cut her hair, she has been placing her hand on the blue fabric whenever she thinks of him without even realizing it.

Suddenly, she feels something poke her side, and she turns her head to see Bonnie looking at her with an annoyed pout.

"Serena, didn't you just hear Ash?" she asks. "Your plane just started to board."

Serena's eyes widen, and she shakes her head to snap out of her dazed state. She checks her surroundings to find Clemont and Ash looking at her, confused.

"Are you alright, Serena?" Ash asks.

Serena laughs bashfully and quickly says, "Yeah, sorry, everyone. I guess I got lost in thought."

Ash continues to stare at her, confused before he smirks and says, "Alright then. Let's get going. We don't want to miss our flight."

"Right," Serena says, nodding in agreement.

Thus after Clemont returns Bunnelby back into its Pokeball, the four kids come back inside and make their way to the gate where the plane going to Kanto is waiting for them. By the time they made their destination, the sky has turned orange. Noticing this, Serena turns to Ash and asks, "What time do you think we're going to make it to Pallet Town?"

Realizing what she's getting at, Ash scratches his chin and says, "Given how long the flight is going to be, I think we'll reach Pallet Town sometime late tomorrow."

Serena nods in understanding before she and Ash turn to Clemont and Bonnie.

"Well, I guess this is it," Ash says.

"Yes, it is," Clemont says before shaking Ash's hand. "It's been a great time, Ash. I've learned so much from you during our journey."

"I've learned a lot from you too, Clemont," Ash says with a toothy grin. "Don't forget to give it your best on your inventions."

"Pika!" Pikachu says in agreement.

"I won't, and that's a promise," Clemont replies.

Meanwhile, Serena and Bonnie are hugging with Bonnie tearing up a little.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Serena," Bonnie says through her tears.

"I'm going to miss you too, Bonnie," Serena says with a small smile. "The next time we meet, I hope that you'll already be a strong trainer and performer."

"You bet. And I will want to battle with you, and I won't go easy," Bonnie says before she leans a little closer to Serena. "And don't forget about what we talked about concerning a certain someone."

Serena's cheeks turn pink for a moment before she shakes it off and say, "I won't forget. I promise."

Bonnie smirks, satisfied with Serena's answer before they finish their hug. Then after Serena and Ash switch and quickly say goodbye to Clemont and Bonnie respectfully, the two of them enter the gate with Pikachu. Once they enter the plane, Ash looks around for his seat until he finds it and turns to Serena.

"Where are you sitting, Serena?" he asks.

Serena realizes that she doesn't know and takes out her ticket and smiles.

"I'm sitting next to you," she answers.

"Awesome," Ash says before he turns to the two seats and thinks for a moment. "Then why don't you sit next to the window?"

Serena looks at him taken aback and asks, "Are you sure? That is your seat, after all."

"Yeah, but I've been on the window seat many times before," Ash says assuringly. "Besides, it's your first time on a plane since you moved to Kalos, isn't it?"

Serena stares at Ash for a moment and smiles.

"_He really is such a kind person,_" She thinks in her mind before silently accepting his invitation.

Ash sits down next to her while Pikachu hops off his shoulder and lands on his lap. The three of them wait several more minutes until the plane slowly begins to back away from the gate. Serena takes a deep breath as the plane gets ready to fly, which Ash notices, and smiles.

"Realy to go back to Kanto?" he asks.

Serena turns to the boy she deeply cares for and smiles.

"Yes," she says in a soft voice. "I can't wait."

Timothy groans childishly as he walks. When he reached Viridian City, he and Electchu decided to keep walking to Pallet Town rather than spend the night at the Pokemon Center and then come home tomorrow morning. It wasn't long before they regret that decision as their legs began to ache the more they walk.

It has been five days now since he defeated Lance at the Indigo Plateau, and Timothy has been eager to come home the entire time that he's been traveling. He video called his father, Troy, that he'll be home late while he was passing by Viridian City. Troy told him he'll be waiting while his brother, Johnathan, will probably be asleep by then. The later it got, the more Timothy began to wonder if he and Electchu will actually make it to town before morning, much less make it home.

Finally, after coming up a familiar hill, Timothy and Electchu stop and smile at a familiar sight. Further down the hill, there is a small town where Professor Oak's lab and several small houses reside. Timothy's smile grows, feeling thrilled to be back in this humble town for the first time in a couple of years. He suddenly begins to walk downhill as fast as he can with Electchu following behind, ignoring his legs that are begging him not to. His heart races in excitement, the closer he gets to his destination.

As they take a turn down the street, Timothy hears two separate footsteps running from behind him. He turns around, curious about who is running behind him, but because there are no street lights close by, he only sees the shadowy figure of two teenagers running down the hill and taking a different turn down the road.

"Hurry up, Serena, we're almost there!" he hears the first figure say excitedly.

"Pikachu!" A lump in the figure shoulder squeaks.

"Ash, wait up!" the second figure calls out as it struggles to follow the other one.

Timothy shrugs and mentally figures the two kids are probably trainers who are also heading home. He and Electchu go back to running down the street until they are standing in front of a humble two-story house. Timothy stares at the building fondly until he walks to the front door and knocks. It takes a moment before it opens to reveal a 50-year-old man standing on the other side before he and Timothy walks over to each other and hug.

"How are you, son?" the older man asks softly.

"Happy to be home, Pa," Timothy answers plainly. "Just so happy to be home."


	3. Chapter 3

Serena whimpers softly before she slowly opens her eyes. It takes a moment before she remembers she is in the guest room in Ash's house. Serena sits up and stretches loudly before getting out of bed, changing from her pajamas to her regular clothes and starts walking downstairs. When she makes it to the ground floor, she hears the sound of Delia humming in the kitchen. Serena immediately freezes in place, realizing that Ash's mother is right there. Even though she spoke to her during video calls and briefly saw her last night before she and Ash went to bed, she has never had a one on one conversation with the mother of the boy she deeply cares for. She blushes slightly, feeling suddenly about going over and talk to her until she hears footsteps coming her way, entering the entryway to give Serena a welcoming smile.

"Good morning, Serena," Delia greets warmly. "Did you sleep well?"

Serena quickly brushes off her bashfulness in hopes of Delia not noticing and gives the woman her best friendly smile.

"Yes, I slept wonderfully, Mrs. Ketchum. Thank you," she replies.

"I'm glad," Delia says cheerfully. "I was just on my way to call for you for breakfast."

"Great," Serena says. "Is Ash up yet?"

Delia chuckles with her mouth closed and answers, "No, and I doubt he will be for a while. If there's one thing I've come to expect from my boy whenever he comes home from a journey, it would be how much he tends to sleep most of the morning away once he's back in his bed."

Serena can't help but giggle at Delia's answer before the two of them head back to the kitchen and start having breakfast. The two of them begin swapping stories about Ash and Pikachu as they eat, which results in them having several laughs.

"Really? Pikachu is that addicted to ketchup?" Serena asks in mid-laughter.

"Oh, you would be surprised," Delia giggles. "Have you really not noticed that during your journey in Kalos?"

Serena thinks for a moment and says, "Now that you mention it, I can't recall a time where we had a meal that involved ketchup at all. Not even when Clemont was grilling something whenever we were on the road."

"Well, I always keep a bottle or two in the house for whenever they're here, so you might get the chance to watch Pikachu eat a whole bottle," Delia says.

The two of them giggle again before they sigh and silently go back to their meal. They stay silent for a couple of minutes until Serena speaks again.

"Ash really is an amazing person," she says. "It's incredible all the things he has done just while we were in Kalos to show his love for people and Pokemon."

Delia nods in agreement before she frowns sadly.

"He is," she says softly. "But sometimes I worry about how much he gets into trouble. One day I might hear about him winning a badge or catching another Pokemon, and the next thing I know, I'll find out he's put himself in great danger."

Serena's smile fades and looks at her food glumly.

"I know what you mean," she says. "There were times in Kalos where I was really worried about his life whether he was trying to save a Pokemon, got lost in a blizzard or when Team Flare captured him. I'm proud of how brave and heroic he is, but I can't help but be afraid for him every now and then."

Delia gives the honey blonde girl a sad smile, glad to see how much she understands.

"It is hard, isn't it?" she says. "Seeing him risk his life, and you begin to worry that he might not make it out."

Serena nods.

"I still remember when I saw him on T.V. before I went on my journey," she says. "He was trying to help a rampaging Garchomp on top of Lumiose Tower and didn't hesitate to try to rescue Pikachu when it fell off even though he would have lost his life in the process. I didn't realize it was him until after he and Pikachu were rescued, but after some of the adventures we had, I get uneasy thinking about moments like that."

"Yeah, I still think about how I almost lost him when he saved the world," Delia says.

Serena turns to Delia, her eyes widened.

"What?" She asks, alarmed.

"Oh, did Ash ever tell you?" Delia asks.

Serena shakes her head, still shocked.

"I see," Delia says with another small smile. "It was about a couple of years ago while he and his friends went on a journey through the Orange Islands. I don't have the whole story, but apparently someone was trying to capture the three legendary bird Pokemon, which was threatening the whole world. Ash and his friends got caught up in the mixture of it. and it led to Ash being chosen to save the Pokemon."

Serena scratches her chin in thought.

"I think I remember seeing that on TV with my mom," she says. "The news was talking about lots of Pokemon coming to the Orange Islands to witness something huge involving Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Lugia, and a Pokemon trainer. Was that trainer really Ash?"

"He sure was," Delia says with a smile, earning a "wow" from Serena that made her giggle before she turns serious again. "But back then. I wished he wasn't. The whole time it was happening, I tried to get a hold of him and take him out of the fighting so that he would be safe. And then sometime after the whole thing was over, I learned that Ash was knocked off of Lugia and fell into the ocean unconscious."

Serena's face falls upon hearing this.

"That's terrible," she says. "How did he survive?"

"Misty saved him," Delia answers plainly.

Serena's frown disappears and she tilts her head confused.

"Who is Misty?" She asks.

Delia looks at Serena, equally confused.

"You mean Ash has never told you about Misty?" She asks.

"No, he hasn't," Serena answers before she looks down sadly. " I guess there's a lot of things about his past journeys we've never talked about."

"That's strange. It isn't like Ash to not talk about his past adventures and old friends to his companions," Delia says quizzingly.

Serena winces at those words, feeling hurt. Delia notices the honey blonde girl's reaction and gives her a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure it's nothing personal at all, dear," she says. "After all, Ash probably was more focused on the Kalos league and all the adventures he was having with you, Clemont, and Bonnie."

"I guess," Serena mutters before lifting her head to look at Ash's mother in the eye. "Are Misty and Ash close?"

Delia notices the pain and fear dwelling in the girl's eyes. She looks at Serena, confused for a moment before she puts the pieces together. Even though Serena tried to ask the question in a calm, friendly way, it is clear to the woman that there is an answer to the question that Serena does not want to hear. Delia's eyes widen slightly upon realization of why she's acting this way before she snaps out of her thoughts and gives Serena a soft smile.

"As far as I know, they are the best of friends," she answers.

Serena feels a slight sense of relief at the answer. The word 'friends' makes her feel better, and she goes back to her breakfast satisfied. But as Serena eats, her heart slowly feels as heavy as before. She doesn't know what kind of person this Misty is, but she is still concerned that she might have something for Ash just like her. Somehow the fact that Misty was there to save Ash when he was in danger made Serena sad. She begins to remember all the times that Ash threw himself into danger from trying to stop Team Rocket or when Hoopa's darker self possessed him, and she did nothing. She stood there helpless while others dove in to help him out. She may have been there to support him with his training and getting some of his badges for the Kalos League. But when he was in the most danger, Serena did nothing but fear for his life. And yet it may not matter because, in the end, Ash is only friends with that Misty girl.

"_But so am I_," Serena thinks glumly.

Timothy moans as he opens his eyes. He realizes he's back in his old room, and he fell asleep with his clothes on last night when he and Electchu decided to lay down before unpacking and changing into his pajamas. He lifts his head and realizes he was drooling in his sleep before he gets up and changes his clothes. He looks at the clock and sees it's almost 1:00 in the afternoon.

"Aw man, did we konk out," he mumbles before lightly shaking Electchu. "Come on, Electchu, it's past noon."

"Rai...chu," Electchu moans before sitting up in Timothy's bed and letting out a loud squeaky yawn.

Timothy smiles and pets his partner in the head while saying, "Come on, pal. Let's go get some food."

"Raichu," Electchu says happily while still half asleep.

The two of them exit Timothy's room and walk downstairs to the kitchen, where he sees a bowl of scrambled eggs and rice wrapped in plastic wrapping on the dining table with a note. He picks up the note, and it reads:

_Timothy,_

_I figured you and Electchu wouldn't wake up until after Johnathan, and I left for work, so here's a late breakfast for you. Also, expect a visitor later this afternoon. I can't wait to hear about your journey later tonight._

_Pop._

Timothy smiles and unwraps his breakfast before heating it with the microwave. While the food heats up, he takes out a bag of Pokemon food and pours it into a bowl before laying it on the ground for Electchu. As the two of them eat, Timothy looks around the room, feeling nostalgic about the place he grew up in. He stops eating halfway through his meal to smell the familiar country air that makes him feel at home. He has been staying in his home so rarely after he became a trainer back that it's become a routine to look around the house and ultimately, the whole town so fondly.

After they finish their late breakfast, Timothy lays his back against the chair, and Electchu lies down on its back, both satisfied with their meals until they hear a knock on the front door.

"Now who could that be?" Timothy asks as he stands up and starts walking to the entrance hall. "Probably that visitor Pop was talking about. Any idea who that is, Electchu?"

"Raichu," Electchu replies, shaking its head.

Timothy frowns slightly before he carefully undoes the lock and opens the door. The next thing he knows, an arm wraps around his neck and pulls him into a headlock before he feels a fist giving him a hard noogie on top of his head.

"Atta boy, Timbo!" He hears a cheerful male voice say. "Three cheers for the new Johto champion!"

Timothy rolls his eyes before he frees himself from the headlock to face a tall, 30-year-old man with black, curly hair that reaches his shoulders and a goofy grin. The man is wearing a long, gray trench coat, black pants, a white buttoned shirt with a dark grey tie, and has a backpack on his back.

"Hello, Coovers," He says nonchalantly. "I thought I made it clear that I didn't accept the offer to be the new official champion."

"You did, but the way I see it, you're the new champion anyway," Coovers replies in a giddy tone. "Lance is said to be unbeatable as a champion compared to when he was a gym leader, and you proved everyone wrong. If that doesn't spell bonafide champion, I don't know what does."

Timothy glares at Coovers for a moment before he smirks and rolls his eyes again.

"Well, I'll give you the 'said to be unbeatable' part, I guess," he says before he gestures his friend to come in.

The two of them and Electchu walk to the living room where Coovers helps himself to a chair while Timothy and Electchu sit on a sofa.

"So level with me, Coovers," Timothy says. "Did you really come all the way from Unova just to give me a congratulations noogie?"

"Of course, I came to do that, bro," Coovers says with a toothy grin. "But I didn't come here from my home region. I was in Hoenn when your daddy called me to break the news."

"Hoenn? What were you doing over there?" Timothy asks quizzingly.

"Oh, I was just traveling around there," Coovers answers. "But hey, before I left, Professor Birch gave me this."

The black-haired man takes off his backpack and opens it to take out a blue and white egg inside a container. Timothy tilts his head in confusion as he stared at it.

"He gave you an egg?" he asks, confused.

"Yeah, he found it abandoned in the woods with no sign of any Pokemon nearby," Coovers replies as he gives the container to his friend.

"Seriously? It's a little disturbing how often we hear Pokemon eggs getting abandoned like that," Timothy says in a concerned voice as he looks at the egg. "So is he hoping that you capture and raise the Pokemon once it hatches?"

"I don't know," Coovers replies with a shrug. "Professor Birch just thought that since this egg was left behind, maybe I could find a nice home for this little guy in your home region since he knew I was coming here. He was saying something about trying to bring Hoenn to other regions or something."

"Right," Timothy says nonchalantly. "He always was the oddest of all the Pokemon professors in my book."

"Yeah, I guess so," Coovers says with a nod. "So could you help me take care of it? I don't know what I'm going to do with it once it hatches."

Timothy hesitates for a moment before he replies with a shrug.

"I'll see what I can do for this little guy. But there aren't many trainers around here in Pallet Town, and I don't know how long I'm going to stay in Kanto," he answers honestly.

"Really?" Coovers asks curiously. "Have you been thinking about where to go next?"

Timothy frowns and looks away sadly.

"That's just it, Coovers. I don't know," he says. "Ever since I got Electchu and became a trainer, the only dream I ever had was to capture as many Pokemon as possible and defeat the champion of every single region. Now I'm 28 years old, and while I've captured and trained a few dozen Pokemon, I've only defeated one champion. I'm thrilled that I managed to defeat an opponent like Lance and everything, but it's making me concerned that I might never complete my dream. And even if I do, it'll take so long that I might be an old man by the time I complete my dream."

Coovers looks at his friend concerned for a moment before he remembers something and scratches the back of his head with his face turning more serious.

"Listen, Timothy; I have to be honest: there is another reason why I came to Kanto," he confesses.

"Oh?" Timothy asks with a raised eyebrow.

Coovers hesitates for a moment before he continues.

"Do you remember after we got my sister's Snubbull back from that poacher I said I wanted to find a means to take down all sorts of bad people like him?" He asks.

"Of course," Timothy answers with a nod.

"Well, the truth is I was in Hoenn for an assignment for my job," Coovers continues. "A couple of years ago, I met a man named Looker who offered me a job in the International Police. He and his superiors took notice of my work with tracking down other poachers over the last ten years and so they wanted to recruit me to work for them. I've been spending my time since then to bring poachers and other bad people to justice."

Timothy smiles and says, "That's great. I'm glad you found a job that helps you pursue your dream."

"Thanks," Coovers says with a smile before he frowns. "Although, I should point out that I'm part of a particular division that has one ultimate goal."

"And what is that?" Timothy asks.

"To take down Team Rocket," Coovers answers bluntly.

Timothy frowns at the mention of the name, and even Electchu becomes uneasy. The trainer looks away in thought.

"That's quite the goal," he says plainly. "But Team Rocket has been around for decades, and the authorities have never been able to track down their leader or find their secret base. Heck, they can rarely keep some of their best minions in jail for long."

"I know, but it's become more important than ever to take the organization down over the last four years," Coovers says. "Especially because Looker and my other superiors are now worried that they will attempt to do something to obtain world domination."

"How do they figure?" Timothy asks unconvinced.

"Well, simply put, they're the only real crime organization left," Coovers answers. "Lately, all the other major crime organizations that were residing beyond Kanto and Johto have been taken down. Three years ago, Team Magma and Team Aqua disbanded after failing to control the legendary Pokemon, Kyogre and Groudon. A year after that, Team Galactic attempted to create a new world that would destroy ours using the Sinnoh legendaries, Palkia and Dialga only to also have been foiled by a couple of trainers which resulted in many of their higher-ups getting arrested and their leader has been missing and is currently presumed dead. In the Unova region, Team Phasma Attempted to completely confirm the legendary Pokemon, Reshiram, after resurrecting it only for Reshiram to break free with the help of a few trainers leading to the organization's arrest. And just recently, Team Flare did the most damage by trying to wipe out the world with a machine that destroyed a lot of Lumiose City in Kalos, only to be defeated by a large group of trainers including all the region's gym leaders and the Kalos champion, Diantha."

"Yeah, I heard about that one on the news," Timothy says. "And Team Flare's leader turned out to be the head of Lysandre Labs, right?"

"Yes," Coovers confirms. "He even went as far as brainwashing two Zygarde and creating his own giant demonic version of one before the Zygarde broke free of his control and ultimately destroyed him."

Timothy hums in thought and asks, "And you and your superiors are getting the feeling that Team Rocket is not far from trying to top all of them and successfully take over the world?"

"We're almost positive they are," Coovers says firmly. "As I said, it is the only crime organization left that not only has outlived all of the others but has proven to be the largest and the most powerful out of all of them. All of the other organizations, even Team Flare, only had a few dozen people in their force, but it's been confirmed for years that Team Rocket has members by the hundreds. And that's just the ones we are aware of. What's more, we have been analyzing some of their recent deeds, and they all point to them trying to learn information about a specific legendary Pokemon. One that is said to be the very first Pokemon ever to have lived, and many believe created the earth and all life."

Timothy and Electchu look at their friend skeptically before the former asks, "You mean Arceus?"

"Yes," Coovers answers seriously. "Team Rocket has already made attempts in the past to control other legendary Pokemon like the three Unova legendaries known as the Forces of Nature. It stands to reason that they will try to capture the most ancient of all Pokemon."

Timothy scoffs, having expected to hear nothing less concerning Team Rocket.

"This sounds well and good, but why are you telling me all of this?" He asks.

Coovers gives his friend a small smile and says, "Because Looker has placed me on a special assignment that might prevent Team Rocket from capturing Arceus and more."

"And that is?" Timothy asks.

Coovers pauses for a moment before he says, "To find and retrieve the one thing on this earth that they can use to capture Arceus and use its power to take over the world. A shiny, round, white jewel people believe to be a myth that can be used against Arceus itself: the Gieldanstone."

Timothy looks at Coovers, confused, and asks, "The Gieldenstone? What, is it some kind of item that can summon Arceus?"

"No, not just simply summon Arceus," Coovers answers. "The person who holds the Gieldanstone can completely control Arceus to do their bidding without fail. Legends say that it was used to do terrible things in the Sinnoh region before it was hidden and never seen again. The leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni, only needs this jewel to control Arceus and use it to shape the world so that Team Rocket will rule everything and everyone."

Timothy frowns at this explanation. He turns to Electchu, who looks afraid, and he pets the Raichu in hopes of comforting it.

"If that happens, He wouldn't need his operations to steal Pokemon from other trainers like what happened to me," he says coldly before he turns to Coovers. "But if your assignment is to find this Gieldanstone, then does that mean it's been found?"

Coovers frowns and reluctantly says, "It might soon be."

"What do you mean?" Timothy asks.

"There's this archaeologist named Brandon," Coovers begins. "He's known for traveling all over the globe to study ancient ruins in a flying pyramid."

"A flying pyramid?" Timothy asks, dumbfounded.

"That's what Looker said," Coovers confirms. "For the last two years, he's been looking at long-forgotten ruins in the Sinnoh region. But a week ago, he announced to his higher-ups in the archaeologist community. He said he might have discovered the whereabouts of the Gieldenstone, and it might be here in the Kanto region."

Timothy and Electchu look at each other in surprise before turning back to Coovers.

"Here? In Kanto?" Timothy questions. "But isn't Arceus a Pokemon that resides in the Sinnoh region?"

"Honestly, Timothy, Looker, and I are just as confused about it as you are," Coovers says. "But before the high members of the archaeologist community could ask more, Brandon left on his flying pyramid, and no one knows for sure where he is."

"They can't find a flying pyramid?" Timothy asks, confused.

"I don't know the details, but apparently the pyramid is built so that it can't be detected by normal radars," Coovers explains. "That's all the archeologists had to give the International Police when they reported what he said and that he might have gone to Kanto."

"And you believe Brandon is trying to find the Gieldanstone," Timothy says. "Do you think he intends to use it for himself?"

"Not likely," Coovers says. "Brandon is well known to be a person of respect and wisdom. He has no desire for power, only for finding knowledge lost to the ages."

"But while Brandon wants to preserve it, Team Rocket might try to take it if it's found," Timothy says.

"Exactly," Coovers says. "And since Team Rocket has spies everywhere, Team Rocket might have also learned what Brandon knows and might try to find him and therefore the Gieldanstone. And that's if they don't know what Brandon might have discovered already."

Timothy nods in understanding and says, "But that doesn't answer my question, Coovers. Why are you telling me all of this?"

Coovers' serious look suddenly turns into a look of uneasiness and scratches the back of his head.

"Well, the blunt answer is I'm assigned to find the Gieldanstone, but I have to do so undercover," he says. "And after some convincing, Looker agreed to allow me to let you in on the mission as my partner."

Timothy and Electchu look at each other again before Timothy asks, "Why?"

"Because you are one of the most powerful trainers who isn't officially a champion or a member of the Elite Four," Coovers says. "Your accomplishment in defeating Lance alone on top of winning the Johto League as well as your deeds in stopping Team Rocket and hunting down the poacher we tracked down together shows that you are a trainer who can aid me on my mission. There might be many dangers ahead, and if so, I need someone I can trust with my life, and there's no one I trust more than you."

"Okay, that fits, but what does it matter if you're undercover?" Timothy asks.

"Because we want Team Rocket to be completely unaware of what we're doing," Coovers says. "There's a chance that they haven't learned yet that we are aware that they want to capture Arceus or even that Brandon may have found the whereabouts of the Gieldanstone. If that's the case, we need to make sure that it stays that way. So we will be looking for Brandon throughout Kanto like we are on a normal journey through the region. If anyone asks, we can say you are traveling to train and catch new Pokemon before competing in the Indigo League again."

Timothy stares at his friend with an unamused look.

"You were really hoping I had nothing else to do than to train for the Indigo League specifically?" He asks.

"Well, what I'm suggesting isn't without its benefits for you," Coovers claims.

"How do you figure?" Timothy asks. "There aren't many Pokemon in Kanto that I haven't already captured, and I won all of my badges for the Kanto region years ago."

"Yes, but maybe another journey in your home region is just what you need to become strong enough to win that particular league," Coovers points out. "Especially since that league is not far away."

Timothy looks confused and asks, "Really?"

"Yeah, I looked it up on my way here," Coovers answers. "The Unova League was a while ago, Kalos had their league last month, and the rest of the other leagues happened early this year. The Indigo League, on the other hand, is only five months away, which means more than enough time to keep training and make your Pokemon stronger while we travel. So not only will you be helping me find Brandon, but you'll be working to grow strong enough to win another league."

Timothy thinks about it for a moment before nods and says, "That might work."

Coovers smiles and asks, "So you'll help me?"

Timothy thinks about it for a moment. Then he turns to Electchu, who merely smiles in support. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt sighs and looks at Coovers with a sincere smile.

"Of course, I'll help, Coovers," he says. "You're right when you say that Team Rocket must never find something as dangerous as this Gieldanstone. If we have to search every inch of Kanto to find Brandon and get him to help us keep it away from Team Rocket, then so be it."

Coovers smiles brightly and says, "Thank you, Timothy. I think I can speak for Looker and the rest of my superiors when I say it means a lot that you will help me find the jewel."

"You should save the thanks until we retrieve it," Timothy suggests. "If we don't even know exactly how much Team Rocket knows about the Gieldanstone, then time might be of the essence."


	4. Chapter 4

Serena pats her belly after finally finishing her breakfast. As much as part of her conversation with Delia dampened her spirits, she can't deny that her crush's mom is a remarkable cook. Delia smiles brightly, pleased to see the honey blonde girl looking a little better. Then Serena stands up and turns to the woman with a kind smile.

"Thank you so much for breakfast, Mrs. Ketchum," she says politely.

"My pleasure, dear," Delia replies. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I figure now is a good time as any to visit my old house," Serena answers.

"Your old house?" Delia asks, confused.

"Yes, my mom and I used to live in Pallet Town briefly before we moved to Kalos," Serena explains.

'Aw, how nice," Delia says with a smile. "Have fun."

"Thanks, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena replies. "See you later."

The honey blonde girl leaves the house, and Delia starts putting away the dishes. Just as she begins filling the sink with soapy water, she hears two sets of footsteps walking down the staircases, and she smiles. She turns her head to see Ash and Pikachu groggily entering the kitchen with the former letting out a low yawn.

"Good morning, sweetie," Delia greets sweetly.

"Morning, Mom," Ash replies in a tired voice. "Is Serena up yet?

"You just missed her," Delia answers as she fills a plate with Ash's breakfast and places it on the table. "She left to go look at the house she used to live in."

Ash turns to his mom and looks at her in confusion before he puts the pieces together.

"That's right, she used to live in Pallet Town," he says with a smile. "How could I forget? She was the girl with the straw hat."

Delia looks at her son curiously as she puts down a bowl of Pokemon food for Pikachu.

"You mean she was the girl you helped back in summer camp when you were little?" She asks.

"Yeah, and when she found out I was in Kalos she came to see me again, and that's when I eventually invited her to join me, Clemont, and Bonnie on our journey," Ash explains.

Delia looks down at the floor and scratches her chin in thought as she puts some of the pieces together. She then looks up at Ash, who is happily eating his breakfast and sighs before deciding to sit in the chair next to him.

"Ash, what do you think of Serena?" She asks.

Ash stops eating and turns to his mother, confused as if he heard her ask a question that is supposed to be hard but isn't.

"I think she's a great friend," he says with a smile. "She's kind, strong, encouraging, a wonderful performer, a great pastry chef -"

"That's all great, honey, but let me rephrase my question," Delia interrupts. "How much do you care about her?"

Ash tilts his head even more confused.

"What do you mean? I already said she'd a great friend," he says.

"Yes, but you ever think of her as more than that?"

But instead of answering, Ash keeps staring at his mother. Delia sighs, accepting that her son still doesn't understand what she's getting at. She clasps her hands together and stares at Ash, ready for a serious talk.

"Ash, I think it's time I talk to you about something that boys your age sometimes think about that you aren't aware of," she announces. "I guess it's partly my fault. You were growing up becoming so passionate about Pokemon, just like your father and your grandfather, and I love that about you so much that I encouraged you all the way. But I guess in the process of doing that; I never lectured you about other important things that can happen in your life. But now that you are 14 years old, now is good a time as any that I try to fix that."

Ash still stares blankly at his mother, failing to understand what she's talking about, but he silently nods, willing to hear her out.

"Ash, there are times when a boy and a girl care for each other in a deeper way than they do if they're friends," Delia starts.

"A deeper way than they do if they're friends?" Ash asks.

"Yes," Delia replies. "This is the kind of feeling you have where you care about a person you want to be by their side all the time."

"Oh, like me with Pikachu," Ash says, thinking he understands.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says happily.

"No, sweetie, not like that," Delia says chuckling. "I'm talking about wanting to be with someone in a romantic way."

"In a romantic way?" Ash asks before he scratches his chin in thought. "I think I recall some of my friends like Brock, May, Dawn, and Iris talking about something being romantic before. Usually, it was when Brock was chasing some girl or when we were helping two shy Pokemon become really good friends."

Delia chuckles nervously.

"Well, I guess you are sort of on point with both examples," she says. "You see when Brock is talking about romance to pretty girls, he was talking about staying together with someone of the opposite gender for the rest of their lives because they love each other just like those pairs of Pokemon you came across with your friends."

Ash looks at his mother even more confused.

"But that still sounds like when I want to be with all of my friends," he says. "I love all of them, and I want to stay with them always."

Delia freezes in place for a moment. She feels discouraged hearing her explanation be interpreted that way by her son.

"Uh, yes, it's like that, but I'm talking about a more special kind of love, Ash," she says patiently. "What I'm talking about is the kind of love where you want to be with them more than anything. More than any of your friends or your Pokemon."

Ash looks at his mother, shocked.

"More than even my Pokemon? Than Pikachu?" He shouts as if Delia said a foul word. "Do people really feel that way?"

"Of course," Delia says with a small smile. "It's a normal and wonderful thing that people and Pokemon go through. It's why people like your father and me get married. Feeling this way about someone more than any of your friends or Pokemon isn't a horrible thing. If you find the right person, they could be what makes you feel the happiest in your life."

Ash blinks for a moment again and scratches his chin in thought.

"One person that can make you feel the happiest in your life," he says thinking out loud. "But what does this have to do with Serena?"

Delia chuckles nervously again, realizing they have gone a full circle.

"Well, Ash, I'm wondering if you ever feel like Serena is more than just a great friend," she answers.

"Huh? Why?" Ash asks.

"Because, Ash, I don't think you have thought so highly of your friends who are girls the way you do with Serena," Delia answers honestly. "I know you care for Dawn, Iris, May, and of course Misty, but whenever you called me about what's been happening when you were in Kalos, I haven't heard you speak so highly about Serena the why you do about your other friends. Sometimes you have talked about how you might fight with them or how they invited themselves to join you on your journey. But you invited Serena to join you on your journey because she was so kind and helpful with winning your first Kalos badge. Ever since that day, you would bring her up again at times whenever you were stopping at a Pokemon Center. You told me how she was so strong over her losing her first showcase or when she helped you with your other badges or tried to teach you how to dance or ride a Rhyhorn."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense," Ash says while scratching his chin. "But do you think that means I care for Serena that any of my other friends?"

"I don't know for sure if it means anything, Ash. That's something you have to find out yourself," Delia replies. "I'm merely offering my opinion of what could be happening between a girl and my 14-year-old boy. You may not understand now, but I hope you will later."

Ash looks at his mother blankly, still confused. Finally, he gives her a small smile and nods before going back to his breakfast. Delia lets out a sigh, feeling like she didn't go anywhere trying to explain the subject to Ash. Her worry about Serena's dilemma grows as she realized how much her son has become oblivious. She secretly prays that one day Ash will understand it and maybe find it in himself to sincerely return Serena's feelings.

Just then, the doorbell rings and Delia, Ash, and Pikachu look at each other curiously before they all silently decide to see who it is. They walk to the entrance hallway, and Delia opens the door to reveal a wide-chested man with brown hair and a pair of sunglasses looking at the three of them with a smirk.

"Heya, Ash, Pikachu, Mrs. Ketchum. Long time no see," he says.

"Scott!" Ash and Delia exclaims before the former happily shakes the man's hand.

"How've you been?" Ash asks. "Is everything going alright with the Battle Frontier?"

"Everything is going great," Scott says with a nod. "But it hasn't been the same without a challenger like you. In fact, not many potential trainers have made it all the way to Brandon like you have."

"That sounds like my Ash; one of a kind," Delia says proudly.

"Indeed," Scott says in agreement. "Though, I'm hoping to fix that which why I'm here. Can you help me find a possible contender who just defeated Lance, the Johto champion andlives here in Pallet Town."

"Really? I haven't heard anything about that," Delia says puzzled.

"Yeah, neither have I," Ash says, equally puzzled. "Wouldn't the news be going crazy that Johto has a new champion?"

"You would think, Ash, but this man told Lance he's uninterested in taking his position," Scott answers. "But I'm hoping that he will say yes to becoming a Frontier Brain if he beats all seven brains."

"Really? That sounds great. So how can we help?" Ash asks.

"I'm glad you asked," Scott replies. "I'm hoping you can help me find out where in Pallet Town is Timothy Durbin."


	5. Chapter 5

For the past half an hour, Timothy and Coovers have been looking up possible ruins in Kanto with Electchu trying to help. Timothy eventually began to look through the phone book to make some calls, but he was disappointed to find that most lines are disconnected and the archeologists he did manage to contact are not very experienced in their field, or have ever heard of Brandon. The more the two men research or call, the more they begin to fear that they are going to travel with no clear direction to find the man in the flying pyramid.

"Alright, thank you anyway," Timothy says politely before he hangs up the videophone. "Well, Coovers, that's all the numbers for archeologists in Kanto that we have."

"Darn," Coovers says disappointed. "Maybe there are some archeologist buddies who know him but just happen to be going on an expedition with him?"

"If that's so, then we need to think of a new plan to find him," Timothy says. "Preferably one where we don't have to circle around Kanto heaven knows how many times and hope we eventually get lucky."

"Well, hey, if we do, then you'll have tons of opportunities to train your Pokemon as much as you like for the Kanto League," Coovers points out trying to be optimistic.

"Perhaps, but if what you said is true, then that won't matter if Giovanni does find the Gieldanstone," Timothy counters. "For all we know, he might liberate it before there ever is a league in Kanto or anywhere else again."

Coovers sighs in defeat, falling on the sofa.

"Well, we have to do something. My superiors are going to expect results from us," he moans. "Speaking of the league, though, have you thought about what Pokemon to bring?"

"Rai! Rai, rai, rai, rai, rai raichu, rai, rai!" Electchu shouts.

"Uh...did you catch any of that?" Coovers asks, lifting his head to look at Timothy.

"Yeah, he was expressing how I better take him," Timothy answers with a small smile before turning to his Raichu. "And you out of all of my Pokemon should know that I'I'd never leave Pallet Town without my partner."

Electchu smirks, pleased with his trainer's response while Timothy takes out his belt that is carrying six Pokeballs.

"I guess that just leaves me to think about who else to take," he says as he looks at his Pokeballs while scratching his chin in thought. "Let's see. I always keep a water and a psychic Pokemon on my team, so Poliwrath and Shockwave are automatically in. Odyssey should go with us too so that it can stay together with Shockwave. Though my large Arcanine, Fenrir would -"

Suddenly, Timothy's eyes widen. He stares at his belt where one of his six Pokeballs appears to be open. He stares at it for a moment before he grunts, irritated.

"Not again," he grumbles.

"What?" Coovers asks curiously.

Suddenly, before Timothy can answer, they hear a scream coming from outside.

"Oh, come on," Timothy says, annoyed.

He gets up from his seat and storms out of the house with Electchu and Coovers following him. The three of them look around from the front porch until Timothy spots a 14-year-old girl with short, honey blonde hair wearing a pink dress with a blue ribbon wrapped around the collar, a red coat, long, black socks, brown boots and a pink fedora looking terrified. Standing in front of her is her shadow that appears to be standing up with red, glowing eyes and a giant grin. Coovers looks shocked at the display whereas Timothy and Electchu give unamused looks.

"Gengar, knock it off!" Timothy shouts.

The girl's shadow suddenly frowns and floats away from her before dissolving into a Gengar. The girl sighs in relief while Timothy walks over to her.

"My deepest apologies, young lady," he says. "I'm afraid my Gengar has a horrible habit of escaping from its Pokeball to scare people."

He turns to the frowning Gengar and glares.

"How many times have I told you to stop doing that?" He rebukes like a parent disciplining their child. "Apologize to this girl."

"Gengar," Gengar says ashamed.

"That's okay," the girl says with a forgiving smile. "Believe it or not, this Gengar is not the first one to pull a prank on me."

"Unfortunately, I believe you," Timothy says bluntly before taking out Gengar's Pokeball and returning it. "At least my Gengar didn't wander too far from the house."

The girl looks at Timothy and then his house curiously and asks, "Excuse me, but does Judy Durbin no longer live here?"

Timothy frowns and says, "I'm afraid she passed away some time ago. I'm her oldest grandchild, Timothy Durbin."

The girl frowns sadly at this news.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," she says. "I was hoping I could say hi to her while I'm in town."

"You knew Timothy's grandma?" Coovers asks.

"Yes, I used to live right next door to her a long time ago before my mother, and I moved to Kalos," the girl replies while giving Timothy and Coovers a friendly smile. "My name is Serena."

Timothy smiles and says, "Pleased to meet you. This man from Unova is Coovers, and this is my partner, Electchu."

"Nice to meet you," Coovers says politely.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

"Nice to meet you too," Serena says before turning to Timothy. "You said your name is Timothy? Your grandmother used to tell me a lot about you and your journeys as a trainer."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Timothy says with a smirk. "Grandma Judy wasn't a subtle woman when it came to displaying that I was her favorite grandchild."

Serena covers her mouth and giggles.

"No, she wasn't," she agrees. "So what are you doing back in Pallet Town?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Timothy says with a smirk. "What brings you all the way here from Kalos after so many years?"

"Well, I came to Kanto with my friend, Ash, to compete in Pokemon contests," she answers. "His mom lives here in Pallet Town, so he invited me to stay for a while before I go on my journey."

"I see," Timothy says. "Well, I'm home after competing in the Johto League and defeating the Johto champion."

"Really? Congratulations!" Serena says happily. "You must be thrilled to make that accomplishment."

"He sure is," Coovers says butting in. "In fact, he's thinking of competing in this year's upcoming Indigo league to try to be a bi-regional champion."

"Coovers, don't blurt that out," Timothy rebukes, annoyed.

"Sorry, but I'm just so excited about the idea," Coovers says.

"A bi-regional champion? That sounds like quite a goal," Serena comments.

"Well, it has been my dream to defeat every single regional champion since before I became a trainer," Timothy replies.

Serena stares at Timothy for a moment, and a fond smile appears on her face that confuses him, Electchu, and Coovers. Serena quickly realizes what she's doing and shakes her head.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "It's just that you remind me of Ash when you talk like that. He wants to become a Pokemon Master."

"Heh. Now that's one way to dream big," Timothy titters. "Has he competed in any leagues?"

"Yes. All of them, in fact," Serena answers with a bright smile. "In fact, he just recently made it to the finals at the Kalos League and almost won."

"Not bad," Timothy says. "I know from experience how frustrating it is to almost win a -"

"Wait a minute," Coovers interrupts. "Did you say your friend almost won the Kalos League?"

"Yes, that's right," Serena answers.

"Would he be the same Ash who helped defeat Team Flare just a couple weeks ago?" Coovers asks.

"Wait, he what?" Timothy asks, taken aback.

"Well, yes, but how did you know about that?" Serena asks, confused.

Before Coovers can answer, they all hear a raspy voice shout, "Hey, Serena!" They all turn around to see a raven-haired boy around Serena's age, a Pikachu and a fat man with brown hair and sunglasses walking toward them.

"Ash?" Serena asks, surprised.

"I'm surprised to find you here," the boy named Ash says with a toothy grin before turning to Timothy. "And judging by my mom's description, you're Timothy, right?"

"Yes, that is me," Timothy answers before turning to his friends. "This is Coovers and my Raichu, Electchu."

"You nicknamed your Raichu? That's cool," Ash says as he watches his Pikachu and Electchu speak to each other friendly.

"Indeed," Timothy says. "Now what could I do for you, Ash?"

"Actually, Ash was helping me find you," the fat man says, stepping in. "A pleasure to meet you, gentlemen. My name is Scott, and I represent the Battle Frontier."

"Alright, Mr. Scott, so how can I help you?" Timothy asks while he and Coovers each shake Scott's hand.

"Just Scott will be fine," Scott replies. "And I'm here to make a proposition for the trainer who not only won the Johto League but also defeated the Johto Elite Four and champion."

Coovers looks immediately interested while Timothy raises his eyebrow.

"And what would that be?" He asks.

"Well, as the representative of the Battle Frontier, I look for trainers who would be interested in battling the seven Frontier Brains of the Battle Frontier," Scott says. "The Frontier Brains are very powerful and skilled trainers who all live in various parts of the Kanto region. If you beat all seven of them, you could become a part of the team as the newest Frontier Brain."

Timothy blinks at Scott blankly for a moment.

"So you're offering that I battle seven particular trainers just to join this group?" He asks. "I'm sorry, but that doesn't sound like something that interests me."

Scott frowns and steps in front of Timothy before he can turn around.

"Hold it now. Not so fast," he says. "This is no ordinary group, young man. This is some of the most specially trained battlers you will ever meet."

"I don't know. I've traveled through many of the known regions and have met quite a few people that fit that criteria," Timothy says.

"But these are some of the strongest in Kanto specifically," Scott says. "Many consider them to be even more challenging than the Pokemon gyms or even some of the Kanto Elite Four in their own way."

Timothy raises his eyebrow and turns to Coovers, who looks equally interested.

"Is that a fact?" He asks.

"Yes, and it's also a great way to learn new things and become a stronger trainer," Scott says. "In fact, Ash here defeated all seven brains and became a much stronger trainer because of it. Right, Ash?"

"You bet," Ash says with a confident look that makes Serena smile. "All seven brains were pretty tough, but I learned a lot while facing them. Especially the final Frontier Brain, Brandon."

Both Coovers and Timothy's eyes widen at the sound of that name.

"Did you say Brandon?" Coovers asks. "As in Brandon, the archeologist?"

"Yep," Ash confirms. "He's always in his flying pyramid and only stops when he's at an ancient ruin. So you better hope you're close to where he is after you defeat the other six brains."

Scott nervously chuckles and says, "That's a little too much information, Ash, but you're right. Brandon never stops for anyone, even me until his work is over. Only once you've defeated the other brains are you allowed to discover the location of the Battle Pyramid."

Timothy scratches his chin in thought with this information while Coovers turns to Ash.

"Now that I think about it, aren't you the friend that Serena said almost won the Kalos League?" He asks.

"Uh, yes," Ash answers taken aback.

"And have you made any other accomplishments apart from that and defeating this Battle Frontier?" Coovers questions

"Uh, well I did defeat the Orange Islands champion a couple years ago," Ash admits. "Why do you ask?"

But instead of answering, Coovers scratches his chin in thought for a moment before he snaps his fingers and grabs Timothy by the shoulders.

"Scott, Ash, Serena, I'm so sorry, but could you give the two of us just one moment?"

Coovers pulls Timothy away before Ash, Serena, or Scott can answer. Electchu and Pikachu turn away from their conversation to look in confusion before the former follows the two men. Even Timothy is confused with his friend's sudden action as Coovers drags him to a spot several feet away from the group. The black-haired man then turns Timothy around so that their backs are turned and leans close to his ear.

"Okay, it's official; you're doing this Battle Frontier thing," he declares quietly.

"Uh, since when do you get to choose what I'm going to do?" Timothy asks with a frown.

"Well, you heard that guy. Brandon doesn't stop for anyone, so you gotta do this so that we can get to him," Coovers whispers.

"But how do you know we can't convince Scott and Brandon to make an exception?" Timothy whispers back. "I mean Brandon might be on his way to find the Gieldanstone and if he is we should get to him now, the sooner, the better."

"I know, but if even Scott can't reach him then we have no choice," Coovers points out. "Besides, I already told you that this is an undercover mission. We can't just blab about wanting to see Brandon to every person we think we can trust, remember? Team Rocket might have eyes and ears everywhere, and for all we know they might need a guy like Brandon to speed up the process. If they find out about him, they might go looking for him and find him before we do. If this is the only way we can secretly get to him, then that's what we'll do. Besides, if the Battle Frontier is that rarely known, then doing it with so little attention might work to our advantage. We can get to Brandon and keep the Gieldanstone far away from Team Rocket's clutches before they have any idea."

Timothy reluctantly agrees in his mind.

"Fine, but what got you so interested in Ash's involvement with the Battle Frontier and the Kalos League?" he asks.

"Well, from the sound of things, doing the Battle Frontier seems to have helped him in the long run," Coovers answers. "If he has become that strong of a trainer at such a young age, then maybe what he learned from that experience is what you need to secure finally winning the rest of the Pokemon leagues."

"Is that all?" Timothy asks unimpressed. "Do you really think this frontier thing is just what I need to win the Indigo league? You should have a better reason to be interested in some boy than that, Coovers."

"Erm...well I do," Coovers admits. "Do you remember me telling you how Team Galactic, and Team Aqua and Magma and so on were partly defeated by a band of trainers? Well, there was one particular trainer who is constantly mentioned in all of them: a raven-haired boy with z-shaped marks on his cheeks and a Pikachu by his side."

Timothy's eyes widen slightly in interest.

"Are you telling me that Serena's friend might have played a part in defeating every single crime organization apart from Team Rocket?" he asks.

"Not 'might have,' did," Coovers whispers seriously. "Team Flare's defeat was reported to have been done partly by a boy identified as Ash Ketchum. So that tells me that this boy has the potential to be someone that could be a handy ally against Team Rocket if we need help. In fact, it was with Ash's help, in particular, that Looker was able to take down Team Galactic and Team Phasma."

Timothy secretly glances behind his shoulder to stare at Ash, who is still looking at the two men curiously with Scott and Serena. He frowns disapprovingly before turning back to his Unovian friend.

"Really? That boy half my age? Do you really think he should be considered as a possible ally against the most dangerous criminal organization in the world?!" Timothy hisses. "That has to be one of the most ridiculous ideas I've ever heard you come up with!"

"But his age shouldn't matter, Timothy," Coovers whispers back. "Just because it took you so long to win a Pokemon league doesn't mean that has to be the case for everyone. Clearly, this boy has a special passion for Pokemon and Pokemon battles that have led to him doing many incredible things. That sounds like someone we may need desperately to save the world if Team Rocket tries to strike."

Timothy frowns at his friend. His mind is struggling to fight the logic behind everything Coovers just said. Deep down, he's against the idea partly because he feels a sense of jealousy for the boy named Ash. Hearing that he's done all these things while Timothy has been catching Pokemon and training them to try to win any Pokemon league is unsettling to him. To Timothy, it's as if Ash may indeed have figured out something that he hasn't in almost two decades of being a Pokemon trainer. He sighs before he gives in and turns to Coovers.

"Alright, Coovers. We'll play it your way," he says. "You and I will do this Battle Frontier and will consider this boy as an ally. But if we're going to do the latter, we need to make sure he stays here in Kanto."

Coovers tilts his head in confusion. Before he can ask what his friend means, Timothy breaks the huddle and walks over to Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Scott with a polite smile on his face.

"My apologies for my abrupt behavior, Scott," he says half-sincerely. "After discussing things with Coovers, I have decided that taking on the Battle Frontier sounds like a great opportunity for me."

Scott's mouth hangs open in surprise for a moment before his smirk returns.

"Well, that's great, Timothy. I'm glad you agree," he says.

"Me too. I'm sure you're going to have an awesome time," Ash says confidently.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"Yeah, it sounds like fun," Serena says with a friendly smile.

Coovers and Electchu stare at their friend for a moment before he clears his throat and decides to play along.

"Yeah, what can I say? I know how to help my buddy head in the right direction," he says proudly as he walks back to the group.

"You gentleman won't be disappointed," Scott promises before he takes out a small device. "Here, take this Pokenav. Your first destination will be the Battle Factory which is already downloaded in it."

"Well, that's excellent, Scott, but I have a condition," Timothy announces.

"Oh?" Scott asks.

"Yes, and it's one that concerns your poster boy, Ash," Timothy says.

"What? Me?" Ash asks taken aback.

Scott and Serena turn to Ash, who watches Timothy walk over to him with a determined look on his face. Timothy stares at the raven-haired boy for a moment before he clears his throat.

"So, on top of winning this Battle Frontier, you also defeated the Orange League champion and made it to the finals with the Kalos League, am I correct?" he questions.

"Yep, I sure did," Ash says with a proud smirk.

Timothy nods and says, "Tell me, what caused you to lose at the Kalos League finals?"

Ash stares at the man for a moment before he scratches the back of his head and admits, "Well, I guess you could say I just gave it everything I had with my Pokemon and in the end, it wasn't enough to defeat Alain's last Pokemon."

"Is that so?" Timothy says. "Well, then I will get right to the point. I find it hard to believe that you have accomplished so much in only a few years of Pokemon training under your belt compared to me who only recently won a tournament after years of catching and training lots of Pokemon. I've built friendships with each Pokemon I've captured and gave so much time in my life to make them stronger. And yet despite all of my hard work, I never made it farther than the semifinals until three years ago and only this past month did I finally win the Johto League and then challenged and defeated the Johto Elite Four and the Johto champion, Lance."

"Wow, you really did that? That's great!" Ash says excitedly.

"Erm...thanks," Timothy says taken aback by Ash's enthusiasm. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is it's unsettling to me that you have done more than I have in such a short amount of time and I want you to show me that you are as strong of a trainer as you appear to be."

Ash smirks and says, "I see. You want to have a battle against me, is that it? Well, I don't have a full party with me right now, but I can come over to Professor Oak and -"

"Ah, ah, ah, ah, not so fast," Timothy says, smirking back. "I do want you to face you in a battle, but I want to do it in the Indigo League."

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Scott are all surprised as they begin to understand what Timothy is saying.

"Are you saying you want me to compete in the Indigo League?" Ash asks.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Timothy answers firmly. "I'm planning to compete in the tournament myself so that I can win and face Kanto's Elite Four and champion and thus become a bi-regional champion. The farthest I've ever gotten in that particular tournament was the semifinals six years ago. I'm trusting you and Scott that facing Kanto's Battle Frontier will help make me much stronger as a trainer like it did for you. After that, I intend to use whatever I learn to compete in the league and finally win. I dare you to use all of your knowledge, strength, experience, and deep bonds with your Pokemon to stop me."

For a couple of moments, everyone is silent until Serena speaks.

"So what you're saying is you will partake in the Battle Frontier under the condition that Ash competes in the Indigo League?" she asks.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Timothy says. "I will face all seven Frontier brains as Scott has requested. And in exchange, I want you, Ash, to train yourself to be as top form as you can be within the next five months and face me in the Indigo League with everything you got. Do we have a deal?"

Ash stares at Timothy blankly. He has never re-entered a Pokemon league before, and it seems strange that this man is demanding that he does so. He lowers his head to face the ground, and he thinks deeply in thought before he looks up to face Timothy again and smirks.

"Alright, it's a deal," He says while taking out his hand for Timothy to shake it. "Fair warning, though, I'm the one who's going to win, no matter what."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you," Timothy says with his own smirk as he shakes Ash's hand. "Either way, it looks like we are rivals now."

"Sounds good," Ash says enthusiastically. "I look forward to battling with you."

"Oh, I'm sure you are, son," Timothy says. "I really am."


	6. Chapter 6

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful after Serena met Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers, and then Ash came with Scott to convince Timothy to compete in the Battle Frontier. Since then, she went back to Delia's house with Ash and Scott, where the latter started telling her stories about when Ash competed in the Battle Frontier. Serena was amazed at how Ash learned so much and overcame the challenges he faces with every Frontier Brain he faced. She had a warm smile on her face that just kept growing the more she heard of Ash's past adventures. Delia noticed as she was making dinner later that day how Serena was holding on to her ribbon again whenever Scott was talking about something suspenseful happening during one of Ash's battles.

But as the day went on, Serena noticed Ash looking deep in thought during the remainder of Scott's visit. Once in a while, he would join in the storytelling by commenting on how he figured something out or made a mistake, but as soon as Scott retook control of the conversation again, he went back to acting deep in thought. Serena wondered what was going on in his mind that would get him so focused. She has seen him think deeply in thought before for a gym battle, but it was clear to her that something else was up.

Later that night, Scott finally left, and Ash, Delia, and Serena decide to go to bed. Unfortunately, as the night went on, Serena found herself unable to go to sleep. She tosses and turns, but she doesn't feel the least bit tired. She sighs sadly, accepting that she's worried about what might be troubling Ash.

Suddenly, she hears one of the bedroom doors open from the other side and hears someone walk down the halls, go downstairs, and exits the house. Curious, Serena gets up and looks through her bedroom window to find Ash walking away from the house in his pajamas. Curious and determined to find out what is going on, Serena quietly leaves her room, goes downstairs, and walks outside to follow him. She keeps at a distance, curious if he's going anywhere in particular but looks perplexed when she follows him to the beach, and he sits down on the sand. Serena keeps watching him for a moment before she takes a deep breath and decides to walk over to him. When she's only a couple feet away, she realizes that he hasn't noticed her and decides to speak.

"Ash?"

The raven-haired boy snaps out or his train of thought and turns his head to look at the honey blonde girl.

"Oh, hey, Serena," he greets half-heartedly. "Why are you awake?"

"I couldn't sleep," Serena answers. "What are you doing over here?"

Ash frowns and turns his head back to face the ocean.

"Guess I couldn't sleep either, so I decided to come here," he says quietly.

Serena frowns and decides to sir next to Ash.

"What's the matter?" She asks.

Ash turns his head to face Serena and says with a fake smile, "Nothing's wrong."

Serena's frown deepens, and she glares at Ash.

"Ash, I know you're lying to me," she says firmly. "Something's been troubling you since you made that deal with Timothy."

Ash's fake frown disappears, and he looks down without saying anything for a moment.

"Well, it's just...did I ever tell you what happened when I last competed in the Indigo League?" He asks.

Serena winces and glumly answers, "No, you haven't. In fact, up until dinner, you've never told me about your past travels before you came to Kalos."

This time, it's Ash turn to wince.

"Really? I'm sorry about that, Serena," he says.

Serena gives him a small smile, knowing he means it. She decides to sit down next to Ash as he turns his head to face the ocean again.

"I was so confident that I would make it all the way," he says. "I had my challenges during the first couple of rounds, of course, but I pulled through each time. I even lasted longer than my then-rival, Gary, Professor Oak's grandson, who was knocked out during the last preliminary round."

Serena smiles again at hearing Ash talk about beating his opponents and surpassing one of his rivals. Ash's frown deepens, however, as he continues.

"But then I found out I was going to face my friend, Ritchie next," he says. "What was worse was I almost missed our match because Team Rocket kidnapped Pikachu and me."

"They've been after Pikachu since that far back?" Serena asks in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know. Annoying, isn't it?" Ash says in agreement. "Anyway, after I managed to make it to the stadium just in the nick of time, Ritchie and I had our battle. First, he took down my Squirtle with his Butterfree, Happy, then Pikachu took him down only for Ritchie's Charmander, Zippo to defeat Pikachu. The last Pokemon I used was my Charizard, who scared Zippo so much that he ran away back into his Pokeball, leaving Ritchie with just his Pikachu, Sparky, left. It should have been an easy win from there with Charizard's power on my side, but just as Ritchie and Sparky were preparing for an attack, Charizard suddenly laid down and took a nap in the middle of the battle."

"What?" Serena asks, puzzled. "Isn't your Charizard the same one who worked with you to defeat the first Frontier Brain who had a wild Articuno on his side?"

"Yup. Back then, it refused to listen to me," Ash answers. "Charizard did that to me a couple of times before, so it was a risk to use him at the time, but after it scared Zippo, I thought it was starting to listen to me. But then right as Sparky was about to battle against Charizard, it was laying down on the ground without a care about what is happening around him. I begged him to listen to me, and the audience was starting to boo, but Charizard just laid down scratching his belly. After a minute, the judge declared that Charizard is out, and that made Ritchie the winner."

Serena looks at Ash sadly as Ash hangs his head.

"That was one of the worst days of my life," he says. "All that effort to come so close only to be disqualified because my Pokemon refused to listen to me."

For a moment, there is silence between the two teenagers. Serena takes in Ash's story before she finally asks, "Is that what's troubling you?"

"Well...kind of," Ash says, turning his head to face her again. "The thing is I've worked hard to move on from that day and in many ways I succeeded by making it to the top 8 in the Johto, Hoenn, and Unova leagues, the top 4 in the Sinnoh League, defeating the champion in both the Orange League, winning the Battle Frontier and, of course, almost defeating Alain at the Kalos League. But after hearing how Timothy has been competing for years and only recently won a Pokemon league, I wonder if that's going to be me years from now."

"Ash, that's ridiculous," Serena rebukes.

"Is it?" Ash challenges. "I've already competed in so many leagues and I've lost in all of them. Now it looks like I'm going to try all over again by accepting Timothy's challenge and partake in a league I've already competed in before."

"Doesn't matter," Serena says firmly. "If you are going to start over again, then you need to compete in the Kanto League and show how much you have grown as a trainer since that day. Whatever mistakes you made, show that you've learned from them. Whatever weaknesses you had, make clear that you've overcome them. If you weren't strong enough to win before, then train yourself to be even stronger."

"You think it's that simple?" Ash asks.

"Of course," Serena says confidently. "When I left for Kanto to compete in Pokemon contests, I did so intending to come back to Kalos to show how much I've changed for the better. I see no reason why you can't do the same now that you have made that deal with Timothy. You were the one who told me not to give up until it's over. Well, I say it's not over for you. Not by a longshot."

Once again, silence fills the area between them. Finally, Ash finds himself suddenly laughing happily, which takes Serena off guard.

"You've really been taking those words to heart, haven't you, Serena?" Ash says after calming down. "Well, you're right. I shouldn't take this deal as a bad thing. I should take it to do all the things you said, and this time I'm going to win for sure."

Serena smiles, glad to see Ash acting like himself again.

"There's the Ash I know," she thinks in her mind.

"But you know, if I'm going to win this, I'm going to need the one thing that Timothy doesn't have that helped me become so strong during my Kalos journey," Ash continues.

"Really? What's that?" Serena asks, confused.

"You."

Serena's eyes widen, and she feels her cheeks heating up.

"W-what?" She manages to say.

"You, Serena," Ash confirms. "Clemont and Bonnie and all my other companions may have played parts in helping me through my journeys in the past, but none of them compare to how you were so devoted to help me out. You helped me remember my training during my rematch with Viola, you helped me realize I needed to stick to my way of battling when I went against Korrina, you went out of your way to find me and try to encourage me after Wulfric defeated me. All of my friends support me in one way or another, but I've never had a friend like you. And for that reason, I have to ask you something."

Without thinking, Ash takes Serena's hands, making her cheeks redder and turns his whole body to face her with a smile on his face. He takes a moment before he speaks while looking at Serena deep in the eyes.

"Serena, can I go with you on your journey through Kanto?"

Serena stares at Ash, shocked.

"You...you want to join me on my journey?" She asks.

"Why not?" Ash asks, smirking. "If you think I should become stronger and learn from my mistakes, then I should do so with another journey through the Kanto region. Besides, if you're going to compete in Pokemon contests to do the same thing, then this is a perfect opportunity for us to become stronger together. You are there for me, and I'll be there for you. Together we will both come out on top as Kanto's champion and Top Coordinator. What do you say, Serena?"

It takes a moment before Serena takes in everything Ash just said and starts to think about his proposition. On the one hand, she left Kalos prepared to go her own way, but at the same time, she can't deny that she wants to spend more time with Ash. Serena looks at Ash's eyes as she can see that he genuinely wants to join her on her journey. The sincerity behind his stare makes her smile, knowing that he might not see her as more than a friend, but he accepts that she's a friend that he needs. Serena closes her eyes, and her smile grows.

"It's not the same, but it's enough," she thinks. "Maybe with just a little more time, I can reach him. Maybe, just maybe…"

Her eyes snap open, and she gives Ash a gleeful smile.

"Sure. That sounds like a fantastic idea," she says.

"Great. Then it's settled," Ash says with a toothy grin. "In two weeks, we're going to travel all through Kanto together. I'll finally win a Pokemon league, and you're going to win Top Coordinator. It's going to be so much fun."

Serena finds herself giggling at Ash's sudden enthusiasm. It warms her heart to see the boy she cares deeply for act like his real self again. But suddenly, she feels two arms wrap around her, and it takes a moment before she realizes that Ash pulled her in for a hug. Her face turns redder than before as Ash holds on to her.

"Thank you, Serena," Ash whispers.

Serena stands still for a moment before she smiles and hugs Ash back.

"Anytime, Ash," she says. "Anytime."


	7. Chapter 7

Giovanni has been sitting in his office silently since this morning. Except for his loyal Persian, not one soul is with him as he lurks. For the last couple of weeks, all of Team Rocket has been hard at work to carry out various steps to his new plan. News of Team Flare's defeat in Kalos has lifted moral all over the crime organization, knowing that only they remain. Even Giovanni himself has found a twisted sense of pleasure after learning that Lysandre was killed in the process.

Suddenly, Giovanni hears a beep on his phone, and he frowns as he presses the intercom button.

"Yes, Matori, what is it?" He asks.

"Sir, the group you sent to Kalos, has arrived as ordered," Matori answers through the intercom.

"Ah, yes. Send them in," Giovanni says with a smirk.

"At once," Matori says professionally.

Giovanni takes a deep breath and resets his posture just in time for the door on the other side of his office to open to reveal Jessie, James, and Meowth entering with serious looks on their faces. They walk until they are a couple of feet away from Giovanni's desk and simultaneously put their feet together and salute shouting, "Sir!"

"At ease," Giovanni says with a wave of his hand. "So good to have you all back. You all have more than just a dramatic video to confirm that Team Flare is no more, I hope?"

"Yes, sir," James answers. "We can confirm that Lysandre attempted to destroy Kalos with his own ginormous Zygarde with the help of two Zygarde that he captured. Through the energy he collected from Mega Evolution, Team Flare took control of the Zygarde and used a machine to create large, roots that destroyed much of Lumiose City."

"Indeed," Giovanni says, listening intently. "Tell me, how did you manage to stop them?"

Jessie clears her throat and says, "We managed to sneak into the Lumiose City Gym where they placed their machine and destroyed it, which helped free the Zygarde. The Zygarde, in turn, fought Lysandre's monstrosity and ultimately destroyed him."

"And judging by how little of them were mentioned in your report, I take it you three failed to capture either of the Zygarde for Team Rocket?" Giovanni asks.

Jessie, James, and Meowth wince in fear for a moment before they return to their formal poses, and Meowth answers, "Yes, sir. The Zygarde disappeared afterward before we could try to catch them."

Giovanni frowns disapprovingly and strokes his Persian.

"That is disappointing news. Having the power of two Zygarde would have been tremendous," he says before his frown turns into a smirk. "Still, it's delightful to know that Lysandre was killed by the powerful Pokemon he used for his plans. I could not have planned for a better, more humiliating defeat for that fool than that. For that, I am very pleased."

"Sir," the trio says firmly.

Giovanni's smirk grows, and he gets up and walks over to the trio with his hands behind his back.

"All of that to say, I am satisfied with your work in the Kalos region," he says. "To be frank, I find you three to be the most pathetic and incompetent group in all of Team Rocket history. Despite that, however, you three have pulled your weight when necessary at times with Lysandre's defeat on top of defeating Team Galactic, Team Plasma, and your work on my attempt to gain control of the Forces of Nature in the Unova region."

Secretly, Jessie James and Meowth ease up, thankful that their boss still believes their lies in single-handedly defeating Team Flare, Team Galactic and Team Plasma.

"Furthermore, I have another assignment for all of you," Giovanni says as he walks back to his desk and presses a couple of buttons that causes the lights in the office to dim and a holographic screen to appear above him. "What you are about to see is top secret information. Not one word is to be uttered outside this room. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the trio answers firmly while secretly feeling giddy on the inside upon hearing they are going to be told something top secret.

"Very good," Giovanni says before he hits a button on his keyboard, and a picture of a man standing in front of an ancient ruin appears on the screen. "First, I want you three to look at this image very closely."

Jessie, James, and Meowth look at each other before they curiously obey. They stare at the screen before their eyes widen in surprise to discover that they recognize the person in the image.

"This man's name is Brandon," Giovanni explains, not noticing the trio's surprise. "He's one of the most well-known archaeologists in the world who specializes in exploring ruins and discovering mysteries, typically ones that have to do with legendary and mythical Pokemon."

The trio nods in understanding before Giovanni continues.

"For years, we have been looking for ways to find this man and make him a part of Team Rocket or at least take whatever information on legendary Pokemon he has from these various ruins. But for all our efforts, he constantly smooths us with his flying pyramid that we can't track down. He is one of the very few people in the entire world who can safely explore such ruins and translate ancient texts. All we knew about his discoveries is they likely possess important information regarding some of the most powerful Pokemon in the world."

Jessie, James, and Meowth listen intently, intrigued by this information.

"Our sources in the archeologist community tell us that he may have discovered something in Sinnoh concerning Arceus, the Original One," Giovanni says. "More specifically, he might have found something that has been a myth for centuries; a white jewel that can summon and control Arceus called the Gieldanstone."

The trio looks at their boss, surprised.

"Here in the Kanto region?" Jessie asks, confused. "Excuse me, sir, but I thought Arceus is a mythical Pokemon that only resides in the Sinnoh region."

"So did we," Giovanni replies. "But it turns out the Gieldanstone might be hiding here in this region. Unfortunately, we have no other information regarding Brandon's findings because that is all he shared with his fellow peers in the field before he disappeared again. So our only clue is that he might be going back to Kanto to find the stone. We must track Brandon down and force him to find it for us. If we can claim the Gieldanstone for ourselves and use it to control Arceus, Team Rocket will become unstoppable."

Jessie, James, and Meowth's faces light up at the idea.

"What an excellent idea, boss," James praises. "With a Pokemon that has a connection to every single Pokemon type, there is, no one would dare stand against us."

"Exactly," Giovanni says with a mischievous grin. "As we speak, the science department is beginning to build a machine we can use it to control all Pokemon through Arceus. Just controlling the rest of the legendary and mythical Pokemon alone would bring the world to its knees."

"Wow, when you think big, you think very big, boss," Jessie praises.

Giovanni merely smirks, amused from the praise before he frowns seriously.

"Now, this is where you three come in," he says. "You three are to find Brandon and his pyramid by any means. Do not engage him or anyone associated with him. Simply discover where he is and report to me. From there, we will ambush him and force him to find the Gieldanstone for us. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The trio says firmly.

"Good. This might be our only chance to capture Arceus itself," Giovanni says. "I'm counting on you three."

"We won't let ya down, boss!" Meowth says confidently.

"Very well, dismissed," Giovanni orders.

"Sir!" The trio responds with a salute.

The three of them exit the office and quietly walk down the stairs to the exit of headquarters with focused looks on their faces. The moment they exit the building, they stop walking and hold still for two seconds before they burst out cheering. Jessie and James hold hands and happily dance around in circles like little children while Meowth jumps up and down for joy.

"We got a top-secret mission! We got a top-secret mission!" They sing happily.

They continue to cheer until James' eyes widen in realization, and he stops dancing.

"Wait a minute, how are we even going to find this Brandon fellow?" He asks.

Jessie stops dancing as well and scratches her chin in thought.

"Good question, James," she says. "We only saw him a couple of times before because we were following the twerp and his friends."

"Guys, guys, you are missing a crucial element," Meowth stated proudly with his eyes closed. "We're gonna get that Brandon faster than you can say Articuno five times fast."

"What are you thinking this time, Meowth?" James asks.

"Yes, spill the beans," Jessie demands.

"It's simple," Meowth says. "Brandon is part of that Battle Frontier thing, right? And the Battle Frontier is represented by that chubby man with the sunglasses that always met up with the twerp when he was facing the Battle Frontier. If we find him, he can lead us right to Brandon without even knowing that we are right behind him."

"So if we follow him, he can lead us to the target," James says, getting the idea.

"From there, all we gotta do is plant a tracker device on that pyramid, and the next time he flies away, Team Rocket will be there to ambush him," Jessie adds with a mischievous grin. "He will bring the Gieldanstone to us whether he wants to or not."

"And from there, it's nothing but the high life," Meowth says with glee.

"Big promotions, a raise, everything! Yay!" the trio says happily.

Wobbufett suddenly pops out of its Pokeball and salutes behind the trio, shouting, "Wobbuffet!"

And thus the four of them happily run over to their Meowth hot air balloon to begin their search.

Back in headquarters, Giovanni watches the trio fly away in their balloon from his big office window while sitting up and stroking his Persian. The door to his office opens to reveal Matori entering while holding a pile of files.

"I have retrieved all the files we have concerning Arceus and the other legendary/mythical Pokemon, sir," she says.

"Good. Place them on my desk," Giovanni commands without looking at her.

Matori nods and quietly places the files on his desk. She stays standing, which Giovanni notices her reflection on the window.

"Is there anything else?" He asks.

Matori hesitates before she answers with a stern face, "With all due respect, sir, I'm not sure it is such a good idea to trust this kind of mission to those three."

Giovanni merely hums on acknowledgment and plainly says, "Go on."

"With their track record of constant failures which has cost the organization a considerable amount of money and resources including the Viridian Gym, I find it questionable that they are still a part of Team Rocket."

Giovanni nods while still stroking his Persian.

"It's true that their incompetence is incorrigible. I do not doubt that if my mother, the founder of Team Rocket, saw that those three are among our ranks, she would be turning in her grave," he says before a cruel grin emerges from his face. "Still, they have been useful in their last couple assignments with the fall of Team Galactic, Team Plasma and now Team Flare. Indeed, with Lysandre's death, we are once again the only organization the world has to fear. Our numbers are growing, our reach is spreading past the Kanto and Johto regions, and the entire world is clueless about our operations. If some of our rivals are so weak that even the biggest dolts among us can take them down, then it's proof that it's only a matter of time before we take complete control of the world."

"Still, if you will permit me, I can also send Butch and Cassidy to also search for the -" Matori suggests before Giovanni turns around and slams on his desk with an open palm.

"Enough!" He growls enormously. "My decision has been made! If they fail, there will be severe judgment. Until then, my order still stands, and you are not to question it any further! Is that clear?!"

It takes all Matori's willpower to resist the urge to show a hint of fear in her face. She takes a subtle, deep breath before she professionally answers, "Yes, sir."

"Good. You are dismissed," Giovanni responds sharply.

The secretary nods and exits the office without another word. Giovanni takes a deep breath to collect himself before he sits down and starts petting his Persian again.

"Soon, my pet," he says, smirking without looking at his Pokemon. "Soon, everything I have worked for will lead to my ultimate victory."

The Persian merely meows in response with a pleased grin.


	8. Chapter 8

It is the next day, and Ash is slowly waking up in his bedroom. He sits upon his bed and stretches while Pikachu gets up from his spot next to him and yawns cutely.

"Morning, Pikachu," Ash greets with a smile. "Sleep well?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu replies happily.

"Great. Let's go downstairs and get some breakfast," Ash suggests.

Pikachu happily nods in agreement, and Ash gets up to change out of his pajamas. The two of them make their way downstairs and head to the kitchen, where they find Delia and Serena cooking together.

"Morning, Mom. Morning, Serena," Ash greets.

"Ash, you're up early," Delia says with a smile.

"Good morning, Ash. Are you hungry?" Serena asks sweetly.

"You bet," Ash answers with a determined grin.

"Good. We're almost done, so why don't you set up the plates and utensils," Serena says with a warm smile.

Ash does as he is told while Delia and Serena finish cooking. Ash gets a bowl of Pokemon food for Pikachu and places it on the table for the yellow mouse to eat with him, Delia and Serena. After bringing the food to the table, Delia and Serena sit down with Ash, and the three of them hold each others' hands and say grace before they start eating. For a couple of minutes, they eat in silence until Ash remembers something.

"Oh yeah, Serena, have you told my mom what we decided yet?" He asks.

Delia and Serena look at him in confusion before Serena remembers what he's talking about.

"No, I haven't had the chance," she answers.

"That's okay," Ash says with a friendly smile before turning to his mother. "I'm going with Serena on her journey."

Delia's eyes widen in surprise.

"Really? That's great," she says happily. "But, are you still planning to compete in this year's Kanto League?"

"Yup. That's why I want to join," Ash answers. "Both the Kanto League and the Grand Festival are going to take place in the Indigo Plateau, and they're just a few weeks away from each other. Besides, Serena was such a terrific help when she supported me during the Kalos League, so it would be great to have her with me again while I also help her with her contests."

As Ash takes another bite of his food after giving that information, Delia turns to Serena, who looks away and nods with her cheeks turning pink.

"Well, that sounds like a wonderful idea, sweetie," Delia says happily. "I'm sure that you will both do great helping each other out."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena says.

"Yeah, thanks, Mom," Ash says with his mouth full.

Delia smiles warmly in response before she realizes something.

"So have you thought about what Pokemon to bring with you, Ash?" She asks.

Ash pauses in mid-chew and swallows before scratching his chin in thought.

"I haven't thought about that," he admits before turning to Serena. "We could go to Professor Oak's lab today and see all of my Pokemon."

Serena smiles brightly and says, "That sounds like a great idea."

"Awesome. I know everyone will be happy to meet you," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

Serena smiles back with her eyes closed before they return to their meal. Neither teenagers or Pikachu notice, however, that Delia is still smiling at both of them, delighted with the news.

After breakfast, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu help clean the dishes with Delia and then walk over to Professor Oak's laboratory. As the laboratory got in their line of sight, Serena can't help but have a nostalgic smile on her face that Ash notices.

"What are you thinking about, Serena?" He asks.

Serena snaps out of her train of thought and blushes lightly before she answers.

"Oh, I'm just remembering when I was last at Professor Oak's laboratory," she admits.

"Oh, I bet. You're probably thinking about when we both went to summer camp there, aren't you?" Ash says.

Serena nods with a smile.

"I guess it never occurred to me that I would see it again," she says before she looks away bashfully. "Then again, I also thought I would never see you again after I moved."

"Well, I'm glad you found me when you did," Ash says with a grin.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says happily in agreement.

"So am I, Ash," Serena replies before she quietly whispers. "More than you might ever know."

The three of them remain quiet during the remainder of the walk to the front door. Ash knocks, and they wait for a moment before the door opens to reveal a familiar older boy.

"Hey, Ash," Tracey says happily.

"Hi, Tracy. How've you been?" Ash gets while shaking Tracey's hand firmly.

"Great," Tracey replies before turning to Serena. "And you must be, Serena. Am I right?"

The honey blonde girl nods with a friendly smile and says, "Yes, I'm Serena. It's nice to meet you. You're Professor Oak's assistant, right?"

"That's right. I help the professor with everything here at the lab, including taking care of the Pokemon," Tracey answers. "Speaking of which, the professor is outside with Bulbasaur."

"Great, let's go head over there, Serena," Ash suggests.

"Right," Serena says in agreement.

The four of them make their way through the building to the back where there is a large meadow full of Pokemon. Serena stares in awe as they walk until they see Professor Oak struggling with a Muk that has tackled him.

"Muuuuuuk," the Muk bellows.

"Yes, Muk. It's nice to see you too. Now please get off me," the professor says.

Suddenly, a Bulbasaur runs over to them and starts hitting the Muk with Vine Whip. The Muk winces in pain until it finally gets off the old man and goes away. Professor Oak sighs in relief before turning to the Bulbasaur.

"Thank you, Bulbasaur," he says with a smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Bulbasaur," the Bulbasaur says with a smile.

"Hey Professor Oak, Bulbasaur," Ash greets as he, Pikachu, Serena, and Tracey approach them. The old man and the Bulbasaur turn to see them with the old man smiling and the Bulbasaur happily running over to Ash for a hug.

"Ash, my boy, so good to see you," Professor Oak greets. "And Serena, nice to see you here again."

"Thank you, Professor," Serena says politely.

"So, Ash, are you here to visit your Pokemon?" Professor Oak asks.

"Actually, I'm here to partly do that but mostly to pick who to take with me," Ash answers while he puts down Bulbasaur.

"Oh? Where are you going?" Professor Oak asks.

"I'm going to join Serena on her journey through Kanto and enter in the Indigo League this year," Ash announces proudly.

"Oh, that sounds like a splendid idea," Professor Oak says. "It's been a long time since you first entered."

"It sure has. I want to enter to show how much stronger I've gotten with my Pokemon," Ash says proudly. "And with Serena by my side to cheer me on just like in Kalos, I know I'm going to win."

Serena smiles and looks down to hide another blush while Professor Oak and Tracey chuckle at Ash's declaration.

"Sounds like you have quite the plan," Professor Oak says before turning to Serena. "And you're going on a journey to enter in Kanto's Pokemon contests, correct?"

"That's right," Serena says. "I'm going to compete in my first contest in Cerulean City."

"Ah, that's where Misty is," Tracey says with a smile. "It's been a long time since I've seen her."

Serena looks at Tracey curiously, wondering about his sudden enthusiasm about Misty. Before she can ponder more about it, though, Ash steps in, speaking to Tracey.

"Yeah, it's been a while for me too," he says. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see us."

"I know she will," Tracey says before turning to Serena. "You're going to like Misty, Serena. She's a good person. I'm sure she'll be happy to cheer you on with Ash at your first Pokemon contest."

"I hope so," Serena says before chuckling nervously. "Although, come to think of it, I don't think I've been told the difference between Pokemon showcases and contests."

"Ah, I can help you with that," Tracey says, stepping in. "A Pokémon contest is divided into two parts. The first round is called the appeal stage, where coordinators have their Pokémon performing their moves to showcase their style and skill. A panel of judges gives them points based on their performance, usually formed by Mr. Contesta from the organizing committee, Mr. Sukizo from the Pokémon Fan Club, and the Nurse Joy from the local Pokémon Center. The coordinators with the highest scores proceed to the next round."

Serena nods in understanding before she asks, "Alright, so what is the next part? Does it vary by the contest just like with showcases?"

"Nope, next is when you start competing in the battle stage," Ash says with a smirk.

"The battle stage?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Indeed," Tracy confirms. "You see, in the battle stage, coordinators compete in Pokémon battles against each other while continuing to show off their Pokémon's style and skill. Each battle lasts five minutes, and the objective of the battle is to decrease the opponent's points. Coordinators lose points when their Pokémon is hit by an attack when their Pokémon's attack fails when the opponent's Pokémon performs a particularly appealing move, or when the opponent's Pokémon uses the other Pokémon's attack to its advantage. A battle can also end when one of the Pokémon is unable to battle."

"Wow, so I basically have to be both battling and performing at the same time?" Serena asks, feeling uneasy. "That sounds a little hard."

"Don't worry, Serena, I'll help you practice," Ash says without thinking.

"Really?" Serena asks, hopefully.

"Of course," Ash replies with a smile. "I've seen my friends Dawn and May compete many times, and I even competed in three of them myself and tied for first with May in an unofficial contest. I can help you know what to do during the battle stages before we reach Cerulean City, no doubt."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

A part of Serena feels uneasy about Ash bringing up other friends who are girls that she hasn't heard about, but the rest of her is too touched to care. She smiles sweetly and thinks, "_He really is such a caring person. He didn't even think twice to say that._"

"That's Ash for you. Quick to help others," Tracy says.

"Indeed," Professor Oak says in agreement. "But back to the matter at hand. Ash, what Pokemon are you going to choose?"

"Well, the thing is, that's what I'm hoping to figure out," Ash admits. "I'm hoping that through this journey, I can show how much I've learned since the last time I entered the Indigo League as I grow stronger with my Pokemon. So I think I'm going to take any Pokemon I have who I still need to grow to their very limit so that all of my Pokemon are at their best in time for the league."

Serena and Tracy smiles approvingly while Professor Oak acts uneasy.

"Uh, I hope that doesn't include your Bulbasaur, my boy," he says nervously. "Things would get rather chaotic without it managing all of your other Pokemon."

"Don't worry, Professor. I know you need Bulbasaur here," Ash says assuringly. "Besides, Bulbasaur is perfectly strong just the way he is. Right, buddy?"

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur replies firmly.

"Oh, that's a relief," Professor Oak says with a sigh. "Do you have anyone else in mind?"

"Nope, I'm just going to see all of my Pokemon and figure it out from there," Ash answers.

"Very good," Professor Oak says approvingly. "I'm sure all of your Pokemon will be very happy to see -"

Suddenly, the ground begins to rumble and shake. Serena looks around, wondering what is going on while, Ash, Tracey, and Professor Oak have already figured it out. Before long, thirty Tauros appear within view, running straight to Ash. Realizing that Serena is standing right next to him, Ash pushes Serena away while Pikachu quickly hops off of Ash's shoulder just in time before the Tauros ram him and send him flying into the air.

"Ash!" Serena calls out fearfully.

Ash hangs in the air for a moment before he falls down and lands right on top of one of the Tauros. The other Tauros crowd around trying to nudge Ash, trying to show their affection.

"Okay, Tauros, okay. I'm glad to see all of you all too," Ash giggles.

Serena gets up and looks at the display in confusion.

"What is going on?" She asks.

"Oh, all of Ash's Tauros all just wanted to say hi," Tracey answers.

"Wait, all of these Pokemon are Ash's?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Yes, they are," Professor Oak says.

Serena stares at the Tauros surrounding Ash befuddled and takes out her Pokedex.

"_Tauros, the Wild Bull Pokémon_," the Pokedex says. "_When whipping itself with its three tails, its Tackle is a powerful destructive force. Due to their docile nature, they won't attack without being assaulted first._"

"Yeah, but thankfully Ash's Tauros don't cause much trouble thanks to Bulbasaur," Tracey says. "Besides, they're pretty friendly whenever they see Ash coming to visit."

"What a relief," Serena says, letting out a big sigh.

Overhearing the conversation, Ash manages to move away from the Tauros and walk over to Serena.

"Sorry if I worried you, Serena," he says sincerely.

"It's okay," Serena says appreciatively. "Just please tell me that's the only time I have to worry about your well being."

Ash chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his head.

"Honestly, Serena, you might never know when it comes to some of Ash's Pokemon," Tracey says, which makes Serena groan in worry.

True to his word, Serena finds herself surprised in one way or another when being introduced to the rest of Ash's Pokemon in the lab. The two teenagers and Pikachu saw Charizard next who made Serena worry again when it breathed a Flamethrower right at Ash's face only for Ash to assure her that it's just how Charizard greets him. Thankfully, the rest of his Pokemon didn't make Serena worry as much. From Kingler to Heracross, to Sceptile, to Infernape to Krookodile, Serena found herself having a lot of fun meeting Ash's Pokemon. With every Pokemon Serena meets, she feels like she was learning another amazing thing about the boy she cares for.

Ash also enjoyed seeing all of his Pokemon again, but found himself smiling every time he watches Serena interact with them. His smile grows whenever he sees some of his Pokemon like Oshawott show affection to the honey blonde girl, making her laugh. Serena was uneasy, however, by the way his Bayleef gave her a hard glare while nuzzling its head against Ash's without him noticing.

Eventually, Ash decides to let out all of the Kalos Pokemon he brought with him, letting them know that they're going to stay in the lab from now on. Talonflame quickly began to enjoy flying freely with Staraptor, Swellow, and Unfezant. Noivern happily befriended Gliscor and started gliding together while Hawlucha begins a friendly rivalry with Bulbasaur. By the time Ash, Serena, and Pikachu finished saying hi to all of his Pokemon, it is late in the afternoon, and Serena suggests that they all sit down for a late lunch. Thus, she, Ash, and Pikachu sit down on the grass, and Serena opens her backpack and takes out a few sandwiches and drinks that she and Delia packed before they left the house. Tracey passes by along the way with bowls of food so that a lot of Ash's Pokemon can eat with them. As they eat, Ash decides to tell Serena stories about some of his other Pokemon that he had to release or give away from Butterfree to Lapras.

"So Greninja isn't the first Pokemon you ever had to release," she says.

"Nope," Ash confirms before frowning slightly. "I hope he's doing well without me, though."

"I'm sure he's doing fine with Squishy and Z2 helping him," Serena says comfortingly. "They'll have all those remaining vines destroyed before you know it."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"Yeah, you're right," Ash says with a sad smile. "Still, who knows how much the Bond Phenomenon could help with the Kanto League."

Serena frowns and says, "Well, you shouldn't think about what you could do with Greninja and start thinking about you can do with the Pokemon you have right now."

Ash chuckles lightly.

"Yeah, you're right, Serena," he says.

"Good," Serena says firmly.

"Speaking of which, have you decided who to take on your journey?" Tracey asks after he brings the last bowl of Pokemon food to Buizel.

"Oh yeah," Ash says enthusiastically. "I think I should take a powerful water Pokemon that hasn't evolved yet, so my first choice will be Oshawott."

"Oshawott!" Oshawott says happily while eating.

"Next, I think I should have a fire Pokemon too," Ash continues. "Since Quilava only recently evolved when I last used it during the Sinnoh League, that means we have lots of room to make him even stronger."

"Quil!" Quilava says gleefully.

"And speaking of Sinnoh, Gible got pretty strong, but I also didn't have him through all of my journey in that region," Ash says. "So, an entire journey through Kanto should be just what we need to be at our best together."

Gible, who is gorging down on his Pokemon food, pauses mid-bite before happily shouting, "Gible!" and jumps up to bite on Ash's head. Tracey sighs and helps Ash get the dragon and ground Pokemon off of him.

"I wish Gible would not do that," Serena mutters.

Ash rubs his head before he laughs off the pain and continues.

"As I was going to say next, I'd also like to train up Snivy," he says.

"Snivy," Sviny says plainly without looking at her trainer.

"And as for my fifth choice, it was a tough decision, but I would like to train Boldore some more."

"Boldore," Boldore says happily.

"So with all of those Pokemon, you would cover electricity with Pikachu, water with Oshawott, fire with Quilava, dragon, and ground with Gible, grass with Snivy and rock with Boldore," Tracey says. "Sounds like you have a very diverse team to take with you."

"Yup, that's the idea," Ash says proudly.

"Great," Tracey says as he stands up. "I'll go over to the lab and get their Pokeballs for you."

"Awesome. Thanks, Tracey," Ash thanks.

While Tracey leaves, Serena opens her backpack again and takes out a basket.

"In the meantime, I brought Pokepuffs," she says with a smile. "Would anyone like some?"

"I do! I do!" Ash says excitedly.

"Pika, pi!" Pikachu says in excitement.

"Of course, there's one for each of you," Serena says, smiling as she gives Pokepuffs to Pikachu and then Ash. "Anyone else want to try one?"

A bunch of the Pokemon became so interested that they all began to pile up on Serena. The honey blonde girl is worried at first before she starts laughing and gives a Pokepuff to one Pokemon at a time. Suddenly, a giant hand snatches the basket from her hand, and everyone looks up to see Snorlax dumping all the remaining treats into its mouth.

"Snorlax, you shouldn't take all of the Pokepuffs," Ash rebukes.

But instead of showing any shame, Snorlax swallows all the Pokepuffs and carelessly tosses Serena's basket, sending it flying in the air and landing far into the woods before Snorlax lays down and snores with a smile.

"My basket!" Serena cries as she runs over to the woods to find it while Ash stands up to yell at Snorlax. Serena runs further into the woods and tries to find any sign of her basket with no success. She starts to worry that she won't find it the further she looks around. After a couple of minutes, she stops searching and sighs in defeat.

"It's no use. I'm never going to find it," she thinks glumly. "I guess I'll have to buy a new one when we pass by Viridian -"

But as she turns around to head back, Serena looks around and realizes she has no idea where she is or where is the way out. She starts to worry as she tries to figure out which way to go.

"Why didn't I look where I was going?" She thinks while walking. "Maybe I should have waited until Ash and Pikachu could come along to help me find my basket or - WAAA!"

Serena trips on something, and she loses her balance and falls down on her face. She groans in pain before she sits up, rubbing her forehead. Then Serena opens her eyes and freezes in confusion as she sees her basket on top of a small, blue blob with legs and a light blue tail. She stares in confusion until the figure suddenly runs away in panic.

"Hey, wait. That's my basket!" Serena calls out as she quickly gets up and chases after the figure that has her basket. The figure runs as fast it can until it runs into a tree and falls down on its back. Serena catches up and kneels down behind it and frowns.

"Are you okay?" She asks.

The figure lets out a weak, muffled groan in response.

"Here, let me help you get my basket off of you," she says softly.

The figure doesn't seem to resist as she grabs her basket with both hands and gently lifts it off the small, blue figure. She smiles, glad to have her basket back until she sees that the figure is a tiny Poliwag. The two of them stare at each other for a couple of seconds until the Poliwag suddenly sprints back up and starts hopping away.

"Poliwag, wait!" Serena cries out and starts chasing after the Poliwag.

The two of them keep their chase for a couple of minutes until Poliwag finds a large hedge and hides in it, hoping Serena won't find it. But Serena saw it hide in the hedge and stops walking when she's only a couple feet away from it. She carefully gets down on her knees and raises her hands.

"Please don't run, Poliwag," she pleads. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Poliwag stays still, hoping the honey blonde girl will go away.

"I'm sorry that my basket fell on you and that I scared you," Serena says sincerely.

Again, no response. Serena thinks for a moment before she gets an idea and takes out her backpack. Poliwag tilts its body curiously as it watches Serena take out a handful of Pokemon food.

"Here, are you hungry?" Serena asks with a friendly smile.

Poliwag leans in with interest. It looks up and down between Serena and the food, debating on whether or not to trust her. Finally, after a minute, it slowly and carefully gets out of the hedge and checks its surroundings before walking over to Serena.

"That's it," Serena says encouragingly. "Just a little more."

Poliwag continues to walk carefully until it is less than half an inch away from Serena's hand. It pauses for a moment before it leans in and takes a bite. It munches for a couple of seconds, and then suddenly, its eyes light up.

"Poli!" It squeaks happily before snatching the rest of the treat in its mouth.

"Is it good?" Serena asks, smiling.

"Poli!" Poliwag says happily.

Serena's smile brightens until she and Poliwag hear the sound of footsteps coming from behind her.

"Hey, Serena, where are you?" Ash cries out.

Poliwag gets nervous and starts to back away. Serena realizes this and quickly waves her hands.

"Please don't worry," she says worriedly. "You're not in danger. That's just Ash looking for me."

Poliwag hesitates, unsure of whether or not to trust Serena. The two of them remain still until Ash walks over to them and opens his mouth to speak before Serena quickly hushes him. He looks at her in confusion until she turns to the Poliwag and says, "See? This is my friend, Ash. He won't hurt you."

Ash stands still for a moment until he realizes what is going on and smiles. Poliwag remains hesitant while the raven-haired boy kneels down next to the honey-blonde girl.

"Hello, Poliwag. It's nice to meet you," he says with a friendly smile.

Poliwag whimpers and takes another step back, making Serena's heart sink.

"Quick, try to feed it," she whispers loudly to Ash as she hands him some of the Pokemon food in her hand.

Ash nods and turns to Poliwag, asking, "Would you like something to eat?"

Poliwag continues to be hesitant. Ash scratches his chin in thought until he gets an idea.

"Here, like this," he says before he puts a piece in his mouth and eats it with a smile on his face. "It's really good."

Serena fights the urge to giggle at his demeanor while Poliwag looks at him interested. Just like with Serena, it takes several careful steps and slowly takes a bite of the Pokemon food before it decides to trust both strangers and starts eating from out of both of their hands.

"There you go," Ash says with a toothy grin as he starts to pet Poliwag on the head.

"Great job," Serena says happily while also petting the Pokemon.

"Poli," Poliwag says with its mouth full, enjoying the food and the affection.

The two teenagers pet the small Pokemon in silence for a couple of minutes, enjoying the moment. Then, Ash lifts his head to check their surroundings and looks confused.

"What is it, Ash?" Serena asks.

"I don't know," Ash says. "I have the strange feeling that this area looks familiar."

Serena tilts her head curiously and looks around herself. Her eyes widen when she realizes that they are standing next to a familiar tree. She looks around again to make sure she isn't wrong.

"It can't be," she whispers.

"What is it?" Ash asks.

Serena turns to Ash, keeping her shocked face for a moment before it transformers into a fond smile.

"Ash…this is where we first met," she says.

"What? Really?" Ash asks, surprised.

"Yes," Serena says softly, pointing behind Poliwag. "Right there is where I fell down and hurt my leg, and then you came to help me."

Ash stares at her befuddled. He looks at the spot where Serena is pointing and looks around the area again before a small smile enters his face.

"Well, what do you know?" he says. "This really is the spot where I found you."

Serena's smile grows, uplifted that he recognizes the area as well. Suddenly, Ash begins to laugh, making Serena and Poliwag look at him, confused.

"Ash, what's so funny?" Serena asks.

Ash continues to laugh for a few more seconds before he answers.

"I just remembered I was chasing a Poliwag that day," he says. "I was trying to catch it to show it to Professor Oak, but it was hopping so fast that I couldn't catch up, and that's when I found you lying on the ground."

Serena blinks for a moment. Then she covers her mouth to contain a giggle before she starts laughing too.

"You're right," she says in mid-laughter. "And I was chasing this little guy before it tried to hide right under that bush over there. And here you are finding me on my knees again."

The two of them laugh out loud, confusing Poliwag, who is unsure of how to react to their demeanor. When the laughter dies down, Ash and Serena let out big sighs before they continue to pet Poliwag in silence much to the water Pokemon's delight. Serena smiles fondly again as she stares at Poliwag while stroking it. Her heart feels light as a feather to find the place where she met the raven-haired boy she has held close to her heart for so many years. In her mind, it felt like this was a twist of fate that the two of them would be here thanks to a wild Poliwag again.

"I_t would be incredible if this was the very same Poliwag_," she thinks in her mind before she shakes her head. "_No, this one is too small. It probably is only a couple of years old. It can't be the same one from eight years ago. But still, it's wonderful that this kind of fortune would happen. I would never have imagined that this could happen in my wildest dreams_."

She turns her head to face Ash, who gives Poliwag a toothy grin as he pets it. She turns back to Poliwag, who is still cheerfully enjoying the moment between the two teenagers. Serena smiles with a thankful look in her eyes before she nods firmly

"Okay, that settles it," she says out loud.

Ash and Poliwag turn and look at Serena, confused.

"What's that?" Ash asks.

Serena ignores Ash and leans closer to Poliwag with a warm look.

"Poliwag, can I catch you?" she asks kindly. "You see, we're going on a journey together, Ash and I, and I would very much like for you to join us. I'm going to enter in Pokemon contests with my Pokemon, Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon. It's going to be a lot of work but also a lot of fun. Will you join me?"

For a moment, there is silence between the two teenagers and the water Pokemon. Serena begins to worry that Poliwag might do something that might mean it refuses to join her. Finally, Poliwag takes a couple of hops away from Serena backward and takes a defensive stance.

"Poli!" It says.

"I think it wants to have a battle with you," Ash says.

Serena stares at Poliwag for a moment before she gives it a determined smile.

"Alright, if it's a battle you want, then it's a battle you'll get," she says while taking out a and tossing it up in the air. "Go, Braixen!"

The Pokeball opens, and with a flash, Braixen appears ready for battle. Poliwag frowns and shoots water out of its mouth, heading straight for the fox Pokemon.

"Braixen, dodge that Water Gun and use Hidden Power," Serena commands.

Braixen raises her stick up in the air, and three blue orbs appear floating around it. Then with a flick of her arm, the orbs fly directly at Poliwag and hit it. The tadpole Pokemon flies in the air and lands a couple of feet away from where it stood but slowly gets up. It quickly fires another Water Gun, which catches Braixen off guard, sending flying to a tree.

"Oh no! Braixen, are you okay?" Serena asks worriedly.

The fire Pokemon grunts in pain, having taken a lot of damage from the attack. Poliwag decides to take advantage of this and hops toward Braixen, looking ready to do something with its tail.

"I think it's about to use Double Slap on Braixen," Ash says.

Serena's eyes widen, realizing that Ash is right and rattles her brain, trying to think of something until she gets an idea.

"Braixen, wait until I say go then hit Poliwag with Scratch," she orders.

"Braix," Braixen says in understanding.

Poliwag continues to charge at the fire Pokemon, ready to attack Braixen head-on. Serena keeps her eyes on the small Pokemon until it is close enough.

"Go!" she orders.

Braixen quickly gets up and charges at Poliwag with its paw glowing white. The tadpole Pokemon hesitates, taken aback by the sudden movement from its opponent, allowing Braixen the opportunity to scratch at it hard. The impact sends the little Pokemon flying into the air and hit a tree before it lands on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Alright," Serena says with a smirk before she takes out an empty Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Go Pokeball!"

The ball hits Poliwag on the head and opens. The water Pokemon turns completely pink and gets sucked into the ball before it closes and starts to wiggle. Serena, Braixen, and Ash watch as the Pokeball moves back and forth several times before it stops, and they hear a loud ding.

"Alright!" Serena says happily, picking up the Pokeball. "I caught Poliwag!"

"Braixen!" Braixen shouts happily.

"Great job, Serena," Ash congratulates.

"Thank you, Ash," Serena says before tossing the ball into the air. "Poliwag, come on out."

That ball opens, and Poliwag appears with a smile on its face. Serena takes out two more Pokeballs and tosses them into the air. The two balls open to reveal Pancham and Sylveon appearing next to Braixen.

"Everyone, I'd like for you to meet our new friend, Poliwag," Serena says with a smile.

Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon all give Poliwag friendly greetings. The tadpole Pokemon smiles cheerfully and greets them back. Serena gets down on her knees and picks Poliwag up.

"Poliwag, I know we're going to be the best of friends," she says.

"I think so too," Ash says.

The two teenagers and four Pokemon silently enjoy the moment until they hear the faint sound of Pikachu in the distance.

"Pikachu's probably starting to worry that we got lost," Ash says. "Let's head back before he and Tracey start to look for us."

"Alright," Serena says in agreement. "Everyone, return."

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag return to their Pokeballs, and Ash gestures Serena to follow him as they make their way out of the forest. As they walk away, Serena looks back to the very spot where she and Ash first met, and the thankful look in her eyes returns. She holds out Poliwag's Pokeball and smiles fondly, imagining what kinds of things lay in store once she starts traveling with her new Pokemon and the boy of her dreams.


	9. Chapter 9

It has been a few days since Timothy made the deal to face the Battle Frontier. His father, Troy, and his brother, Johnathan, were sad that he's going on another journey already, but they silently understood that he and Coovers are doing this out of necessity. Timothy didn't want to explain too much about his real purpose for going on the journey out of secrecy, but thankfully, mentioning Team Rocket was more than enough for his dad and brother to get the picture. Thus, he and Coovers stayed the rest of the week to prepare, planning to leave on Monday.

Timothy sighs after stuffing his backpack with all the clothes and other necessities that can fit in it. He sits on his bed and looks at his bedroom, feeling a little sad that he isn't staying here as long as he would have liked. Timothy's journeys as a trainer have taken their toll when it comes to spending time in the one place he has always called home. Ever since Grandma Judy passed away, a part of him wished he could stay in this small house in Pallet Town for as long as he wants just to try to preserve the feeling of home that feels empty without her.

Suddenly, he hears a knock on his door, and he lets out another sigh before he puts on his backpack and opens the door where Coovers is already packed and is holding the container with the Pokemon egg in it.

"All set?" Coovers asks. "We need to reach Viridian City before dark."

"Yeah, I'm good," Timothy answers.

The older man nods, and they both make their way downstairs, where Electchu is waiting for them. Troy and Johnathan already said their goodbyes before going to work this morning, so the two trainers decided to leave as soon as they're packed.

"Well, you ready for another journey all around Kanto, pal?" Timothy asks Electchu.

"Raichu," Electchu says determinedly.

"Alright then, let's go stop Team Rocket," Coovers says proudly before he opens the door, and they exit the house with Timothy locking the door behind them.

They make their way out of Pallet Town silently for several minutes until Coovers clears his throat.

"So…" he begins. "What do you think Brandon and the other Frontier Brains are going to be like?"

"Who knows?" Timothy says. "I'm sure if we asked Scott, he'd go on about how tough all of them are, but that wouldn't be telling us much."

"Because it's a vague thing to say?" Coovers asks.

"That, and everyone makes that claim," Timothy says, turning to his friend with a smirk. "Whether it's a gym leader, Elite Four member or some ignorant schmuck who feels proud of his collection of little water or bug type Pokemon, someone claims that they're too tough for you to beat. Sometimes they're right; other times, they're wrong, but you're never going to know for sure until you battle them."

"So basically actions speak louder than words," Coovers says in understanding.

"Exactly," Timothy says. "Once you've won and lost battles many times as I have, you'll find such talk to be as useful as a Magikarp out of water. Right, Electchu?"

"Raichu!" Electchu says, nodding.

Coovers nods back and remains silent as they walk until he decides to look back at the town that is growing smaller and smaller.

"Still, I hope there will be more for you to gain than just helping me find Brandon and the Gieldanstone," he says. "If there's anything about Pokemon and Pokemon battling that may be important to learn that you haven't already, I'd like for you to learn it."

"Hmmm," Timothy replies without looking at his friend.

"Do you think Ash will follow through with his promise to compete in the Kanto League?" Coovers asks.

Timothy is silent for several seconds before he says, "He better. There is a look in Ash's eyes that shows he might be more than what you expect him to be at first glance. I don't know what it is, but it does imply that he's determined to keep his word. We may not get to battle each other in the Indigo League, but I think I can count on him being there for all that it's worth."

"I hope you're right, Timothy," Coovers says with a smirk. "I hope you're right."

"Raichu," Electchu says in agreement.

It was several days later until the day for Ash, Pikachu, and Serena to head out on their journey. After Ash chose which Pokemon to bring and Serena caught Poliwag, the two of them have been preparing for their respective goals with their Pokemon. Every day, Ash goes to the backyard to train with Oshawott, Quilava, Gible, Snivy, and Boldore so that they are all used to battling again while Serena goes to Professor Oak's lab to look at videos about Pokemon contests with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag. The honey blonde girl still feels intimidated by only getting to use one Pokemon in the appeal stage and with the battle stage as a whole. Thankfully, her Pokemon are there to cheer her up, and Poliwag, in particular, looks interested in the battle stage. On the last day before deciding to leave, Professor Oak gives her an updated Pokedex to help her on the journey throughout Kanto.

As morning arrives, Delia comes into Ash's bedroom to wake him up while Serena wakes up on her own.

"Ash, it's time to get up and get ready," she says. "You and Serena have got to start heading out soon."

Ash lets out an annoyed groan before he reluctantly sits up and rubs his eyes. Pikachu, who is sleeping next to Ash, wakes up from feeling his trainer get up and lets out a cute yawn.

"I hope you have already packed," Delia says in a motherly way.

"Don't worry, mom. I packed my thing last night," Ash says groggily while pointing at his backpack.

"Good," Delia days firmly before her face softens and she sits down next to Ash on the bed. "So, do you feel ready to go on a journey with just Serena?"

"Of course, I am," Ash yawns. "I told Timothy I will compete in the Indigo League, and I want to support Serena with her contests.

Delia nods in approval before she starts playing with her fingers.

"Speaking of Serena," she begins hesitantly. "I hope that while you two are traveling together, you will think about what we discussed the day after you came home."

Ash tilts his head in confusion.

"You mean that talk about maybe finding Serena more special than any of my other friends?" He asks.

"That's right," Delia says with a small smile. "I know you two are traveling to compete in two different competitions, but I would like for you to ponder on what we discussed. Maybe it will lead to something wonderful, maybe it won't, but I hope you will at least try."

Ash blinks in response before he shrugs and says, "I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask, sweetie," Delia says as she stands up. "Now get dressed. I have breakfast already made."

Delia closes the door and walks downstairs, where she finds Serena already eating her breakfast in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena greets.

"Good morning, Serena," Delia replies. "I hope you slept well."

Serena nods, "yes," before she continues eating. Delia looks up at the ceiling to make sure she doesn't hear Ash exiting his room yet and sits down next to the girl. Serena stops eating when she notices Delia's face turning serious.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"Nothing, dear," Delia says. "It's just that I have a question for you while Ash is getting dressed."

Serena tilts her head, curious about what Delia has to say.

"Well, I've noticed while you've been staying here that you tend to put your hand on that ribbon you have wrapped around your collar," Delia says. "More specifically, I notice you doing so when you're thinking about Ash or worrying about him."

Serena looks at Delia, confused, and looks down to look at her ribbon.

"Have I been doing that?" She asks.

"You never noticed that you do that?" Delia asks, confused.

"No, I haven't," Serena answers before a small smile enters her face. "Although, now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense because Ash gave this to me as a present."

"He did?" Delia asks.

"Yeah. I helped him find gifts for his Pokemon during this big festival," Serena explains. "I started wearing it after my showcase debut. I never take it off except for when I'm going to bed or performing."

"So you treasure it because Ash gave it to you," Delia says, connecting the dots.

Serena blushes lightly and lightly nods.

"I see," Delia says with a small smile and places her hand on top of Serena's, confusing the honey blonde girl. "Don't give up on him, dear."

Serena's face turns bright red, and her pupils shrink. She whimpers bashfully, making Delia smile in amusement.

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Serena squeaks.

"It's okay, Serena. You don't have to hide your feelings from me," Delia says comfortingly. "I was a girl in love myself once."

Serena's face turns even redder at the word "love." Delia giggles before she sighs, and her face turns serious again.

"In all seriousness, Serena, just give him some time," she says. "I know he doesn't understand, but I think he will one day."

Serena frowns sadly and looks down.

"I hope so," she says quietly.

Suddenly, they hear footsteps coming from upstairs, and Serena quickly collects herself just in time to greet Ash and Pikachu with a warm smile.

"Good morning, you two," Serena says. "Are you hungry?"

"Of course," Ash says, smiling as he sits down and fills his plate.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says in agreement.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Delia eat quietly for half an hour, making small talk as they eat. Once they finish, Ash and Serena offer to help Delia wash the dishes, but she politely refuses, saying that she and her Mr. Mime called Mimey would take care of it. The two teenagers nod, "okay," and grab their backpacks and head to the front door with Delia following. Then Delia gives Ash a tight hug and says, "Now take care of yourself, Ash."

"I will, Mom. I promise," Ash says assuredly.

"And Serena, do your best at the Pokemon contests," Delia says.

"I will," Serena says determinedly.

"Alright, good luck to both of you," Delia says.

Ash and Serena nod before Ash opens the door, and together, the two of them and Pikachu begin walking. Delia sighs as she watches her only child, and his friends slowly disappear from her sight.

"Good luck, my boy," she whispers. "And please don't take long for your sake and Serena's."

For the next couple of hours, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu walk through the forest quietly. As they walk, Serena begins to play with her fingers, wanting to start a conversation with Ash.

"Hey, Ash?" She says.

"Hmm?" Ash asks.

"I was wondering; since there's a lot of stories of some of your adventures before Kalos that I don't know, I was wondering if you can tell me some of them," Serena says.

"Sure," Ash says with a wide smile. "I'd be happy to."

"Great," Serena says with a smile.

Ash nods and asks, "So what would you like to hear about first?"

Serena thinks for a moment until she remembers her first conversation with Delia and her talking about Ash almost losing his life out in the Orange Islands. She hesitates to bring it up, but eventually, her curiosity gets the better of her, and she makes her choice.

"Well…your mom told me something about you saving the world while you were traveling through the Orange Islands with your friends," she says. "Why don't you tell me the whole story?"

"Ah, that story," Ash says. "I imagine my mom said she was really worried about me during that adventure."

"Yes, she did," Serena says with a slight frown.

Ash nods before he lifts his head up and thinks back as he walks.

"It was around the time I was getting my badges for the Orange League," he begins. "Misty, Tracey, Pikachu, and I were traveling through the ocean with the help of a woman named Maren. But then a storm took us off-course, and we were forced to land in this place called Shamouti Island. The people there were holding a festival there where they pick someone to be this Chosen One that is prophesied that he or she would tame the legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. When they learned that I'm a Pokemon trainer, they made me the Chosen One for their festival that year."

"Really?" Serena says, smiling.

"Yeah," Ash replies with a toothy grin. "Then there was this girl named Melody who told me how, as the chosen one, I had to retrieve three glass balls from the three islands surrounding Shamouti Island. Eager to carry out my responsibility as the Chosen One, I decided to head to the islands to retrieve the balls with Pikachu and Maren."

Serena giggles and says, "Yeah, you become so anxious to do some big thing like that sounds like something you would do."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, agreeing with Serena.

Ash chuckles lightly become he continues.

"On the way to Fire Island though, another terrible storm started, and we crashed into the island. Pikachu lead me to the top where the first ball, the Fire Sphere, was. I took it, and Team Rocket tried to take Pikachu only for Melody, Tracey, and Misty to intervene just in the nick of time. But then Zapdos came and claimed the island as its own since Moltres wasn't around, but then we were all captured by this guy with a large aircraft. It turned out that the storm started because he was working to capture Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres just to be collectors items. With Zapdos captured along with Moltres, all that was left was capturing Articuno."

"That's horrible," Serena comments.

Ash nods and says, "Yeah, but luckily, I was able to free Moltres with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charizard. And then Moltres freed Zapdos. Then they started destroying the aircraft, and it landed right on Lighting Island, where I had the chance to grab the Lightning Sphere. We escaped on Melody's boat after that and went to the Shamouti Shrine, where there was a talking Slowking."

"A talking what?' Serena asks, confused.

"A talking Slowking," Ash answers. "It's a Pokemon commonly seen in the Johto regions."

"Huh, I'll have to look that up on my Pokedex later," Serena says. "So, what was Slowking doing there?"

"Mostly to just give advice about the orbs, I think. When I put the Lightning and Fire Spheres in the shrine, it just pointed out that I was one orb short," Ash answers with a shrug. "Anyway, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos were about to attack the shrine when Lugia suddenly protected us. It tried to stop the fighting, but Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos damaged it so much that it crashed down. Thankfully, Melody was able to restore its strength with this song she knows as the Festival Maiden. Lugia then used his psychic powers to speak to use and say that I have to get the Ice Sphere as the Chosen One. It said the Ice Sphere could only glow like the other two in the hands of the true Chosen One so that its power can awaken."

"Wow, So you were the Chosen One after all?" Serena asks with a small smile.

"I guess so," Ash says. "I was scared about it at first because I doubted that I could do what Lugia said until my friends all encouraged me to go through with it. Even Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, and Snorlax came out of their Pokeballs to support me. So with the help of Charizard, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, Pikachu and I started sliding our way through the ice Articuno created during the fight. Lugia tried to protect us from the legendary birds, but eventually they managed to stop us from getting any further to the island. Thankfully, though, that's when Team Rocket came to help me."

"What?" Serena asks, surprised. "Team Rocket as in Jessie, James, and Meowth?"

"That's right," Ash says. "They didn't want the world to end either, so they used an inflatable raft and a giant propeller to get me to the top of the island to get the Ice Sphere."

Serena blinks, befuddled until she looks up in thought and says, "Actually, that kind of adds up. I remember the three of them helping Mairin and me out when we were infiltrating Team Flare's headquarters."

"Sounds about right," Ash agrees. "Anyway, we were on our way to head back, but the legendary birds ambushed us. We were stuck there while they kept fighting each other with Articuno getting knocked out by Zapdos and Moltres. Luckily, Pikachu found a way out, and Lugia helped us escape. But while we were trying to get back, Jessie James and Meowth realized they were slowing us down, and so they let go of Lugia so that we could go back to the shrine."

Serena looks at Ash, surprised again, and says, "They really did that? Wow. I guess even though they can be cruel, they have their good moments for being bad guys."

"Guess so," Ash says with a nod. "So we were flying our way back, but then the guy from that aircraft attempted to capture Lugia with the square metal bars or something, and it sent Lugia, Pikachu, and I crashing into the water. Lugia was nowhere to be seen, Pikachu and I were floating on the surface, and I was knocked out unconscious. If Misty hadn't swam all the way to bring me back to the island with Tracey's help, I guess I wouldn't be here to tell you about it today."

Serena feels a slight pinch in her heart from the way Ash was giving Misty credit for saving his life. The feeling goes away, though when she smiles fondly at Ash and says, "Well, I'm glad that she did."

"Me too," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says cheerfully.

"So then what happened?" Serena asks.

"Well, I put the Ice Sphere in the shrine, and then Melody played Lugia's Song, and everything went back to normal. The ice in the ocean disappeared, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos stopped fighting and went back to their respective islands, and Lugia thanked me for my help before it disappeared into the sea. So thanks to my friends and me, the world was saved."

Serena's smile grows, and she says, "That's quite a story, Ash. I guess when you put it that way, you must be used to having thrilling adventures like the ones we had with Diancie, or Hoopa, or Volcanion and Megearna, and the whole crisis with Team Flare."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Ash says, scratching his nose with a toothy grin. "Though some of them are a little crazier than any of that."

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"Well, while Misty, Brock, Pikachu and I were in the Johto region, we -"

Suddenly, they hear the faint sound of rustling tree leaves, and they stop and turn to see what's going on. The next thing they know, a giant flock of angry Fearow flies straight toward them. Ash and Serena only have a moment to react before the largest of the Fearow knocks Pikachu off Ash's shoulders with a powerful Peck attack.

"Pikachu!" Ash screams before a group of Fearow start flying over him and Serena and start pecking on top of their heads angrily.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Why are they attacking us?!" Serena shouts in pain.

"I don't know," Ash says, trying to fend off the Fearow away from him and Pikachu. "But they seem to hate Pikachu for some reason!"

At that moment, Ash's eyes widen, and he looks at the large Fearow that appears to be the leader of the pack.

"Wait, that's it," he says. "It's that large Fearow. He's the Sparrow that I hit with the rock!"

"What Spearow?" Serena asks, struggling to protect her head from the Fearow above her.

"Long story," Ash says as he tries to drive the Fearow away. "Pikachu and I encountered this Fearow a couple of times before after I threw a rock at it. It attacked us with its flock of Spearow last we saw it. It must have been training its flock to be stronger than they were before, and that's why they're all Fearow now," Ash answers with a glare. "But we've gotten stronger too. Pikachu, fend off their Peck attacks with Iron Tail!"

Pikachu gives an angry look, and his tail turns into iron. He starts smacking the Fearow away with his tail, and they cry out in pain, looking more hostile than before. Serena grows frustrated and tosses up all of her Pokeballs, causing Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag to appear.

"I've gotten pretty strong too!" She barks. "Braixen, use Flamethrower, Pancham, hit them with Dark Pulse, Sylveon, use Swift, and Poliwag, use Water Gun!"

All four of the honey blonde girl's Pokemon do as they are told, hitting the Fearow away with their respective attacks, hitting several of the Fearow and causing others to fly away, avoiding the attacks.

"Great idea, Serena," Ash compliments before throwing all of his Pokeballs into the air. "Oshawott, use Razor Shell, Quilava, Flamethrower, Snivy, Leaf Storm, Gible, Dragon Pulse, and Boldore use Flash Cannon!"

All five Pokeballs open to reveal the rest of Ash's team, who immediately obey his commands. Thus, the two teenagers and all ten of their Pokemon fight back against the flock of Fearow as best as they can. The Pokemon consistently hit their opponents with everything they have while Ash and Serena try desperately to whack them away with their hats. But no matter how many times they hit the Fearow with Iron Tail, Flamethrower, Flash Cannon, Water Gun, or any other attack, the bird Pokemon keeps attacking with everything they have. Eventually, the Pokemon start to grow tired, and the Fearow takes advantage of it by attacking them hard. One by one, they knock them out until Pikachu is the only one left standing.

"Everyone, return!" Ash and Serena say simultaneously.

The Pokemon go back onto their Pokeballs and the flock of Fearow grin evilly as they make their final attack. The leading Fearow lets out a loud call, and the entire flock flies toward them. Without thinking, Ash picks up Pikachu and turns his back facing Serena in a desperate attempt to protect both of them, but in their hearts, all three of them know what's going to happen next.

Suddenly, dozens of Air Slashes come out from the woods, and a bunch of the Fearow are sent flying back. The flock stops their attack, and Ash, Serena, and Pikachu turn to see what is going on. An army of Pidgeotto led by a large Pidgeot fly toward the Fearow and ram into them with Peck and Quick Attack. The Fearow disperse in a state of panic. Even the leading Fearow struggles to figure out what is going on amidst the chaos. Serena watches the battle, relieved that they are being rescued, but Ash has his eyes fixed on the Pidgeot.

"It can't be," he says. "It's my Pidgeot."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, realizing the same thing.

"Your Pidgeot?" Serena asks.

"Yeah, it's my Pidgeotto that evolved into a Pidgeot when we last encountered the leading Fearow," Ash says before he turns to the Pidgeot and shouts, "Thanks, buddy!"

Pidgeot smirks, looking down at the raven-haired boy before its eyes turn to the leading Fearow. The two bird Pokemon glare at each other before they charge into a one-on-one battle. They attack each other furiously while their flocks surround the two leaders as they fight each other.

"Come on, Pidgeot. Show him who's boss!" Ash shouts.

"You can do it, Pidgeot!" Serena yells.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu cries out.

Pidgeot and the leading Fearow continue to fight with everything they have while the two trainers and Pikachu encourage them. But while they are cheering, another Fearow decides to intervene and peck Pidgeot from behind, allowing leading Fearow to attack from the front with Quick Attack.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Serena rebukes.

"Yeah, that's cheating," Ash barks.

Pidgeot cries out in pain and growls at its opponent. It flies high up high into the air and starts flapping its wings rapidly. The two Fearow only have a moment to figure out what is going on until a large gust of wind emerges from the ground and engulfs them.

"Wow, Pidgeot learned Hurricane," Ash says.

The other Pidgeotto notice that their leader is using its last attack and take advantage of it by forcing their opponents toward the Hurricane using Tackle. The other Fearow are knocked right into the hurricane and cry out as they all fly around in circles. After several seconds of spinning, they are lifted high into the air and are sent blasting off.

Pidgeot and the Pidgeotto cry out in victory. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu quickly join in the celebration while Pidgeot flies down to the ground, and Ash runs over to give his Pokemon a big hug.

"Great job, Pidgeot!" He exclaims. "You and the Pidgeotto were awesome!"

"Yes, thank you so much, Pidgeot and Pidgeotto," Serena says happily. "I don't know what we would have done without all of you."

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot replied proudly.

"You have grown so much since I last saw you," Ash says happily. "And now you've learned Hurricane."

"Pi, Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Pidgeot smiles, pleased with its trainer's praise. Ash started petting his old friend while the Pidgeotto land behind Pidgeot, which Serena notices.

"So this is the Pidgeot you said is leading all of the Pidgeotto here in Viridian Forest?" She asks.

"Yeah, when we last encountered that Fearow and its flock, it was Pidgeotto who evolved into Pidgeot and drove the flock, thus saving me, Pikachu, Brock, Misty, and a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto," Ash says. "Looks like some of the Pidgey evolved too since last we saw them. Am I right?"

"Pidgeotto!" The Pidgeotto cries out proudly.

Ash nods in agreement and then suddenly frowns sadly.

"What's wrong, Ash?" Serena asks.

"It's just that...when I released Pidgeot, I promised I'd come back for it after my journey through the Orange Islands," Ash says, sounding guilty. "But… but I never came back to get you, did I, Pidgeot?"

Pidgeot frowns, and even Pikachu looks away from the bird Pokemon, feeling guilty as well.

"How many times have I walked down this road since then?" Ash asks in realization. "Did I really get so focused on whatever new region I was going to next, and what new Pokemon I was going to befriend that I would forget one of my oldest friends?"

Serena winces at Ash's question. Her mind goes to how Ash didn't remember her at all when he saw her again in Kalos. When she left home to find him, she thought Ash would recognize her in some way, but he didn't remember anything beyond going to Professor Oak's summer camp. He eventually remembered a couple days later, but it still hurt that he didn't recognize her right away. The honey blonde girl began to secretly pity Pidgeot in a different way than Ash and Pikachu do. She feels she can relate to the Pokemon for being forgotten by the one person they care about most because of his devotion to being a Pokemon trainer.

At that moment, Pidgeot and Serena's eyes meet while Ash and Pikachu are looking down on the ground sadly. The two of them stare at each other deeply, with no words needed to be said. Eventually, Pidgeot gives Serena a slight nod, and she looks at the Pokemon surprised for a moment before she realizes it understands and nods back.

Finally, Ash looks up at Pidgeot with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Pidgeot," he says sincerely. "I didn't keep my promise. Can you ever forgive me?"

Pidgeot looks at its trainer sadly. Eventually, it smiles and nudges the boy with its beak. Ash smiles, realizing that his Pokemon forgives him and hugs its head.

"Thank you, Pidgeot," he says happily.

"Pika, pi," Pikachu says while it hops on Ash's head to hug Pidgeot too.

Serena smiles warmly at the moment while the Pidgeotto smiles in approval. Ash and Pikachu pull back with Ash feeling more like his usual self.

"So, with that out of the way, would you like to come back with me?" Ash asks. "I have a full party now, but I could get your Pokeball from Professor Oak once we make it to Viridian City and come back."

Pidgeot smiles, appreciatively at Ash's offer. But then it frowns again and turns to look at the Pidgeotto.

"I see," Ash says in understanding. "You still want to look out for the Pidgeotto, don't you?"

Pidgeot nods, and Ash and Pikachu frown until Ash snaps his fingers.

"Hey, I know," he says. "I'm going on another journey through Kanto with Pikachu and Serena to prepare for the Indigo League in a few months. During that time, I'm going to spend a lot of time training some of my other Pokemon until they are at their absolute best. How about while I'm on this journey, you can do the same thing for the Pidgeotto?"

"Hey, that's a great idea," Serena says, stepping in. "You could train the Pidgeotto until they are all Pidgeot, and they could learn to blow away all of those Fearow with Hurricane too. That way, they can all take care of themselves by the time we come back, and Ash can finally bring you back this time."

Pidgeot stares at the two trainers for a moment before it smiles gladly.

"Pidgeot!" It calls loudly.

"Pidgeotto!" The Pidgeotto shout in agreement.

"Great! Then it's settled," Ash says. "Let's both do our very best."

Pidgeot nods firmly. Then it glances at Serena again, and the two of them smile. Just then, Pidgeot turns around with it's back facing Ash, Serena, and Pikachu and spreads its wings apart.

"Huh? Do you want to fly us to Viridian City, Pidgeot?" Ash asks.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot replies with a nod.

"Wow, thanks, Pidgeot," Ash says, smiling before turning to Pikachu and Serena. "What do you say, guys?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says happily.

Serena, however, looks at Ash hesitantly.

"I don't know," she says. "I've never flown on a Pokemon before."

"Don't worry about it, Serena. It'll be fun," Ash says assuredly. "I've flown on Pidgeot before. He'll keep us safe. Right, Pidgeot?"

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot says.

Serena still looks uneasy about the idea, and Ash scratches his chin in thought until he gets an idea.

"If you're nervous, Serena, you can hold onto me while we fly," he offers.

Serena's face goes from a look of concern to pure bashfulness. Her cheeks turn pink as she stares at the raven-haired boy.

"W-what?" she manages to say.

"Yeah, I'll hold on to Pidgeot, Pikachu will hold on in front of me, and you can sit behind me and wrap your arms around me," Ash answers with a smirk. "Trust me. You'll be completely safe."

Serena's face turns redder after hearing her crush describe his idea. She had managed to overcome her shyness before when it came to at least holding his hand, but the idea of wrapping her arms around him entirely is a new territory for her. And yet, the sincere smile on his face backed up by Pikachu and Pidgeot smiling gives her a sense of comfort. Eventually, she smiles and nods as a means to say, "okay."

Ash nods back in approval before turning to Pidgeot and starts climbing on its back while Pikachu hops on and takes a spot in front of Ash. Then the raven-haired boy turns to the honey blonde girl and stretches out his hand with a toothy grin. With a blush still on her face, Serena takes Ash's hand before he pulls her up. She sits right behind Ash and Pikachu, and her face turns even redder as she slowly wraps her arms around Ash and holds on to him tightly. She lets out a silent, shy whimper before she quickly shakes off her blush just in time for Ash to turn his head to face her.

"Are you ready?" He asks.

Serena takes a moment to put on a brave face before she nods.

"Alright," Ash says before turning to look at Pidgeot. "Pidgeot, let's fly!"

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot calls out loudly.

The bird Pokemon flaps its large wings rapidly and starts to lift itself from the air. Serena tightens her grip on Ash, who only smiles as he and Pikachu watch Pidgeot go higher and higher while the Pidgeotto begin to flap their wings and follow their leader. Once they are high enough, Pidgeot and the Pidgeotto spread their wings apart and glide in the air. Ash and Pikachu look at the view in amazement, and even Serena watches with a smile while still keeping a tight grip on Ash.

"Wow," Serena says in awe. "This view is beautiful."

"Yeah, it is," Ash says. "And to think you get to see it whenever you want, Pidgeot and Pidgeotto."

The bird Pokemon calls out happily in response. The two trainers and Pikachu watch excitedly as the flock flies over the forest. After twenty minutes of flying, they make their way to the edge of the forest and so Pidgeot, and the Pidgeotto decide to land just a little ways away from the city. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu get off with Serena mentality wishing she didn't have to let go of Ash. Ash turns to Pidgeot and pets it.

"Thanks so much for everything, Pidgeot," he says.

"Pidgeot," the bird Pokemon replies happily.

After petting it, the trainer and his Pokemon stare at each other for a moment before Ash speaks again.

"I promise, once it's time to head to the Indigo Plateau, I'm going to come and get you," he says. "I'm not going to forget this time. I'm going to train hard with Pikachu and Serena, and I'm counting on you to do the same with your friends."

Pidgeot gives a respectable nod, and Ash hugs the Pokemon for a few seconds before he lets go, and Pidgeot and the Pidgeotto begin to fly away.

"Goodbye, Pidgeot! Goodbye, Pidgeotto!" Serena calls out as she, Ash, and Pikachu wave at the flying Pokemon. "I hope to see you again soon!"

"Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu calls out.

Pidgeot turns its head and nods with a smile as it flies away with its flock until they are out of their sight. The trio stays silent for a moment, still staring at where the bird Pokemon was until Ash turns to Pikachu.

"Just you wait, Pikachu," he says. "When the Indigo League comes closer, we're going to come back and bring Pidgeot back to our family."

"Pikachu," Pikachu replies.

"I know you will, Ash," Serena says quietly while still staring at where the bird Pokemon were before turning to Ash and giving him a playful wink. "And if you forget, I will make sure you remember before you even think about going to Indigo Plateau."

Ash looks at Serena, surprised for a moment before his smirk returns.

"Right. Sounds good to me," he says. "But I won't forget. That's a promise to Pidgeot and you, Serena."

Serena blushes before she smiles, satisfied.

"Okay. Don't let us down," she says, pointing at Ash warningly.

Ash nods in agreement before he turns around to face the direction toward Viridian City.

"Right, let's head to the city already and get our Pokemon healed up at the Pokemon Center," he suggests.

"Sounds great," Serena says with a warm smile as the two of them, and Pikachu begin walking toward the city.

But as they walk, Serena secretly glances at Ash with a smile on her face and her blush returns. Even if it wasn't for a very long time, she is happy that she could hold him so close in her arms.


	10. Chapter 10

After Ash and Serena make it to the Viridian City Pokemon Center, they drop off Pikachu and the rest of their Pokemon to Nurse Joy so that they can heal after the Fearow attack. Ash and Serena decide to take a seat in one of the benches in the lobby and wait, hoping they can be back on their way to Cerulean City. The two teenagers wait patiently for about an hour until Nurse Joy comes back from the back room, and they stand up.

"Nurse Joy, is our Pokemon alright?" Ash asks.

"Yes, your Pokemon are going to be just fine," Nurse Joy assures. "But Pikachu was hurt pretty bad, and your other Pokemon used up a drastic amount of their energy that they need to rest overnight."

Ash and Serena frown and look at each other concerned.

"I hope one day won't delay us too much with going to Cerulean City," Serena says.

Ash nods, before giving the honey blonde girl a reassuring smirk.

"Don't worry, Serena. We'll be there before you know it," he says. "Worst case scenario, I'll switch one of my Pokemon for Charizard or Staraptor, and they'll fly you over there."

Serena smiles sweetly, touched by Ash's claim.

"Thank you, Ash," she says softly.

Nurse Joy smiles warmly at their moment before she clears her throat to get their attention back.

"Anyway, since your Pokemon will we staying here, I can book you two a room for the night," she says.

"That would be great, Nurse Joy. Thank you," Ash says.

"Yeah, thanks," Serena says.

Nurse Joy nods and walks over to the front desk to come back to hand both trainers' key cards before she goes back to the back room. Ash and Serena put the key cards in their pockets before they turn to each other.

"I guess we should go get some lunch while we're here," Ash suggests.

"Good idea," Serena says before she takes out her tablet and looks through the map. "There's a meatball sandwich restaurant not far from Viridian Gym."

"Great. Let's go," Ash says excitedly.

Thus, the two teenage trainers make their way out of the Pokemon Center and to the meatball sandwich restaurant. After placing their orders, they decide to sit in one of the outside tables of the restaurant to enjoy the views of the city as they eat. After a few minutes, a waitress comes and brings them their food, and Ash quickly starts taking large bites of his meatball sandwich.

"Ash, slow down. You're going to choke eating that much at once," Serena rebukes worriedly.

Ash takes a moment to swallow and says, "Don't worry, Serena. I'll be fine. Besides, this is so good."

Serena sighs disapprovingly and takes a reasonable bit of her sandwich and smiles.

"Wow, this is pretty good," she says.

"See? What did I tell you?" Ash says before taking a large gulp of his drink.

"Well, you should at least chew a few more times before you swallow," Serena says.

Ash hesitates before he mentality decides to comply and chews several times before he swallows his next portion of food. Serena smiles, satisfied, and the two begin to eat quietly until Ash decides to speak.

"Well, this has been quite a way to start our journey, huh?" He says.

"It sure has," Serena says. "It certainly wasn't how I imagined my first time using Poliwag for a battle."

Ash nods and says, "I guess there's bound to be a couple surprises when walking through Viridian Forest."

Serena frowns and thinks about what Ash just said.

"Speaking of which, you said you've encountered the leading Fearow before," she says.

"That's right. Back when it was just a Sparrow," Ash says.

"Right, the Sparrow you said you threw a rock at?" Serena asks, confused. "That doesn't sound like something you would do, Ash."

"Yeah, I know," Ash says while scratching his nose with a nervous grin. "It was a stupid thing I did back on my first day as a trainer, but it was also the day Pikachu, and I became friends."

Serena looks at Ash intrigued and puts down her sandwich.

"You know, you've never told me that story," she says.

Ash looks at her right as he's about to take another bite of his sandwich and puts it down.

"That's right," he says in thought. "I still have a lot of stories to tell you, don't I?"

Serena nods her head.

"Alright then," Ash says as he thinks about where to start for a moment. "It was shortly after my 10th birthday. I overslept on the day I was supposed to get my first Pokemon, and so all the Pokemon were taken except for one that Professor Oak was hesitant to give me. But I didn't care. I was determined to get a Pokemon no matter what. So he gave me Pikachu, who instantly disliked me."

"Disliked you? Pikachu?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Yeah, Pikachu was a little hostile towards me," Ash says, chuckling. "The first thing he did was electrocute me. After I got my Pokedex and Pokeballs, I had to tie him up with a rope and drag him across the road. Then I found a wild Pidgey and tried to make Pikachu fight it so that I could catch it, but instead, he just climbed up a tree and ignored me. I got so frustrated that I tried to catch the Pidgey myself by throwing a rock at it."

Serena stares at Ash confounded.

"You really threw a rock at a Pokemon?" she confounded.

"Yeah, one big thing to keep in mind about my first journey through the Kanto region is that there were a lot of things I didn't understand about Pokemon or being a trainer," Ash says, scratching his nose. "Hence, why your suggestion to show how much I've learned through this journey is a great idea."

Serena blushes lightly and smiles while Ash continues.

"Anyway, when I threw the stone, it hit a Spearow instead, and boy did it get angry," he says. "It started to attack Pikachu, and I tried to make it stop. Pikachu hit it with a Thunder shock, which made it angrier and called out a whole flock of Spearow to attack us. We ran for our lives, but the Spearow kept on attacking Pikachu, hurting it badly, so I had to carry it. We jumped into a river and got swept away. Thankfully, before we drowned, we got hooked into a fishing rod, which turned out to be Misty's. She pulled us out, but then the Spearow kept following us. I took Misty's bike without asking, desperate to get to a Pokemon Center, but the Spearow attacked again, and I crashed the bike. When it looked like all hope was lost, I told Pikachu to get into his Pokeball, where he would be safe. Then I stepped in front of Pikachu, determined to protect it from the Spearow with my body. But instead, Pikachu decided to protect both of us and jumped between the Spearow and me and letting out one big Thunder shock. It knocked both of us unconscious, but when we came to all the Spearow were gone, and we weren't too far away from Viridian City. Ever since that day, we've been best friends."

Serena smiles warmly after hearing the end of the story.

"Amazing. You've been determined to protect Pikachu and everyone else you care about since your first day as a trainer. You really are an amazing person, Ash," she says.

Suddenly, she freezes in place, realizing she said her last sentence out loud. Ash stares at her for a moment before he chuckles.

"I don't know about all that," he says. "But I have experienced some amazing things."

"There he is being humble again," Serena thinks before she asks, "So that Sparrow was the leader of that flock of Fearow?"

"Yup," Ash confirms. "Pikachu and I reencountered it with Brock and Misty sometime after I competed in the Kanto League. By then, it had evolved to a Fearow while its flock were still Spearow. We found the flock harassing a flock of Pidgey, and my Pidgeotto tried to fight them off. Eventually, it got so determined to protect the Pidgey that it evolved into a Pidgeot and lead the Pidgey to drive Fearow back. After that, I released Pidgeot so that it can protect the wild Pidgey with the promise to come back for it."

"Which I will make sure that you keep this time, Mr. Ketchum," Serena says with a warning tone.

"Don't worry, Serena. I promised both of you that I will do that and I'm going to keep it. I swear," Ash says, waving his hands in defense. "I won't let you or Pidgeot down."

Serena keeps her warning look fixed on Ash, but at the same time, she feels flattered by the sincerity in his words. She looks away before Ash can see her cheeks start to turn pink again, and the two continue to eat in silence. After a few more minutes, they finish their meals, and Ash pats his belly, satisfied.

"Man, that was good," he says with a sigh.

"It really was," Serena agrees. "So tasty and warm."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ash says. "You are the best at finding restaurants, Serena."

Serena giggles with her mouth closed and smiles warmly at the compliment. Suddenly, as they sit comfortably, an old woman with blonde hair and wearing a light-purple and white dress walks by the restaurant with a cane and spots Ash.

"Why, hello, Ash. Fancy seeing you here," she says with a grin.

Ask turns to the woman and smiles, saying, "Hey, Agatha. It's been a while."

"It certainly has," Agatha says. "I know it's late, but congratulations on winning the Battle Frontier."

"Thanks," Ash says.

Agatha notices Serena and smiles, asking, "And who might you be, young lady?"

"I'm Serena," Serena answers with a friendly smile. "How do you two know each other?"

"Oh, I was there when Scott invited this young man to face Kanto's Battle Frontier after he battled me in my gym," Agatha explains.

"Oh, so you're still looking for a replacement after all this time?" Ash asks.

"Looking for a replacement?" Serena asks, confused.

"Yes, you see, I'm one of the Elite Four in Kanto, and for the last couple of years, I've been filling in as the Viridian City gym leader after the last one was destroyed and the previous leader disappeared without a word," Agatha explains.

"Wow. I wonder why that happened," Serena says.

"Actually, I can answer that," Ash says, scratching his nose.

"You can?" Serena and Agatha ask simultaneously.

"Yeah, it actually has to do with how I won my Earth Badge," Ash admits. "I don't know how or why, but somehow Team Rocket was in charge of the gym when I came in."

"What? You mean Jessie, James, and Meowth?" Serena asks, shocked.

"That's strange. You've never told me Team Rocket had control of the gym when you went there," Agatha says with a serious look on her face.

"Well...it never came up," Ash admits, scratching his nose again.

"But how did that happen?" Serena asks.

"Yes, I'd very much like to know that myself," Agatha says. "There's a lot I don't know about the previous owner of the gym, so if Team Rocket has a connection to it, I'd like to know how."

Ash hesitates for a moment until he thinks about where to begin.

"Well, you see, I went there with Pikachu, Brock, and Misty, but Gary stopped me from coming there because he had ten badges while I only had seven, so he claimed he had the right to go there first," he begins.

"Wait, how can he have ten badges when there are only eight gyms?" Serena asks.

"Don't know. I didn't ask," Ash says. "Anyway, I was distraught that Gary seemed to always be several steps ahead of me, and I crouched down in a corner. Misty's Togepi came to try to comfort me, but I thought it was Pikachu when it did, and so when I saw Togepi instead of Pikachu, I got so startled that I unwittingly launched it into the air."

"Oh, dear, poor Togepi," Agatha comments.

"Yeah, poor me too," Ash chuckles. "Misty was enraged, and we searched desperately to find Togepi. After a while, we heard Togepi's voice coming from inside the gym. When we opened the doors, we found Togepi along with Gary and his cheerleaders lying unconscious on the ground. When Gary came to, he said there was a mysterious Pokémon that was not only powerful but evil too. Suddenly, Team Rocket appeared and stated that they were in charge of the gym and the Earth Badge."

"But how could they own the gym?"Serena asks.

"That's what we asked, but all Jessie, James, and Meowth said was Team Rocket's plans are far too complex for us to understand," Ash answers. "Anyway, they challenged me to a battle for the Earth Badge, and I accepted, determined to get my final badge no matter what. What I didn't know was they rigged the platforms so that I would get shocked with electricity every time my Pokemon got hurt in battle."

Serena winces uncomfortably at the mention of Ash getting hurt.

"Thankfully, my Pokemon and I managed to beat all of the Pokemon Team Rocket borrowed from the original gym leader and then Togepi messed with some remote control that Meowth had which caused them to blast off, leaving the Earth Badge behind for me to grab. The explosion also caused the whole building to collapse, so we ran out to safety, including the gym leader's Pokemon, who ran away, and that was that."

Agatha and Serena stare at Ash, surprised with his story.

"Wow," Serena says softly. "I never thought Team Rocket would do something so crazy, even compared to the ridiculous plots they pulled on us in Kalos."

"Neither have I," Agatha says with a serious face. "It sounds to me that Team Rocket might have had some sort of connection to the old gym leader. The mention of some mysterious Pokemon that your friend, Gary encountered tells me that there might be something just as fishy about the former owner as Team Rocket controlling that gym."

"But is that really something to worry about?" Serena asks. "I mean, this was a long time ago. Wasn't it, Ash?"

"Yeah, that was over three years ago," Ash confirms.

"Maybe, but the fact that we don't know who that person was is unsettling to me," Agatha says. "In any case, it sounds like you had a very untraditional way to earn your Earth Badge, Ash."

"Well, I guess that sums up a lot of my badge earning when I first became a trainer, actually," Ash admits, scratch his nose.

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"You see, some of my Kanto badges weren't earned by winning in a Pokemon battle," Ash admits. "I lost both of my battles against Brock at the Pewter City Gym, but he gave me the badge anyway since I refused to order the final blow against his Onix. Misty's sisters handled the Cerulean City gym and gave me the badge for that gym just for saving their Pokemon against Team Rocket. The same thing happened with facing Erica to get my Rainbow Badge. And I was only deemed the winner of my battle against Sabrina because the Hunter I brought with me made her and her Kadabra laugh."

Both Agatha and Serena blink before Serena frowns sadly in disappointment, and Agatha scratches her chin disapprovingly.

"Seems like you have gained more than half of your badges in Kanto through non-official means," Agatha says.

"Yeah, and it doesn't sound like the way Ash wins his badges," Serena says. "Believe me, Agatha, every badge he got when we went on our journey through Kalos has been earned through the hard work and strategies he uses with his Pokemon."

"Yeah, it's like I told you, Serena, I was a different trainer when I started," Ash admits.

"But it still isn't right," Agatha says. "I think you should have earned your badges the right way as opposed to how you gained ."

Ash winces and frowns, hurt by Agatha's words. Serena keeps her sad face, feeling sympathetic for the disheartened Ash. She takes a moment to think until she snaps her fingers.

"I know. Why don't you have rematches with those gyms," she suggests.

"Rematches?" Ash asks.

"Yes. You said yourself that the point of you going on this journey with me as to prove how you've become much stronger since then. Why don't you also show that by challenging all the gyms that you faced in Kanto without entirely earning their badges. That way, you'll feel like you've earned the right to retry the Kanto league."

"Now that's a fine idea," Agatha says approvingly. "If your as strong as Serena says you are, you should take care of whatever unfinished business you have with the gyms you haven't completely won against, including mine."

Ash thinks about it for a moment before he smiles and looks at Serena.

"That is a great idea, Serena," he says. "In fact, I can get started by facing Brock and Misty in their respective gyms while we head to your first contest since Pewter City is on the way, and Cerulean City is our first major destination."

"That's true," Serena says approvingly. "And hopefully, you'll be ready to face Agatha once we are on our way to Indigo Plateau."

"Perfect," Ash says, holding his fist in the air. "You're coming up with some great ideas, Serena."

Serena blushes at his compliment while Agatha nods approvingly. Ash stands up and turns to the old woman with a determined look.

"Agatha, you better watch out because next time I'm here in Viridian City, I'm going to challenge you to a battle again, and I'm going to win," he warns.

Agatha nods again and says, "I'm looking forward to it, Ash. But understand that I won't go easy on you."

"Hey, that's fine by me," Ash says. "The stronger the opponent, the bigger the challenge. Right, Serena?"

"Right," Serena says, smiling.

Agatha smiles warmly at the children's enthusiasm. Suddenly she feels a slight vibration in her pocket and sighs.

"Ah, that's my tablet informing me that I have an errand to head to right about now," she says. "I guess I'll see you two later. Good luck to both of you on your battles and contests."

"Thanks, Agatha," Ash says before waving goodbye. "See you later."

"Goodbye, Agatha," Serena bids warmly.

The old woman waves back as she walks away. When she is far enough, she looks back to see the two teenagers getting up to head back to the Pokemon Center. She finds herself chuckling lightly as she continues to walk with her cane.

"My, what an interesting pair," she says to herself. "I certainly hope for the best for that poor girl."

As she walks, however, her smile turns into a frown, and she begins to scratch her chin in thought as she walks.

"But who was the original owner of the gym?" She asks herself. "And what was this Pokemon he had that was so terrible and how was he connected with Team Rocket? Above all, what could they possibly be up to?"


	11. Chapter 11

It is late at night, and Jessie and James are starting to lose hope that they will ever find Scott. For the last several days, the two of them and Meowth have been flying in their Meowth balloon in search of the associate of Brandon with no results. Day by day, they have been searching only to slowly admit to themselves that they have no concrete plan to find Scott. By now, Meowth is the only one devotedly searching through the forest only to turn around and see that Jessie and James are lying down uncaringly.

"Hey, you bozos, wake up!" He shouts. "We gotta keep searchin'!"

"What's the point, Meowth?" Jessie asks with a groan. "We've been searching for days, and we've had no luck."

"We can't give up now! Da boss is counting on us!" Meowth shouts.

"Normally, that would inspire me, but at this point, I'm siding with Jess," James says with droopy eyes. "How would we find this Scott fellow above a forest anyhow? Even if he is around here somewhere, we'll probably miss him with all of these trees."

"We had to find the twerp and his Pikachu in the middle of a forest hundreds of times, and we succeeded whether we meant to or not," Meowth points out. "If we were lucky to constantly find him and his friends even after blasting off nearly a thousand times, then we can find this guy who will lead us to our target."

"That's true. We were pretty lucky to find the twerp and his Pikachu as constantly as we did," Jessie says.

"But at least with them we had years of following them under our belt and who knows where Scott is now," James whines. "For all we know, he could be in any other region but Kanto or got into a fight with Brandon and so angrily got rid of any means to communicate with him in his flying pyramid."

"Will you relax, James?!" Meowth rebukes. "We're going to find him. He can't keep away from us any more than a Spoink can keep away from the ball in its head. You'll see."

"At this point, I think I have a better chance of seeing a Spoink fly," James mumbles.

The trio continues to fly in their balloon in silence with Meowth looking through his binoculars, Jessie eventually looking through her side of the basket to show a hint of effort while James continues to nap. Suddenly, they hear a faint noise, and the trio turns to James' direction in confusion to find electric sparks and water attacks flying.

"Looks like a Pokemon battle nearby," Jessie says.

"Sure does," James says. "Meowth, is it wild Pokemon or are two trainers battling?"

"I can't tell. The trees are covering the commotion," Meowth says, looking through his binoculars.

But as Meowth looks, a cloaked figure is flying through the air. Jessie notices the figure and look in confusion.

"What's that thing?" She asks.

James gets up from his nap and looks at the figure equally confused.

"How strange," he says.

"Do ya think it's a Pokemon?" Meowth asks.

Suddenly, the cloaked figure notices the trio and flies straight toward them. Jessie, James, and Meowth only have a moment to react before the figure flies right through their balloon. The trio scream as they plummet to the ground with a painful crash. They groan in pain before Jessie spontaneously stands up, looking cross.

"Alright, what's the big idea?" She snarls. "I thought we'd be less likely to have our balloon destroyed without the twerp!"

"Yeah, I've had enough with something destroying my face," Meowth growls. "Let's teach that thing some manners!"

"Oh, this won't end well," James mutters worriedly.

Just as they are about to move, however, a beam of bubbles flies right by them. The three of them look at each other curious before they race toward the direction where the Bubblebeam came from.

After a while, they find themselves just a few yards away from a hill where a Raichu and a Poliwrath appear to be fighting. Both of them look tired but determined to best the other.

"Looks like we have a chance to snag two fully-evolved Pokemon while they're fighin' each other," Meowth says with a grin.

"Yes, it does," Jessie says, grinning as she takes out two cube traps out of her pocket.

But as she prepares to trap the two unsuspecting Pokemon, the trio hears a low growl coming from behind them. They freeze in place with their eyes wide and their pupils shrunk. They slowly turn around to see two big, red, glaring eyes and a large, evil grin floating behind them. They shake uncontrollably until the floating mouth shouts, "GGEEEEEEEENNNNNN!" causing them to scream and run away as fast as their legs can carry them.

"Gengar, where are you?!" A male voice shouts. "It's dinner time!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth stop running and turns around to see the floating eyes and mouth turn into a Gengar who gins excitedly as it runs over to where they spotted the Raichu and Poliwrath. They look at each other before they quietly walk back in that direction, careful not to get noticed again. When they make it back to the hill, they see the Pokemon no longer there and walk up to the top to find two men, and several Pokemon gathered around to eat. The first man has long, black hair and looks to be in his thirties while the other one has short, brown hair and is in his late twenties and is wearing a "H.A.K." shirt. Next to the trainer with black hair is a large container with a Pokemon egg inside. They eat their sandwiches and drinks quietly while the Raichu, Poliwhirl, Gengar, as well as a Lucario, Snorlax, Gardevoir, Samurott, Zororak, Braviary, Krookodile, Chandelure, and Klinklang happily eat their Pokemon food.

"Man, Electchu and Poliwrath like to battle each other when given a chance, don't they, Timothy?" The black-haired man says.

"You can say that again, Coovers," the brown-haired man named Timothy says. "They're the first two Pokemon I've ever had, and they've been the best ones to use ever since they were a Pikachu and a Poliwag. They've practically become friendly rivals over who is my best Pokemon. Right, guys?"

"Raichu!" The Raichu nicknamed Electchu replies with its mouth full of Pokemon food.

"Wraaaaath!" The Poliwrath answers while flexing its muscles.

"Sounds like you give them too many opportunities to fight each other judging by that battle they just had," the black-haired man called Coovers comments.

"Meh, it's a good way to train them and give them motivation to become even stronger," Timothy replies before turning to the two Pokemon with a glare and growls, "Besides, they know not to knock each other out and risk giving me trouble before an important match again."

Electchu and Poliwrath wince and chuckle nervously.

"Has that happened?" Coovers asks.

"Let's just say there's more than one reason why I took it hard when I lost the Kanto League the third time," Timothy answers bluntly.

Coovers nods in understanding, and the group continues to eat quietly until the black-haired speaks again.

"So how much farther until we reach Pewter City?" He asks.

"If I remember the last time I traveled through Kanto, we should be there in two days," Timothy answers. "After that, we'll have to travel through Mt. Moon before going to Cerulean City. It should be smooth sailing to the Battle Factory from there."

Jessie, James, and Meowth become intrigued at the sound of the Battle Factory.

"Good. I hope it doesn't take too long for us to get there," Coovers says.

"Agreed. And I hope my battle with whoever the Frontier Brain is there will be quick," Timothy says eagerly. "The sooner we can get it out of the way, the sooner we can get to Brandon and possibly the Gieldanstone."

Jessie, James, and Meowth silently gasp surprised.

"Come on, Timothy, don't be so hasty," Coovers says disapprovingly. "We don't even know if you-know-who wants the Gieldanstone or if Brandon has found it. Besides, you said yourself that you want to find out if this Battle Frontier thing makes you another trainer."

"I know," Timothy admits. "But if the world is at stake, it would be good to stop them the sooner, the better. Besides, I'm not convinced yet that this Battle Frontier is all that it's built up to be. It will take a lot more than the way Scott and Ash advertised it to convince me."

Coovers frowns but silently decides to drop it, and the two trainers go back to eating. Meanwhile, Team Rocket walks away from their hiding spot and giggles mischievously.

"Well, what a discovery," James says. "It looks like we have found two trainers who are going through the Battle Frontier just like the twerps were."

"See? What did I tell ya?" Meowth says with an evil grin. "Our luck has pulled through once again. Instead of tracking down the Scott chump, we have these two dopes who can lead us right to Brandon."

"Yes, but I think we should be concerned about what they're up to," Jessie says seriously. "It sounds like they want to get to the Gieldanstone as much as we do. Maybe Team Rocket is who they're trying to keep it from."

"You're right," James says in thought. "Perhaps they are somehow aware that the boss is after Brandon as well as that jewel to get to Arceus. Or maybe another organization also want the Gieldanstone for their own diabolical plans."

"No problem," Meowth says confidently. "If they are after Brandon for his discovery, then we have the advantage."

"How do you figure, Meowth?" Jessie asks.

"It's simple," Meowth says. "Even if there's another organization looking for Brandon, we have the best chance of finding him first by following these two. That Timothy dweeb appears to own that Raichu, Poliwrath, and Gengar, and no matter what his other three Pokemon are among that group, it's clear that they are fully-evolved and very powerful. So he'll blitz through those other Frontier Brains in no time. More importantly, it sounds like they don't know for a fact that we know about the Gieldanstone and that da boss wants it to control Arceus. So if we can follow them until they have the location to Brandon…"

"We can call the boss and have him track down Brandon and nab him and the jewel before those two even know what's happening," Jessie says in realization.

"Exactly," Meowth says. "Then Team Rocket will completely have the upper hand, and da boss will be so happy with us that he will promote us right on the spot."

"So, what are we waiting for?" James says, excitedly. "Let's fix up our balloon and start following them all the way to our target without a hitch."

"Right," Jessie and Meowth shouts simultaneously.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet shouts behind Jessie from out of its Pokeball.

And so, with their opportunity discovered, Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet race back to where their balloon crashed, eager to follow Timothy and Coovers to their target without the two men suspecting a thing.

But neither Team Rocket or Timothy and Coovers notice the shadowy, cloaked figure also spying on the two unsuspecting trainers from the other side of the field.


	12. Chapter 12

It's been a couple of days since Ash and Serena stopped at Viridian City. After they retrieved their Pokemon from Nurse Joy, they continued their journey with Pikachu back on Ash's shoulder. As they walk, Ash becomes eager to prove himself as a trainer more than ever. Serena would often glance at him and smile, pleased to see the boy she cares about looking so fired up again.

Finally, they make their way to Pewter City, and Serena sighs thankfully in relief.

"I'm so glad we made it to the city," she says as she and Ash walk down the city street. "Another day, and we might have run out of food."

"Yeah, going on a journey isn't as easy without Clemont," Ash agrees. "We might have to find a new way to carry supplies before we leave Pewter City since it's going to take a day or so longer to get to Cerulean City."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Serena nods in agreement and says, "Well, I hope eight more days is enough time to prepare for my Pokemon contest debut."

"I'm sure it is," Ash says supportively. "You'll have your first contest ribbon before you know it."

Serena smiles appreciatively of Ash's encouragement. The two trainers and Pikachu continue to walk through the city streets until Serena decides to speak again.

"So, where does your friend, Brock, live?" She asks.

"Not too far from here," Ash answers. "Just a few more blocks, and we'll make it to his family's house, which is right next to the Pewter City Gym."

"And are you sure it was a good idea not to tell him that we're coming before we left Viridian City?" Serena asks, concerned.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Ash asks. "Since I'm challenging the gym leader, I may as well arrive unexpectedly like a normal challenger. Besides, I bet he and his family will love the surprise of seeing Pikachu and me again."

"If you say so," Serena says unconvinced.

The three of them continue to walk until they find the Pewter City gym and a house standing not too far away from it. Serena smiles, admiring the exterior design of the gym as they pass by until the gym door suddenly flies open, and an eleven-year-old boy is running towards Ash, Serena, and Pikachu while carrying a beaten Kakuna.

"Out of the way!" the boy shouts desperately as Ash and Serena move to the sides just in time for the boy to pass by them and run away as fast as his legs can carry him.

"Oh my, did you see how much that poor Kakuna was hurt?" Serena asks, shocked.

"Yeah, looks like Brock and his rock Pokemon got those two pretty good. Right, Pikachu?" Ash says.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says.

But as they are talking, the doors to the gym open again to reveal a familiar boy exiting the gym and stretching, feeling pleased before noticing the two trainers and smiles excitedly at the sight of Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey, Ash!" He calls out, running toward them, catching Ash's attention.

"Hey, Forrest. How are you?" Ash greets with a smile.

The two boys shake their hands firmly until Forrest notices Serena and looks at her curiously.

"Who is this?" He asks.

"I'm Serena. It's nice to meet you," Serena answers with a friendly smile. "How do you two know each other?"

"Forrest is one of Brock's brothers," Ash answers. "You see, Brock takes care of his siblings while running the gym."

"Actually, I'm the Pewter City Gym leader now," Forrest corrects with a proud stance.

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu stare at Forrest in shock.

"You're the Pewter City gym leader?" Ash asks in disbelief.

"Yup," Forrest answers with a smirk. "After Brock started working to become a Pokemon doctor, it made sense that he ultimately made me the new owner of the gym while he studies and takes care of the rest of our siblings."

"Wow, that's awesome," Ash says. "So, you were the one who just fought that boy's Kakuna just now?"

"I sure was," Forrest answers. "He gave it a good try, but his Beedrill wasn't nearly strong enough to take down my Rhyperior."

"Wow, you have a Rhyperior? That's amazing," Serena says before she realizes something. "Out of curiosity, how many other siblings do you and Brock have?"

Forrest, Ash, and Pikachu look at each other with sinister looks on their faces.

"Maybe you should see for yourself," Forrest answers half-teasingly. "Come on; you guys are just in time for lunch."

"Oh, thank you, but we don't want to impose on short notice," Serena says politely.

"Don't worry, Serena. That won't be a problem," Ash says assuredly as he and Pikachu follow Forrest.

Serena tilts her head in confusion for a moment before she follows the two boys and Pikachu. Once they make it to the front porch of the house, Ash and Forrest quietly chuckle at Serena, making her pout before Forrest opens the door. As soon the four of them enter, Serena stares with her eyes wide open as she sees eight younger kids laughing and running all over the house. Her mouth slowly hangs open as she looks at every little boy and girl that looks almost precisely like Forrest. Ash, Forrest, and Pikachu smirk, amused with the sight of their baffled friend before Forrest calls out.

"Brock, I'm home, and we have guests!"

Forrest, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu wait a moment until the kitchen door bursts open on the other side of the hallway to reveal a young man wearing a pink apron and a Ludicolo standing behind him. The man stares at the direction of the front door for a second before he smiles happily.

"Ash!" He shouts.

He and the Ludicolo run over to the other side, and the man gives Ash a big hug.

"Hey, Brock," Ash says, hugging back. They hold on to their hug for a couple seconds until they separate.

"It's great to see you," Brock says before turning to Serena. "And who is this?"

"I'm Serena," Serena says.

"Serena's a friend of mine from Kalos," Ash says. "We knew each other back when we were little kids."

"Really? Well, it's nice to meet you, Serena," Brock says with a friendly smile.

"Likewise," Serena replies with a friendly smile.

Brock nods before turning to Ash.

"You two are just in time for lunch," he says. "I want to hear what you've been up to and what brings you here."

"You bet," Ash says.

Brock nods again and turns around and shouts, "Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, Tilly, come and eat!"

All the younger children stop running and playing and happily race to the dining room. Brock and Forrest chuckle nervously as they, Ludicolo, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu calmly walk over to the dining room where the kids are already helping themselves to the trays of sandwiches and bowls of stew.

"Hey, take it easy! Leave some for our guests," Forrest rebukes in a big brotherly-like manner.

Ash and Serena chuckle as they find their seats with Forrest while Brock grabs a bowl and pours a large amount of Pokemon food into it and places it in front of Pikachu.

"You sound like Brock when you talk like that, Forrest," Ash says.

"Well, I kinda have to be," Forrest says, rubbing the back of his head. "When Brock was out of town studying to be a doctor, I had to handle both running the gym and keeping things together here. By this point, I've mastered how to look after my siblings just like Brock."

"Really? Where are your parents?" Serena asks, concerned.

"Oh, they've gone on another vacation," Brock grumbles as he sits next to Forrest. "I think they went on a vacation to the Unova region this time."

Serena blinks in disbelief, but Brock smiles, shaking his head.

"Yeah, sadly, we're all used to it," Brock says. "Thankfully, with me, Ludicolo and Forrest here, we have everything under control."

Serena frowns, uneasy to hear how the two boys are handling their eight other siblings alone without their parents. She mentally decides to let it go before helping herself to a small number of sandwiches and some stew. She puts a spoonful of stew in her mouth, which causes her eyes to widen and her pupils to shrink. Everyone turns to Serena, noticing that she is frozen in place. Ash is about to ask if she's okay before she swallows and lets out a blissful sigh.

"Oh, my goodness. That might be the most delicious stew I've ever tasted!" She let out in a high-pitched voice.

Ash sighs, relieved that she's okay while Brock, Forrest, and their siblings laugh in amusement.

"I forgot to mention that Brock is an excellent cook, didn't I?" he says.

"Yes, you did," Serena says after swallowing another spoonful of stew. "Wow, Brock, this stew is amazing."

"Thanks," Brock says, smiling.

The eleven children, the young man, and the Pokemon happily eat for half an hour until all the food is gone. Brock and Forrest's siblings go back to playing while Ash and Serena help Brock and Forrest wash the dishes and clean the table. Once they are done, the four of them decide to sit down at the table to talk.

"So tell me, Ash, what brings you over to Pewter City?" Brock finally asks.

"Well, you see, Serena and I are going on a journey through the Kanto region together," Ash answers. "Serena's going to compete in Pokemon contests to enter the Grand Festival while I'm going to compete in this year's Indigo League."

"Really?" Brock asks, surprised. "But the Kanto league is still a few months away."

"I know," Ash says. "Which brings us to the main reason why we came here. I want to have a battle with you."

Brock looks at Ash, confused.

"You came here to have a battle with me?" he asks. "Why?"

"You see, I'm going on this journey to show how I've become much stronger as a trainer than when I first went on my journey through the Kanto region," Ash explains. "And since I didn't earn some of my badges the traditional way, Serena suggested that I have a battle with all the gym leaders that I got a gym badge without winning a Pokemon battle."

'Hmmm, I see," Brock says while scratching his chin in thought. "Though you do realize I'm no longer the owner of the Pewter City Gym, right?"

"I know," Ash says. "But it would mean a lot if I could have a battle with you. I've become so much stronger since our journey in the Sinnoh region. I even made it to the finals at the Kalos League."

"Wow. That's amazing," Brock says with both him and Forrest looking at Ash surprised.

"He sure did," Serena answers with a subtle hint of pride in her voice. "He went up against our friend, Alain, and they fought each other to their last Pokemon."

"Yeah, I just wasn't strong enough to defeat Alain's Charizard," Ash admits with a hint of sadness in his voice. "But I want to become stronger with some of the Pokemon I haven't trained as much as would have liked, and I want to use them to show how much I've grown and finally win the Kanto League. That's why I want to battle you in the Pewter City gym. Please, Brock?"

Brock hesitates, feeling on the spot. He turns to look at Serena, who gives him a pleading look.

"Please, Brock? It would mean a lot to both of us if you battle Ash," she says.

Brock stares at the honey blonde girl and tilts his head slightly. He mentally wonders what she meant by both of them before deciding to put it in the back of his mind and turn to Forrest.

"What do you think?" he asks.

Forrest thinks for a moment before he smiles at his older brother.

"I say go for it," he says. "In fact, you should have a two-on-two battle just like when Ash first came here to get his first badge."

Brock stares at his brother for a moment before he smiles and nods in agreement.

"Okay then," he says, standing up. "Ash Ketchum, I accept your challenge."

"Alright!" Ash says excitedly, standing up.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"That's great. Thank you, Brock," Serena says appreciatively.

Brock turns to Serena and gives her a respectable nod before turning back to Ash.

"Let's head over to the Pewter City Gym," he says. "And let's take my other siblings over with us to watch."

"Good idea," Ash says, smiling.

Brock nods in approval before he smirks and says, "Just so you know, Ash, I'm not going to take it easy on you. I'm going to treat you just like any other challenger."

"That's what I'm counting on," Ash says with a confident smirk.

Brock and Forrest's siblings were instantly excited to hear that they are going to watch Ash and Brock battle again. Serena, and Brock and Forrest's siblings walk up to the balcony above the battlefield while Ash and Brock stand on opposite sides of the field with Pikachu standing next to Ash. Forrest stands in the middle of the sidelines and raises his right arm.

"This will be a two-on-two battle between Brock and Ash!" he announces. "The battle will be over when both Pokemon from either side are unable to battle! Furthermore, the rules will be like a normal gym battle, so only Ash can substitute Pokemon!"

"Go, Brock!" All of Brock and Forrest's siblings shout.

"Come one, Ash! You can win this, no doubt!" Serena shouts encouragingly.

"Right," Ash says, smirking at Serena before turning to Brock. "Ready when you are, Brock!"

"Right," Brock says with a nod before taking out a Pokeball and throws it toward the field. "Geodude, go!"

The Pokeball opens to reveal a Geodude looking ready for battle. Ash smirks before he thinks deep in thought.

"_Let's see. Oshawott might be the best choice to start since it's a water type, but I want to use someone a little less obvious,_" he thinks. "_And I think I know who to choose._"

"Quilava, I choose you!" Ash shouts as he throws a Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal Quilava.

"Ah, Quilava. It's been a long time since I last saw you," Brock says with a warm smile. "But let's see how much you have improved since then."

Forrest nods in approval before he raises his arm again and shouts, "Battle begin!"

"Alright. Quilava, let's start things up with Flamethrower!" Ash shouts.

"Geodude, use Gyro Ball to deflect it!" Brock orders.

"What?" Ash and Serena say simultaneously.

Quilava shoots a Flamethrower out of its mouth, heading straight for Geodude, but Geodude merely smirks and spins its body into a Gyro Ball, which knocks the fire Pokemon's attack away. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu stare in shock while Brock, Forrest, and their siblings smile confidently.

"But how?" Ash asks in shock.

"What can I say? I have been working on thinking outside the box like you, Ash," Brock answers. "Now, Geodude, use Dig!"

Geodude nods and digs its way deep into the ground. Quilava looks around desperately to find its opponent. Unfortunately, before Ash could give it another command, Geodude emerges from the field and hits Quilava, causing the fire Pokemon to fly into the air and land on the ground with a thud.

"Quilava, are you alright?" Ash asks.

Quilava groans for a moment before it slowly gets up and takes another fighting stance.

"Quilava!" it shouts, pumped.

"Awesome," Ash says. "Now, let's counter with another Flamethrower."

"Dodge and use dig again!" Brock shouts.

Geodude digs in the ground again just in time before Quilava's Flamethrower hits. Ash clenches his teeth together and thinks hard until he gets an idea.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel to protect yourself," He orders.

Quilava turns to Ash and nods before it jumps into the air, ignites the flames on its head and tail, and cloaks itself in a ball of fire. Geodude suddenly emerges from the ground and rams Quilava, but the Flame Wheel shields Quilava from most of the impact and hurts Geodude.

"Now, Quilava, use Eruption!" Ash shouts.

Quilava charges and runs underneath Geodude. The flames on its head and tail ignite again, but this time the flames are bigger. Quilava takes a big, deep breath and fires a geyser of fire right at Geodude, who helplessly watches as the attack hit it, causing an explosion. Everyone covers their eyes until the smoke clears to see Geodude lying on the ground with swirls on its eyes.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" Forrest announces. "Quilava wins!"

"Alright. Way to go, Quilava!" Ash shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"Quilava!" the volcano Pokemon says triumphantly.

"Alright! Way to go, Ash and Quilava!" Serena shouts happily from the balcony.

Brock merely nods before returning Geodude in its Pokeball.

"Nice job, Ash, but now it gets harder," he says before taking out another Pokeball. "Steelix, go!"

He throws the Pokeball, and it opens to reveal a Steelix. The iron snake Pokemon roars, ready for battle, but Ash's keeps on smirking as he turns to Quilava.

"Alright, let's keep up the offense with another Eruption," he orders.

Quilava nods before charging at Steelix with the flames on its head and tail growing bigger again. It fires another geyser of fire at Steelix, but Brock merely smirks.

"Steelix, use Gyro Ball to deflect it," he commands.

Steelix roars and spins into a Gyro Ball, which protects itself from the Eruption, much to Ash's frustration.

"Now use Rock Throw," Brock commands.

Steelix roars and slams its tail into the ground, making rocks fly towards Quilava.

"Use Flame Wheel to dodge and then attack Steelix," Ash orders.

Quilava jumps in the air and covers itself in another ball of fire. It then uses the move to roll away, dodge the rocks and hit Steelix square on its iron body. Steelix groans in pain while Brock frowns and thinks about what to do next.

"Good thinking, Ash," he compliments. "But I think it's time Steelix and I really rock this place."

Brock takes off his shirt and vest as quick as a flash and Ash, Pikachu and Serena stare at him confused until they look closely and see that he's wearing a necklace with a familiar stone attached to it.

"That's a keystone," Serena says in realization.

"It sure is," Brock says proudly. "Now, it's high time to show you the might of rock Pokemon together with Steelix and me."

Brock grabs the necklace firmly, and the stone begins to glow. Ash and Serena look to see a glowing Steelixite on Steelix's forehead. With a bright light that causes everyone to cover their eyes, Steelix transforms into Mega Steelix and roars proudly.

"Now Mega Steelix, use Stone Edge," Brock commands.

Mega Steelix slams its tail into the ground, causing multiple jagged light blue spiked stones come out of the ground. The stones appear so quickly that Quilava only has a moment to realize what is happening before it is suddenly hit. It flies into the air and crashes onto the ground with swirls in its eyes.

"Quilava is unable to battle! Mega Steelix wins!" Forrest declares.

Ash sighs and puts Quilava back in its Pokeball.

"Okay, so who to choose next?" He asks himself. "I still want to go with someone less obvious than Oshawott, but I really should use a Pokemon that is weak against a steel and ground type Pokemon… or maybe just one of those types."

He takes out a Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Snivy, I choose you!"

The ball opens to reveal Snivy looking ready to battle.

"A Snivy. I take it you caught it in the Unova region?" Brock asks, amused.

"Sure did," Ash says proudly.

"Wait, I'm confused," one of Brock and Forrest's brothers, Salvadore says, scratching his head. "Why would Ash pick Snivy? It's really small, and it's a grass type which Mega Steelix is only half weak against because it's a steel and ground type."

Serena smiles, cutely at the little boy, and says, "Don't worry. One thing I've learned about Ash is that size and type doesn't always matter to him. In fact, I'm willing to bet he knew what he was doing when he picked Snivy."

"Battle continue!" Forrest announces.

"Right," Ash says. "Snivy, use Leaf Storm!"

Snivy jumps into the air and fires multiple glowing green leaves at Steelix.

"Deflect them with Gyro Ball, then use Stone Edge," Brock commands.

Just like before, Mega Steelix roars and spins into a Gyro Ball, which protects itself from the Leaf Storm. Then, it slams its tail into the ground, causing multiple jagged light blue spiked stones come out of the ground.

"Use Leaf Blade to cut through that Stone Edge!" Ash shouts.

Snivy's tail glows green, and it jumps up in the air to cut the final blue spike in half.

"Steelix, use Bind!" Brock orders suddenly.

Snivy and Ash only have a minute before Mega Steelix suddenly appears in front of Snivy and wraps its iron body around it. Snivy squeaks in pain while Ash grinds his teeth again.

"Snivy, use Vine Whip on Mega Steelix's head," he orders.

A pair of green vines come out from both sides of Snivy's neck and start whipping at Mega Steelix's head viciously. The large iron snake Pokemon grunts and flinches, but it still keeps its firm grip on the small grass Pokemon. Ash's heart slowly begins to sink as he realizes how much Snivy is in trouble.

"Don't give up, Ash!" Serena suddenly calls out. "You can do this! You and Snivy are not out yet! I believe in you two!"

Brock turns to see Serena from the balcony looking at Ash so determinedly. He tilts his head slightly to see a hint of plea in her eyes. He mentally wonders about the way she's acting when Ash suddenly snaps his fingers, bringing Brock back to the battle.

"I got it," Ash says. "Snivy, use Attract!"

Snivy stops grunting and winks at Mega Steelix, releasing several pink hearts that surround the iron snake Pokemon. The hearts then circle around and shrink into Mega Steelix's body, causing it to fall in love with Snivy.

"Uh oh," Brock says in realization. "Mega Steelix, snap out of it!"

But despite his efforts, it is no use. Mega Steelix's eyes turn into hearts, and it loosens its grip on Snivy, making Ash smirk

"Alright, Snivy, use multiple Vine Whips to break yourself free," Ash orders.

Two vines come out from both sides of Snivy's neck again and start smacking Mega Steelix on the head repeatedly. The iron snake Pokemon grunts in pain and slowly loosens its grip until Snivy is free.

"Don't let up. Use Leaf Blade!" Ash orders.

Snivy's tail glows green again, and it jumps high into the air and starts repeatedly hitting Mega Steelix on the head with Leaf Blade. But despite all the hits on the head, Mega Steelix is still in love with Snivy.

"Finish it off with Leaf Storm!" Ash shouts.

Snivy jumps into the air and fires multiple glowing green leaves at Mega Steelix. This time, the attack hits and sends the iron snake Pokemon flying into the air, causing it to fall into the ground with an earth-shaking thud. Everyone stares at where it landed formal until the dust clears to reveal a large crater where Steelix has returned to its normal form unconscious.

"Steelix is unable to battle," Forrest announces. "Snivy is the winner, and so the victory goes to Ash, the challenger."

Brock and Forrest's siblings "aw" sadly on the balcony while Serena claps her hands and shouts, "Yay, Ash and Snivy!" while Pikachu cheers next to her. Brock sighs and puts Steelix back in its Pokeball.

"Alright!" Ash says happily. "Way to go, Snivy!"

"Snivy," Snivy says proudly before it suddenly glows white.

Everyone looks at Snivy, surprised. The grass Pokemon grows a couple more inches before it stops flashing to reveal that it has turned into a Servine.

"Seeeerrrr," the pokemon calls out proudly.

"Alright, Snivy evolved into Servine," Ash says excitedly.

"Wow, a Servine," Serena says, amazed as she opens her Pokedex.

"_Servine, the grass snake Pokemon and the evolved form of Snivy_," her Pokedex says. "_Servine whips its opponents with vines and dodges their attacks by hiding in the shadows of thick foliage_."

"Nice job, Ash," Brock says as he walks over to Ash and Servine. "You have learned a lot from last time. That was a great battle."

"Thanks, Brock," Ash says as he takes out Servine's Pokeball and returns it.

"So, are you going to Cerulean City to have a rematch with Misty?" Brock asks.

"Yup," Ash answers. "And for Serena's debut as a coordinator."

Brock raises an eyebrow at the mention of Serena. He briefly glances at the honey blonde girl who is watching him and Ash from the balcony with a happy smile on her face and turns to Ash.

"Well, then why don't you stay at our place tonight before you go?" Brock asks. "I'll make a big dinner with Ludicolo, and you guys could stay in our guest rooms."

"That would be great. Thanks," Ash says with a smile. "I'm always down for your cooking, Brock."

Brock nods in approval, and the two of them proceed to exit the gym with Forrest following behind them and Serena, Pikachu, and the younger kids come down from the balcony and follow them. But as they walk, Brock continues to glance at Serena and begins to think skeptically about her friendship with Ash.


	13. Chapter 13

It is late at night, and Brock and Ludicolo have just finished making dinner for Ash, Serena, Forest, and the rest of Brock and Forest's siblings. The twelve humans eat happily at the dining table while Rhyperior, Pikachu, Ludicolo, Servine, and the rest of Ash, Brock, and Serena's Pokemon (apart from Steelix) eat on the floor with their bowls of Pokemon food. Everyone laughs and eats together while in deep conversation. Ash and Brock tell Serena's stories about some of their past adventures from the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions while Serena eventually joins Ash in telling Brock and his siblings stories about their adventures in Kalos.

"So when you bonded with Greninja, you would feel his pain whenever it got hit by an attack?" Brock asks.

"Yeah, and sometimes I would suddenly be out of sync with Greninja and completely lose consciousness," Ash explains. "It took a lot of training to master the Bond Phenomenon so that it wouldn't happen."

"I can attest to that," Serena says, trying to hide a giggle. "I remember Ash trying to go on a run through the forest with Greninja to try to be as fast and agile only to fall behind."

"Yeah, I could never match Greninja's speed," Ash says, scratching his nose.

"Interesting," Brock says intrigued. "I wonder if other Pokemon and trainers can do something like that."

"You never know," Ash says. "I never even heard of Mega Evolution until we started traveling through the Kalos region. Who knows what else is possible when people and Pokemon battle together."

Brock nods in agreement.

"I know what you mean," he says. "It was only recently discovered that some Pokemon here in Kanto can mega evolve. I found my keystone and Steelix's Steelixite when I was traveling to one of the places I go to, to study being a doctor. I've also heard that Misty and some of the other gym leaders here in Kanto also have Pokemon that can mega evolve."

"Misty has a Pokemon that can Mega Evolve? I want to see that when I battle her again," Ash says excitedly.

Serena feels another slight pain in her heart from Ash mentioning Misty. She quickly brushes it off, but not before Brock notices the way she reacted. Serena stands up, seeing that everyone has finished eating and walks over to the kitchen. Brock wonders why she left for a moment before Serena comes back with her basket.

"Hey everyone, I made dessert," she announces, catching everyone's attention. "I got macaroons for all you kids and Brock, Forrest, Ash, and me, and I have special Pokepuffs for the Pokemon."

Brock and Forrest's siblings cheer excitedly, and they all run over to Serena, wanting a macaron. The honey blonde girl laughs at their enthusiasm, and she hands each child a macaroon before finally giving some to Ash, Brock, and Forrest.

"Wow, this good," Forrest says, amazed.

"Yeah, it's delicious," Brock says, impressed. "But what are Pokepuffs?"

"They're pastries that are made just for Pokemon," Ash answers for Serena.

"Right, and some of them are made for specific Pokemon," Serena says as she starts handing the Pokepuffs to the Pokemon. "Like this one here is great for water and grass type Pokemon. Would you like to try, Ludicolo?"

"Ludi," Ludicolo says with a nod as it takes the Pokepuff and munches on it for a few seconds before stars appear in its eyes.

"Ludicolo!" It shouts happily.

"Can I try one?" Brock asks.

"Sure," Serena says.

Brock takes a spare Pokepuff from Serena's basket and takes a bite. He chews thoughtfully for a few seconds before he smiles at Serena.

"Wow, this is pretty good, too," he says.

"That's Serena for you," Ash says proudly as he takes one of the other spare Pokepuffs and takes a large bite. "When it comes to pastries, she's the best."

Serena stops herself from ridiculing Ash for taking the Pokepuff and turns her head away to hide her blush.

"Come on, Ash, you're exaggerating," she says bashfully.

"No way, you are really good," Ash encourages. "And let's not forget how great of a performer you are too."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask, what is Pokemon performing like?" Forrest asks.

"I've wanted to know that too," One of Brock and Forrest's sisters, Cindy says, overhearing the conversation.

"Us too," Tommy and Timmy say simultaneously.

"We all do," the rest of the younger kids say.

Serena smiles and says, "Well, if you'd like, I can show you with my Pokemon. Would you like that?"

"Yes!" The kids shout excitedly.

"Alright, then why don't we go outside and I can show you our latest performance," Serena says before turning to Brock. "Is that alright with you?"

"Sure, go right ahead," Brock says.

"Alright. Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, let's go," Serena says.

Her Pokemon nod and quickly finish the rest of their Pokepuffs before following Serena to the backyard with Ash, Brock, Forrest, their siblings younger kids, and all of the Pokemon following behind. Serena gestures her audience to sit down on the grass, and they silently obey before she and her Pokemon take positions. She takes a deep breath before she starts tapping her feet rhythmically, which results in her, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag to start dancing. Everyone but Ash wonders where this is going before Serena turns to Pancham.

"Pancham, use Stone Edge," she says.

Pancham nods and slams its fists into the ground, causing several large, blue spikes to emerge from the ground. Then Braixen jumps high in the air and starts bouncing on them. The fox Pokemon destroys each spike she hops off with her fiery stick, causing them to turn into shiny blue pieces of dust. Everyone looks at the spectacle in awe as Serena continues.

"Now, Pancham, use Dark Pulse and Sylveon, use Swift."

Pancham creates a ball of black and purple circles in each hand and combines them before it fires them into the air. On the other side, Sylveon shoots several stars, and the two attacks collide and explode into a large, dark purple and yellow firework. Ash, Brock, Forrest, and their Pokemon watch with amazement while the younger kids cheer happily

"And now for our newest member," Serena announces before turning to Poliwag. "Jump and use Bubble in the air."

Poliwag nods and jumps up before it shoots a series of bubbles into the air.

"Now use Double Slap," Serena says.

Poliwag jumps into the air again and starts popping the bubbles with its legs. The attack causes the bubbles to turn into sparkling dust, slowly falling into the air, wowing everyone as Poliwag lands in front of Serena. Together, the two of them and Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon make their final pose.

"And finished," Serena says.

The younger kids cheer and jump up and down excitedly. Ash, Brock, and Forrest applaud in amazement while their Pokemon let out calls of cheer.

"That was spectacular," Forrest praises.

"Yeah, that was quite a show," Brock compliments.

"Of course. Serena wasn't the runner up at the Master Class for nothing," Ash says proudly.

Serena smiles at their praise while the kids run over to crowd around her and her Pokemon.

"Serena, that was so pretty," Cindy praises.

"Awww, thank you, Cindy," Serena says sweetly.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Tommy asks.

"It's something where you have to be creative and work hard with your Pokemon," Serena answers.

"When I grow up, I wanna become a performer just like you, Serena," Suzie says.

Serena's eyes widen, and she turns to the little girl, shocked by her words. Susie merely responds with a cute smile to show her sincerity. Serena continues to stare at the little girl for a moment before she smiles warmly, Touch by Suzie's words.

"Thank you, Suzie," she says sweetly. "I hope you become a wonderful performer."

Suzie giggles happily while the other children contribute to give their own praise. Ash, Brock, Forrest, Pikachu, and Ludicolo continue to watch as Serena starts answering questions about herself and her Pokemon. But as they do, Brock turns to Ash and sees him watch Serena with a hearty smile. His mind goes back to the way Serena was supporting Ash during the battle, and he pieces together that something is officially up between them.

After everyone finishes praising Serena, Brock and Forrest declare that it's time for bed. The younger children groan before they reluctantly obey, and Ash and Serena then proceed to their guest room. But before they go upstairs, Brock walks over to a Serena and places his hand on her shoulder.

"Serena, can I talk to you for a second?" He asks.

Serena turns to him surprised and politely says, "Sure. I'll be right up, Ash."

"Okay, Serena," Ash says before he walks up the stairs.

Brock waits until Ash is far enough until he turns to Serena with a serious look.

"So, you like Ash, huh?" He asks bluntly.

Serena's pupils shrink, and she takes a step back, shocked by Brock's bluntness.

"H-have I been that obvious?" She asks.

"Obvious enough," Brock says in a matter-of-factly tone. "I've seen some of our other friends who are girls cheer for Ash when he's battling, but I've never seen any of them do it so charismatically. Plus, it's a little hard not to notice how bashful you act whenever he compliments you."

Serena sighs defeated, making Brock chuckle.

"Yeah, you got it bad," he says with a smirk. "How long have you felt this way?"

Serena hesitates for a moment before she says, "About as long as I can remember. He helped me when I was lost in the woods back when we both went to Professor Oak's summer camp years ago. I never saw him again after I moved to Kalos until I saw him on TV after he helped save a Garchomp."

"Yeah, that sounds like Ash alright," Brock says, making both of them chuckle lightly.

"That's when I decided to go on a journey so I can see him again," Serena continues. "After he won his first Kalos gym badge, he invited me to come with him and our other friends, Clemont and Bonnie. I was so shocked that he would offer that to me, but at the same time, I knew deep down that I couldn't refuse his offer even if I wanted to. Ever since then, my feelings for him have been growing stronger, the more we got to know each other and helped each other with our goals. When he asked if he could come with me on my journey so that we can support each other again, I was happy to say yes."

"Wait a minute, so he invited you to come along with him?" Brock says, surprised.

Serena looks at him, confused by his reaction.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" she asks.

Brock hesitates and thinks for a moment before he answers, "It's just that I don't think he's ever invited someone to come with him on any of his journeys."

"Really?" Serena asks, shocked.

"Yeah," Brock answers. "Granted, I wasn't there when he went on a journey through the Unova region, but as far as I can remember, our previous companions always invited themselves to join him or ask if they could join him like I did.

Serena blinks, surprised with this information, and she looks away, blushing bashfully. Brock smirks and says, "Sooooooooo, does he have any idea?"

Serena winces, and her bashful face turns into a frown. Brock frowns back and crosses his arms.

"I see. So he is still pretty dense, huh?"

Serena nods robotically. Brock looks at the honey blonde girl with a look of pity.

"Part of why I agreed to go to Kanto with him was just to have a little more time with him," she admits. "I don't think he's going to figure it out by the time this journey is over, but I still hope that he will one day understand how I feel and maybe realize that he feels the same for me. He's so kind and supportive to everyone he meets, and it just warms my heart to be by his side where he can be there for me, and I can support him in return."

Brock scratches his chin in thought, concerned with how the girl feels about his close friend. He knows better than anyone how Ash can be dense with the concept of love in the romantic sense, but at the same time, he finds it peculiar how Ash has viewed Serena so fondly in the short time that he has known her. After a moment, he sighs and smiles at Serena.

"Then why don't I help you?" He asks.

Serena looks at him confused before Brock continues.

"I know only too well what it's like to offer your heart to someone only to never have them fully returned. I've looked for the person I want to spend the rest of my life with for years with no results. But even though I've only known you for a short time, Serena, it seems clear to me that you really care for Ash, and in some way, he cares about you a lot too even if he doesn't mean it that way. So it seems to me that you need someone to help you with this predicament. I could coach both you and Ash with your dreams in the Indigo League and with your Pokemon contests and, while at it, help you potentially achieve what you hope to gain from going on another journey with Ash."

Serena stares at Brock, taken aback.

"You want to help me?" She asks.

"Sure, why not?" Brock says with a smirk. "The way I see it, my buddy has a chance to gain something really special that I've wanted all my life. I see no reason why I should let it just pass up because he's still so dense. Besides, who better to help you than one of his oldest friends, right?"

Serena continues to stare at Brock for a moment before she smiles at him warmly.

"Well, thank you, Brock. I really appreciate it," she says kindly. "But what about your family? And how are you going to explain to Ash why you want to join us?"

"Ah, don't worry about my family. Forrest knows how to hold the fort by heart while also handling the gym. Besides, Ludicolo and some of my other Pokemon will still be here, and they know how to handle my brothers and sisters no problem," Brock says before grinning. "As for what to tell Ash, he won't need much convincing."

"You want to travel with us?"

It's the next morning, and Ash, Brock, Serena, Pikachu, Forest, Ludicolo, and the younger kids are all together in the dining table eating breakfast. Ash is looking at Brock, surprised after he just offered to come with him, Pikachu, and Serena.

"Yeah, I think it would be good for me to go on another journey through Kanto with you," Brock answers. "I don't have a lot of field experience in being a Pokemon doctor, so I'm willing to bet that another journey would be good for me. Besides, I can be there to support both you and Serena on your battles and contests. So is it okay if I go with you?"

Ash looks at Brock, surprised for a moment before he smiles.

"Of course, you can come with us," he says before turning to Serena. "Is that alright with you?"

"Absolutely," Serena answers cheerfully. "Plus, I think having an excellent cook like Brock would be great for traveling long distances."

Ash's eyes widen, and he smiles excitedly.

"I didn't even think of that. Good point, Serena," he says.

Serena giggles at his reaction and turns to Brock, who secretly nods at her, and she winks back.

"Then it's settled," Brock says before to Forrest. "Forrest, that means you're in charge again. Make sure that everyone is taken care of."

"You can count on me, Brock," Forrest replies with a salute. "You won't find anything out of the ordinary when you get back just like last time."

"That's what I'm counting on," Brock says in approval before quickly finishing the rest or his breakfast. "I guess I better get packed then. We have a long journey ahead of us to the Grand Festival and the Indigo League."

"Right," Ash says in understanding.

Brock leaves the dining room to put away his dishes and then go upstairs to his room to pack his things. He then goes to the house pantry and gathers his cooking supplies and some food. By the time he is done, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Ludicolo, Forrest, and the rest of his younger siblings have finished their breakfast. Ash and Serena go upstairs to their guest rooms to get their things while Brock grabs the Pokeballs for Steelix, Geodude, Crobat, Chansey, Marshtomp, and Sudowoodo. He considers making Croagunk the sixth member of his party, but decides against it out of hope of not feeling its Poison Jab if he meets a girl he likes along the way. When he's done making his choice, he walks over to the kitchen where Ludicolo has already started washing dishes and pats it in the back.

"I'm counting on you to be here for Forrest again, buddy," he says. "Make sure everyone brushes their teeth, goes to bed on time, and doesn't get into fights."

"Ludicolo," Ludicolo says understandably.

"You just worry about yourself, Brock," Forrest says as he walks over to his oldest brother. "You better not be searching so hard for Ms. Right again."

"Aw, come on, Forrest," Brock whines.

"Hey, we all know how you can be around women," Forrest says in a matter-of-factly tone. "You're never going to find her that way if she's even out there at all."

"She's out there, Forrest," Brock says confidently. "I don't know where she is or why I haven't found her, but there's a perfect woman out for me who can make me happy like how Mom makes Dad happy. I know it."

Forrest shakes his head and puts his hand on Brock's shoulder.

"Just try to control your enthusiasm," he says seriously. "At least try not to fall in love with every Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, you see."

Brock sighs and gives his brother a sincere look.

"Alright, Forrest. I will try," he says.

Forrest nods satisfies just in time for Ash, Serena, and Pikachu to come down the stairs.

"We're all ready to go, Brock," Ash says.

Brock nods before he puts on his large backpack and follows them to the front porch, where his younger siblings are waiting. He gives each of his brothers and sisters a goodbye hug before he turns to Ash, Serena, and Pikachu.

"Right, what are we waiting for? Let's go to Cerulean City," he says.

"Right. On to my rematch at the Cerulean City gym," Ash says.

"And my first Pokemon contest," Serena adds.

And with that, the three trainers and Pikachu exit the house and begin the next stop on their journey, waving goodbye to Ludicolo, Forrest, and the younger children as they leave. As the four of them exit the borders of Pewter City, Brock glances, and Ash and Serena and secretly hopes he can successfully help the honey blonde girl win the heart of his friend.

"_You are a lucky guy, and you don't even know it, Ash,_" he thinks in his mind before turning his head to face the road ahead. "_And I hope I'm not too far from finding what Serena is looking for either._"


	14. Chapter 14

It has been almost a month since Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu started their journey through the Battle Frontier. Since that time, they have passed Pewter City, Mt. Moon, and Cerulean City before ultimately taking a road that leads them straight to the Battle Factory. But as they continue on their journey, they are utterly unaware that Jessie, James, and Meowth are secretly following them in their hot air balloon. The Team Rocket gang has been extra careful to keep their distance from the two trainers out of fear of being noticed and sent blasting off so far by the trainer's Pokemon that they might lose the trail to their real target.

It is a half-hour before noon when Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu find themselves standing in front of a large building that looks like a factory. They stare at it silently before Timothy turns to Coovers.

"Alright, talk to me. Is this the place?" he asks.

Coovers looks at his Pokenav while holding the egg container with his other arm and nods with a smile.

"Yep, this is the place: the Battle Factory," he says confidently.

"Finally," Timothy says with a sigh. "For a while, I was beginning to wonder if we took a wrong turn."

"Well, it doesn't look that way. I can see the symbol for the Battle Frontier above the front door," Coovers says happily. "So, let's go in and have a battle already."

Timothy nods and walks to the front doors and gives it a knock. The two men and Electchu wait patiently for a moment before it opens to reveal none other than Scott with a welcoming grin.

"Timothy, Coovers, glad to see you made it," he says.

"Scott? What are you doing here?" Coovers asks, surprised.

"As representative of the Battle Frontier, it's my job to meet the trainers here and obverse their battles against the Frontier Brains," Scott says.

"I see," Timothy says with a raised eyebrow. "So is the Frontier Brain for this place here?"

"He sure is," says a man appearing from behind Scoot with a friendly look. "I'm Noland, the Factory Head, which also makes me the Frontier Brain."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Coovers," Coovers says with a friendly smile as the two men shake hands.

"Likewise. So are you the challenger, Coovers?" Nolan asks.

"Nope, that's me," Timothy says, stepping in. "I'm Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town."

Timothy reaches out his hand to shake Noland's, but the Frontier Brain stares at Timothy in shock, confusing the challenger.

"H-hang on," Noland says. "Are you the same Timothy Durbin who defeated Lance, the bi-regional champion?"

"Ah, I see word of my accomplishment has been spreading," Timothy says with a proud grin.

Noland continues to stare at Timothy before turning to Scott.

"Why didn't you tell me that's who was coming this way?" he asks.

"Oh, I thought it would be more fun to surprise you, Noland," Scott says. "Besides, when have I ever told you who is coming to your factory?"

Noland blinks in shock for a moment and sighs.

"That's true," he admits before beginning back his confidant face. "But if that's the case, then I want this battle to be extra special, just like with Ash."

Scott's smirk grows while Timothy and Coovers look at each other confused.

"So, I guess you're saying what I think you're saying?" Scott asks.

"Yes," Noland says before turning to Timothy. "Timothy, I want our battle to be whatever Pokemon you choose against me and my friend, Articuno."

Timothy and Electchu's eyes widen in shock while Coovers looks at them, confused.

"Wait, you have an Articuno?" Timothy says in disbelief.

Noland laughs and says, "No, I'm just good friends with a wild Articuno that lives around this area. Sometimes I like to fly next to it with my plane, and after having a great battle with it against this trainer named Ash, I ask it to be my partner sometimes depending on the challenger. And I think Articuno would agree that battling against a trainer who defeated the bi-regional champion is an opportunity too good to pass up."

Timothy stares at Noland, still shocked, and says, "Uh...thanks, but did you really start using this Articuno after having a battle against Ash?"

"Uh-huh. Do you know Ash?" Noland asks.

"Er, we've met," Timothy answers. "Scott kind of used him to convince us to go on this journey through the Battle Frontier."

Noland smiles, in understanding where Coovers is still looking at everyone confused.

"Wait a minute. What's an Articuno?" he asks.

"You mean you've never heard of Articuno?" Scott asks, surprised.

"No, I haven't," Coovers answers bashfully. "You see, I'm from the Unova region. Not Kanto."

"Oh, I see," Scott says. "Articuno is one of the three legendary bird Pokemon from Kanto."

"Legendary bird Pokemon?" Coovers asks quizzingly before he puts down the egg, takes out his Pokedex, and types the name "Articuno."

"_Articuno, the freeze Pokémon,_" his Pokedex says. "_Articuno lives deep within mountain ranges, and is said to be able to fly by gracefully waving its tail._"

"Articuno may be able to fly gracefully, but this Articuno can be pretty fast in battle," Scott warns. "My best advice is to choose a Pokemon that can handle its ability to fly and also has good speed. If you don't have a Pokemon that you want to use against it, I can give you a ride to the Pokemon Center nearby so that you can switch one of your Pokemon out."

"That would be great, Scott," Timothy says appreciatively. "Although, I'm not sure which of my other Pokemon would be the best choice against a legendary Pokemon."

"Rai, rai, raichu," Electchu says, tugging Timothy's shirt.

"I don't know, Electchu," Timothy says hesitantly to his partner. "I'd like to think we have a better option than that."

Electchu frowns and starts saying a round of "Rais" and "Raichus." Scott, Nolan, and Covers look at each other, confused as the Raichu appears to be making a big argument to its trainer who scratches his chin in thought as it speaks.

"Well, when you put it like that, I guess he would make the most logical choice out of all of my bird Pokemon," Timothy admits. "Alright, let's do it."

"Uh… I take it that means you know what Pokemon you're going to choose?" Scott asks quizzingly.

"I sure do," Timothy answers before turning to Noland. "We'll just be right back after I switch one of my Pokemon with the one I will be facing you and Articuno with."

"Sounds great, Timothy," Noland says excitedly. "I'm looking forward to it."

*********************************************************************************

After waiting for about half an hour inside the Battle Factory's battle area, Noland and his assistant, Sergio, see the doors open from the other side of the arena from where they are to find Scott, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu coming back. The Factory Head grins excitedly while Sergio, Coovers, and Electchu walk over to the sidelines of the area, and Timothy stands on the platform opposite from Noland's. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt looks down at the ledge to see the battlefield far down below him and Noland, showing that the field is designed for flying type Pokemon.

"Are you're ready to go?" Noland asks.

Timothy looks up to face his opponent and says, "I am," Timothy answers.

"Alright," Noland says before letting out a loud whistle. "Articuno, I need your strength!"

For a couple of seconds, everything is quiet until Timothy hears a loud bird cry as an Articuno flies over from the open roof and sores down to hover in front of Noland. Coovers and Electchu stare at the legendary Pokemon with awe while Timothy looks at Articuno with an intrigued look.

"Well, I'll be," he whispers to himself before he takes out a Pokeball and throws it into the air. "Go, Blitzwing!"

The Pokeball opens to reveal a Braviary much to Noland's surprise.

"Whoa, I've never seen that Pokemon before," he says, surprised. "What is it?"

"It's a Braviary," Coovers answers. "It comes from Unova."

"That's right. And if you want to know anything else about it, you'll have to find out yourself with a battle," Timothy adds.

Noland smirks and says, "Alright, if that's how you want to play it. Go ahead, Sergio."

Sergio nods and raises his left arm high.

"This is a one-on-one battle between Noland the Factory Head and Timothy, the challenger!" he announces. "The battle will be over when the Pokemon from either side is unable to battle! Are both sides ready?!"

"Ready!" Noland and Timothy say simultaneously.

"Alright, battle begin!" Sergio declares.

"Alright, Blitzwing, let's start things up with Brave Bird!" Timothy orders.

Blitzwing charges at Articuno with red fire surrounding its body. The fire slowly turns light blue as it gets closer to its opponent.

"Dodge and use Steel Wing!" Noland orders.

Articuno's wings turn into steel, and it dodges Blitzwing's attack before hitting the Braviary in the gut with its attack. Blitzwing flies into the air, crying in pain, making Timothy uneasy.

"Now, Articuno, use Water Pulse!" Noland commands.

"Dodge and use Brave Bird again," Timothy commands back.

Articuno summons a ball of water from its mouth and releases it toward Blitzwing. The Braviary dodges the attack and charges toward Articuno with blue fire surrounding its body. This time, Blitzwing rams into Articuno, and it falls toward the ground before quickly regaining hits altitude.

"Good hit," Noland compliments. "But you're gonna have to do better than relying on Brave Bird to take down Articuno."

"Duly noted," Timothy says bluntly. "Blitzwing, use Aerial Ace!"

Blitzwing flies down to Articuno's level and charges after it.

"Articuno, use Mist!" Noland says.

Articuno lets out a large cloud of white smoke and disappears into the mist. Blitzwing stops its attack and searches for its opponent in confusion.

"Now, use Ice Beam," Noland orders.

Timothy and Blitzwing only have a moment to react before blue beams emerge from the mist and hit Blitzwing. The Braviary cries out in pain as it crashes to the ground with a block of ice attached to its back.

"Oh no, Blitzwing!" Coovers cries out, worriedly.

"Raichu!" Electchu cries out.

"That's not good," Scott says with his arms crossed. "Ice Beam is super effective against flying types. I'm not sure how Timothy is going to pull through with that block of ice on his Braviary's back.

Timothy frowns as Blitzwing struggles to get up.

"Can you keep going, Blitzwing?" He asks.

Blitzwing manages to get up on its talons and nods at its trainer.

"Alright, then let's show them what you're really made of and get rid of that ice while we're at it!" Timothy says with a grin.

"Brav!" Blitzwing shouts.

"Not bad," Noland says, smirking. "But I wouldn't count on it staying up for long. Articuno, use Steel Wing one more time."

Once again, Articuno's wings turn into steel, and it charges straight toward Blitzwing. The Braviary stands with its eyes fixed on its opponent while waiting for a command. Timothy watches the legendary bird Pokemon charge at his Pokemon carefully before closes his fists and shouts, "Now, use Brave Bird!"

Without hesitation, Blitzwing jumps into the air and charges at Articuno with blue fire surrounding its body once again. The attack melts the ice in its back while the Braviary comes toward its opponent even faster than before. It rams into Articuno, causing it to cry out in pain.

"Blitzwing, don't let up! Use Aerial Ace!" Timothy commands.

The Braviary nicknamed Blitzwing flies down to Articuno's level once again and flies straight at it with inhuman speed. This time, Articuno is so stunned from the last attack that Blitzwing's Aerial Ace successfully hits it.

"Articuno, use Ice Beam quick!" Noland cries out.

"Dodge it and finish it off with Crush Claw followed by Steel Wing!" Timothy responds.

Articuno fires another Ice Beam at the Braviary, but Blitzwing avoids the attack before it charges at Articuno with its claws glowing red, and it smashes its claws square into Articuno's chest. The ice Pokemon shuts its eyes and cries out again before Blitzwing's wings turn into steel, and it smacks Articuno in the head with both of them. Noland stares in shock as his friend plummets to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Articuno is unable to battle!" Sergio declares. "Blitzwing is the winner, which means the victory goes to Timothy, the challenger!"

Timothy grins while Coovers and Electchu cheer excitedly from the sidelines. Scott nods with a smirk, pleased with the results from the battle. Noland, meanwhile, climbs down to the ground and runs over to Articuno's side.

"Articuno, are you okay?" He asks.

"Cuuuuuuuun," Articuno replies weakly, earning a sad smile from its friend.

"You were great, my friend. Let's get you all rested up," he says as he carries the bird Pokemon out of the arena. Everyone waits patiently until Noland comes back, smirking at Timothy.

"Articuno is healing as we speak," he says. "I must say that was an interesting battle. Blitzwings attacks are not especially harmful against a flying and ice type."

"True, but typing isn't everything," Timothy answers while petting Blitzwing's head. "That's why I trained my Pokemon to make it strong enough that we can handle flying and/or ice-types in battle. Right, Blitzwing?"

"Braaaaiiiv," Blitzwing says proudly.

"Makes sense," Scott says while walking over to Noland, Timothy, and Blitzwing with Coovers and Electchu. "If you train it hard enough, you won't need a type advantage against a strong opponent like Articuno."

"Exactly," Timothy says as he walks over to Electchu, gets down on one knee and starts petting it. "So it looks like my partner here made the right call in suggesting Blitzwing should be the Pokemon to use."

"Rai," Electchu coos cutely as Timothy pets it.

"Well, in any case, you have beaten me and Articuno fair and square," Noland says as he takes something out of his pocket. "Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to present to you the Knowledge Symbol as proof of your victory."

"And here's a case you can use to hold on to all of your symbols, Timothy," Scott adds as he hands him the case.

"Thank you," Timothy says as he takes the Knowledge Symbol and puts in the case before putting the case in his backpack. "So where to next?"

"That would be the Battle Area, where Greta is," Scott answers. "I just added the location on Coovers' Pokenav.

"He's right," Coovers says while holding out his Pokenav with one hand while carrying the egg contained within the other. "And the Battle Arena is not far from here too."

"Perfect," Timothy says. "Then I guess all we have to do now is head to the Pokemon Center so that Blitzwing can rest up for the night and then head straight to the Battle Area."

"Sounds good, Timothy," Scott says. "I'll look forward to seeing you two there."

"Indeed," Noland says, offering his hand to Timothy. "Best of luck to you, Timothy."

"Thanks, Noland," Timothy says. "Give my regards to Articuno for a good battle."

"You bet," Noland says. "Take care."

"See ya," Coovers says as the two of them leave.

"Rai!" Electchu says as he follows his trainer.

Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu continue walking out of the Battle Factory, and Timothy sighs, satisfied.

"One down," he says.

"And five more to go until we get to Brandon," Coovers adds while holding the egg container with both hands. "Which hopefully includes finding out whether or not he has found the Gieldanstone."

The two men nod in agreement before making their way to the Pokemon Center. Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth snicker behind one of the nearby bushes as they watch the two men and the Raichu walk away.

"So, he defeated Articuno just like that," Jessie says.

"And now he's going to the Battle Area, making him one step closer to lead the Gieldanstone right to us," James adds.

"See? What did I tell you guys?" Meowth says boastfully. "This clueless bozo is going to soar through the entire Battle Frontier, and then we liberate the jewel and gain endless praise from da boss before we know it. We'll be living the high life without a hitch."

The Team Rocket Trio giggles mischievously again before they proceed to go back to their hot air balloon quietly. But as they leave, a cloaked figure watches them from the roof of the Battle Factory."

"_So, this trainer has some skills__,_" the figure says quietly to itself. "_But he and his friends still have much to do to prove that they can be trusted._"


	15. Chapter 15

After taking a safe passage through Mt. Moon, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock, make their way to Cerulean City. The group smiles happily as they finally enter the borders of the city with Serena stretching as they walk.

"It feels so good to be out of the mountain pass," she says. "Nothing beats making it to a nice, beautiful town or city after traveling through a forest, or desert or mountains."

"You can say that again," Ash says.

"And we've arrived a day earlier than expected, so you have more than enough time to register for the Pokemon contest and practice before your big day, Serena," Brock adds.

Serena nods in agreement.

"Plus, more than enough time to see how Misty is doing and have an official rematch with her," Ash says, feeling pumped.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu shouts from Ash's shoulder, sharing his enthusiasm.

Serena chuckles nervously, still feeling uneasy with the mention of Misty. She puts her hand on her ribbon which Brock notices and frowns. As Ash walks ahead to look at the city with a nostalgic look in his eyes, Brock walks a little slower to lean on Serena's ear.

"Serena, is something wrong with you meeting Misty?" He whispers.

Serena looks at Brock bashfully and asks, "What makes you say that?"

Brock frowns and says, "I've seen you act uneasy and play with your ribbon every time Misty is mentioned even before we left Pewter City. Something is on your mind, so out with it."

Serena sighs and looks away with a hesitant look before she answers.

"Well...it's just that…I mean..." she stutters while playing with her fingers. "Well, Ash has known Misty a long time, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Brock confirms.

"And you were there when the two of them traveled through all of Kanto and Johto, right?" Serena continues.

"Uh, yes," Brock says, unsure or where Serena is going.

The honey blonde girl takes a deep breath and decides to bite the bullet by asking, "Did Ash and Misty ever have feelings for each other?"

Brock stares at Serena making her uneasy. Then he covers his mouth to hide a snort before he breaks into a loud laugh. Serena looks at him confused, and Ash and Pikachu turn to him with their heads tilted.

"Brock, are you okay?" He asks.

"I'm fine, Ash," Brock chortles. "Just thought about an inside joke you wouldn't understand."

Ash and Pikachu continue to stare at Brock before they shrug it off and continue sightseeing as they walk. Brock eventually manages to stop laughing before turning to a confounded Serena.

"Ash and Misty together. Wouldn't that be a surprise?" He chuckles.

"So...that would be a no?" Serena asks awkwardly.

Brock snorts before he answers, "I doubt he ever felt that way about her. I have more memories of the two of them teasing or fighting each other than of him giving her genuine compliments."

"Really?" Serena asks, surprised. "That doesn't sound like the Ash I know."

"Well, of course not," Brock says. "They were only ten going on eleven through most of our adventures together. They stopped bickering as they got older, but nothing ever happened between them."

"Really?" Serena asks in a hopeful tone.

"Absolutely," Brock says assuredly. "If anything, I think Ash and Misty are more like brother and sister more than anything else."

Serena sighs in relief.

"Where was information like that before Ash and I left Pallet Town?" she asks.

Brock chuckles lightly and pats Serena on the back.

"Don't worry about it, Serena," he says. "It's normal to worry about the person you care about liking someone else. And if it puts your mind at further ease, he's never shown to think of our other girl companions like that in any way either."

Serena gives Brock an appreciative look, and he smiles back until they notice Ash has stopped walking ahead. They turn their heads to see that they have reached a giant stadium. The building looks clean and shiny as if it has never been used, and several trainers are entering and exiting the stadium. Serena looks at Brock and then at Ash who both smile at her.

"Looks like this is the place to register for your contest pass and to participate in the contest here in Cerulean City," Ash says.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says.

"Yeah, and by the looks of things, this building was recently made just so that they can hold contests here," Brock adds.

Serena examines the area and smiles, silently agreeing with them.

"Right," she says. "Then let's waste no time. I should get my pass so that I won't have to worry about it later."

"Good idea," Ash says.

The four of them enter the front door only to stop in surprise to see that there is a long line to the front desk. Serena sighs and walks to the end of the line and waits patiently.

"There's so many people here registering," Serena observes. "Are there really that many coordinators here in Kanto alone?"

"Sure are," Brock answers. "When we were traveling with our friend, May who is a coordinator from Hoenn, she competed in the Grand Festival in the Indigo Plateau; there were two hundred and seventy competitors she had to face."

"Two hundred and seventy?!" Serena asks in alarm.

"Yeah, and that's just the ones who managed to win five ribbons," Ash says. "There were a lot of coordinators who didn't get to compete because they only had four or less of the five ribbons they needed to win by the time the contest season was over and so they had to wait until next year to collect the ribbons they still need. Even May was lucky to win the very last ribbon she needed at the end of the season in both Hoenn and Kanto."

Serena stares at Ash with her eyes widened in shock. She looks down on the floor, feeling pressured.

"When you put it that way, I should count my blessings for the amount of competition I had during the Pokemon showcases," she says.

Ash notices the honey blonde girl feeling intimidated and pats her on the shoulder, catching her attention.

"Don't worry, Serena. You're going to be just great," he says with a toothy grin. "You're going to win five ribbons without a hitch, no doubt."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agrees while in Ash's shoulder.

Serena smiles sweetly at Ash and nods.

"You're right, Ash," she says. "I'm gonna do my best and show Kanto what I'm made of."

"That's the spirit," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Serena's smile grows, and her cheeks turn slightly pink with Ash's hand still on her shoulder. As the line starts to move, however, Ash lets go so that the four of them can move the line along, secretly making her miss the feeling. They continue to wait for ten minutes with the group getting closer and closer to the front desk, making Serena more eager to get her pass. Finally, the person in front of them gets his card, and they approach the front desk where a woman with glasses greets them with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" she asks professionally.

Serena opens her mouth to speak, but then Brock steps in front of her, takes the woman's hands with his hands and looks at her dead in the eyes with a blissful look.

"Wow, in all my years, I've never seen such beauty!" he exclaims in a giddy tone. "Maybe you can help me by joining me in a romantic dinner for two and a boat ride in the moonlight where we can express our deepest feelings and - AUGH!"

His moment is interrupted by a small hand grabbing him by the ear and dragging him away from the woman at the front desk. Serena turns her head to see a small ten-year-old boy with black hair and glasses looking at Brock with an annoyed look as he holds on to his ear.

"The sky is cloudy, and you're dining alone, Brock," he says.

"Max?" Ash says, surprised. "Max, is that you?"

The young boy lets go of Brock and turns to Ash with a smile while Brock whimpers in pain and he massages his ear.

"Hey, Ash. Long time no see," the boy says happily.

Ash and Pikachu run over to greet the boy named Max and Serena is about to walk behind them when the woman at the front desk clears her throat.

"Excuse me, but I believe it was you who needed help?" she asks.

"Oh, yes. Sorry," Serena says. "I would like to register for a pass for the Pokemon contests, please."

The woman in the front desk smiles and says, "Place your Pokedex in the slot in front of you."

Serena happily complies, and an image of her appears on the screen next to the slot. The woman checks Serena's information, and smiles before pressing a button and a pass card emerges from the machine next to her computer.

"Alright, Serena, you are registered to compete in all contests in the Kanto region, and you're signed up to compete in tomorrow's contest. Good luck."

"Great. Thank you," Serena says as she takes her Pokedex and pass card and puts them back in her backpack. She then turns to Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and the boy named Max, who are happily talking to each other while she walks over to them. Ash notices her approaching and smiles.

"Oh yeah, you two haven't been introduced," he says. "Serena, this is Max, May's younger brother. Max, this is my friend, Serena from the Kalos region."

Max turns to Serena with a friendly smile and says, "Nice to meet you, Serena."

"Likewise, Max," Serena says , smiling back.

Ash grins, pleased with the introductions and turns to Max.

"So is May here with you?" he asks.

"Not just her," says a female singing voice.

Everyone turns around to see a girl with brown hair wearing an orange outfit and a green bandanna on her head, and a blue-haired girl wearing a black top, a short pink skirt, and a white and pink hat while holding a Piplup. Ash and Brock's faces light up as they suddenly run over to the girls.

"May!" Brock shouts.

"Dawn!" Ash yells happily.

The girls smile happily as Brock hugs the brown-haired one and Ash gives the blue-haired girl a high-five. Serena looks at them curiously as the four of them laugh together before Ash speaks.

"Are you competing in the Kanto contests too, Dawn?" he asks.

"I sure am," the blue-haired girl says.

"Piplup," Piplup says.

"And while I practice to compete in the Grand Festival again, I'm supporting Max with winning his gym badges," the brown-haired girl says.

Ash and Brock look at each other, shocked before turning back to Max.

"Does that mean…?" Brock asks.

Max gives the two of them a proud smirk and takes out two Pokeballs.

"Treecko, Ralts come on out!" he shouts, tossing the Pokeballs high into the air.

The Pokeballs open to reveal a Treecko and Ralts giving everyone friendly looks.

"Alright, you're a Pokemon trainer now!" Ash says happily.

"I sure am," Max says proudly. "I got Treecko from Professor Birch, and Ralts is the same one I made a promise to capture after I become a trainer. Shortly after that, May offered to go with her to Kanto so that we can journey together again now that we're both trainers. In fact, we are about to head over to the Cerulean City gym so that I can challenge Misty."

"Awesome!" Ash says excitedly. "So that means you're going to compete in the Indigo League?"

"Yup," Max answers. "I don't have any badges yet because May and I wanted to go straight to Cerulean City and have my very first gym battle with Misty."

"And that's when they bumped into me shortly before we saw you guys," the blue-haired girl says before turning to Serena. "By the way, you're traveling with Ash, Pikachu, and Brock, aren't you?"

"Uh, that's right," Serena says, taken aback that the girl suddenly noticed her.

"Oh yeah, how can I forget?" Ash says. "May, Dawn, this is Serena. She's my friend from Kalos."

The two girls look at Serena with friendly faces.

"Hi, I'm May," the brown-haired girl says.

"And I'm Dawn," Dawn says with a cheerful tone. "I love your outfit. It's adorable."

"Oh, thank you, Dawn," Serena says flattered.

"Of course," Dawn says happily. "I love how you're surrounding yourself with pink and red. And where did you get that pretty blue ribbon you have there?"

Serena looks away and blushes lightly while subconsciously putting her hand on her ribbon.

"Oh… it was a present from Ash," she admits bashfully.

May and Dawn freeze in place, staring at Serena with their eyes widened, making her uneasy.

"It was a present…?" May starts.

"...from Ash?" Dawn finishes.

The two of them look at Ash, who chuckles nervously.

"Yeah, Serena helped me get presents for my Pokemon for a big festival in Kalos, so I gave her the ribbon I won to thank her," he says, scratching from under his nose.

May and Dawn blink twice simultaneously in surprise and turn to Serena who is still acting bashful. The two of them look back and forth between Ash and Serena, which confuses Ash.

"So… are you two dating?" May asks.

Serena's face turns the deepest shade of red humanly possible, and she fights the urge to let out an embarrassed squeal. Ash, however, tilts his head, looking even more confused.

"What are you talking about?" he asks.

At that, everyone but Ash falls to the ground and groans. Ash looks at everyone dumbfounded as they get up and May and Dawn chuckle at themselves.

"Of course. Same old Ash. What was I thinking?" May says.

"It was just too good to be true," Dawn says before regaining her cheerful mood. "Anyway, what are you guys doing here? Did you come to visit Misty?"

This time, Serena doesn't let the mention of Misty affect her, deciding to take Brock's words to heart.

"Yeah, I'm going to ask her for a battle at the Cerulean City gym," Ash says. "I'm going to have a rematch in all of the gyms in Kanto where I didn't get my badges by properly winning a battle while I get ready for the Indigo League. But before that, we came here to get Serena registered for the Pokemon contests."

May and Dawn's eyes turn back to Serena, intrigued.

"So you're going to enter in pokémon contests as well, huh? Then I guess that makes us rivals," May says with a friendly grin. "Have you ever competed in a contest before, Serena?"

"No, I haven't," Serena admits. "I was advised to compete in contests after becoming a runner-up in the Pokemon showcase Master Class a couple months ago."

"The what" Dawn asks.

But before Serena can answer, the six humans and Pikachu, Piplup, Treecko, and Ralts hear a rumbling sound that makes Ash chuckle nervously.

"Sorry, guys," he says. "Guess it's time for lunch."

Everyone sighs with May and Dawn chuckling soon after.

"That's just like Ash," Dawn says with a smile. "Since May, Serena, and I just registered, why don't we find a place to eat before going to see Misty?"

"Count me in," May says enthusiastically. "I'm always down for some chow."

Serena nods and takes out her tablet.

"Let's see," she says before showing her search to everyone. "There's a buffet just a couple blocks from here."

"A buffet?!" Ash and May say simultaneously. "Let's go!"

Without a word, the two of them race out of the stadium. Everyone else chuckles at their enthusiasm before Max returns his Pokemon and they run after them.

Thankfully, while the buffet is packed with other trainers who just registered for the contest, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup manage to secure a table for all of them. Before long, Ash and May start gorging themselves with giant piles of food while everyone else starts eating reasonable amounts. Serena stares at Ash and May, amazed that May is as big of an eater as Ash. Dawn, who is sitting opposite of Serena, notices her shock and smirks.

"Betcha didn't know May is such a bottomless pit too," she says teasingly.

Serena snaps out of her gaze and chuckles nervously.

"It's really something," she admits. "And here I am only used to seeing how much Ash can eat."

"Yeah, you get used to it," says Max, who is sitting next to Dawn.

Dawn nods in agreement before taking a bite of her food and turning to Serena.

"So Serena, what is the Pokemon showcase Master Class?" she asks.

Serena thinks for a moment to think of how to answer and says, "Well, the Master Class is where you go after winning three princess keys from Pokemon showcases. You see in a showcase, you show off your skills with your Pokemon and put on performances. Whomever is voted to have the best performance gets a princess key, and if you gain three of them, you can compete in the Master class where you compete to become Kalos Queen."

"Really? That sounds like a lot of fun," Dawn says intrigued. "And you were the runner-up for the Master Class?"

"That's right," Serena says. "I made it to the final round where I went against the current Kalos Queen, Aria. I didn't win, but her former mentor, Palermo, offered to tutor me so that I could win next year. Eventually, I decided I wanted to do more than perform, so Palermo suggested that I try Pokemon contests, and so here I am."

"Wow," Dawn says, amazed. "You know I was a runner up for the Grand Festival back in the Sinnoh region where I'm from."

"Yeah, and May was in the top four at the Kanto Grand Festival," Max says proudly.

"Oh, really?" Serena says, surprised. "Seems like most of us are runner-ups of big competitions between the three of us girls and Ash."

"Huh? Why Ash too?" Dawn asks.

"Because he made it to the finals of the Kalos League," Serena answers with a hint of pride in her voice. "He only lost by one Pokemon. It was a super close match."

"Amazing" Max says, amazed. "I didn't know Ash has ever come so close to winning a league."

"Me neither," Dawn says. "I was there when he made it to the semi-finals at the Sinnoh League, and I heard from our other friend, Iris, that he only make it to the top 8 at the Unova League."

"Yeah, that's about how far he got at the Hoenn League," Max says. "It sounds like he's gotten a lot stronger since last time either of us have seen him. But it won't be enough to stop me from winning the Indigo League if I can help it."

Serena and Dawn smile at Max's enthusiasm before they silently go back to eating their food. But as they eat, Dawn gets an idea and looks at Serena with a smug look.

"Hey, Serena," she says.

"Hmmm?" Serena hums with her mouth full of noodles.

"What's your story?" Dawn asks.

"What do you mean?" Serena asks after she swallows her food.

"I mean, how did you invite yourself to go with Ash on his journey through the Kalos region?" Dawn clarifies.

Serena tilts her head quizzingly until see she remembers her conversation with Brock at Pewter City.

"Oh, I didn't invite myself to go with Ash," she says honestly.

"Oh come on, I know you have," Dawn says with a determined grin. "Every girl who has joined Ash on a journey has invited themselves at one time or another. I asked him if I could come with him after helping him reunite with Pikachu after Team Rocket tried to steal it again. May asked if she could join him after Pikachu destroyed her bike and according to her, Pikachu also destroyed Misty's bike too, and so she decided to follow Ash until she could get a new one. And of course, there's our friend, Iris who just decided to join Ash and Cilan on their journey through the Unova region. So given his reputation of girls asking him or inviting themselves to join him on a journey on top of the fact that you like him, I gotta know how you invited yourself to go with him."

Serena's face turns red again, taken aback by the way Dawn bluntly called her out on her feelings for Ash. She takes a moment to recover before she says, "I didn't invite myself. He invited _me_."

Dawn's determined grin softens, and she tilts her head.

"Wait… are you serious? He invited you? No joke?" she asks befuddled.

"No joke," Serena confirms. "After he won his first badge, he asked where I was going, and I wasn't able to answer, so he asked that I join him, Clemont, and Bonnie on their journey. He wanted me to be there to help him with his future battles like I did with his rematch against Viola."

Dawn stares at Serena, speechless.

"So...he invited you to join him?" she manages to ask. "Well, what about your journey together here in the Kanto region. Did you ask to join him when you decided to compete in the Pokemon contests here?"

"No, I didn't," Serena answers. "He invited me to go with him to Pallet Town and then asked if he could go with me on _my_ journey."

Dawn looks at the honey blonde girl even more speechless than before. She takes a moment trying to process everything she just heard, making Serena uneasy.

"I didn't realize this is such a big deal," she says.

Dawn snaps out of her daze and sees the truth in Serena's humble comment. Finally, she sighs, and her smirk returns.

"So…" she begins. "Do you plan on confessing your feelings for him?"

Serena blushes again, and looks away, mentally wishing she had her long hair back to hide her face. Dawn's smirk grows, and she chuckles.

"Well, I'll give you this, Serena, you seem to be in a unique position compared to the rest of us," she says before her smile turns into a friendly one. "I hope you pull through in the end."

Serena looks at Dawn surprised.

"Don't look so shocked," Dawn says with a warm smile. "I can see that you care for him, and I understand why. He can be a goof for sure, but once you look past that, he is a great guy. I do think your odds don't look great what with Ash being so dense, but maybe you'll get through to him in the end. All you gotta do is your best, right?"

Serena blinks, staring at Dawn before she smirks back and says, "Right."

The two of them nod and go back to eating their meals. After a half an hour of eating, Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena exit the restaurant with Ash and May patting their big bellies.

"Now that's what I call a buffet," Ash says satisfied.

"I've never been so happy," May says in a blissful tone. "I'm so glad that you found that place, Serena."

"Yeah, thanks," Ash says, turning to Serena with a toothy grin. "You're the best, Serena."

Serena's cheeks turn pink, and she smiles back, pleased with their praise. Dawn notices her cheeks and gives the honey blonde girl another smug look.

"Alright, we've delayed long enough," Max says. "It's time to go see Misty so that I can have my gym battle."

"Not if I have my battle first," Ash says with a suddenly determined look.

The two boys stare at each other for a moment before they start racing to the gym. Brock and May call out to them with no avail, leaving them, Serena, Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup to chase after them. As they run, Serena glances at Dawn and smiles, appreciating of the blue-haired girl's words.

"_I will do my best,_" She says in her mind as she turns back to Ash, who is still racing with Max. "_That's a promise._"


	16. Chapter 16

By the time Serena, Dawn, May, Max, Brock, Pikachu, and Piplup make it to the front entrance to the Cerulean City gym, Ash and Max are panting and claiming who won. Serena shakes her head, amused by Ash's childish behavior while Brock calms the two boys down, and the entire group enters together. They make their way through the entrance hall, where they see a giant swimming pool with a set of platforms floating on it.

"Hey, Misty, are you here?" Ash calls out.

Nothing is heard but an echo from Ash's call. Everyone starts to think that no one is here when a door opens on the other side to reveal a girl with orange hair entering the arena and looking around in confusion until she sees the group and smiles.

"Ash! Pikachu! Brock! May! Max!" She shouts as she runs over to the group. Pikachu jumps high off from Ash's shoulder, and the girl catches it and spins Pikachu around in a tight hug. Ash, Brock, May, and Max smile warmly at the moment as they walk over to greet the girl. Dawn, Piplup, and Serena wait patiently, glad to see the happy reunion until the orange-haired girl notices them.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says politely as she walks over to them. "I didn't notice you two were there. My name is Misty."

"My name is Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup," Dawn introduces.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"And I'm Serena. Nice to meet you," Serena greets warmly. "I've heard a lot about you from Ash and Brock, Misty."

"Oh, you have, have you?" Misty asks with a suspicious look. "Anything bad I should know about?"

"Uh...no?" Serena answers nervously.

"Good," Misty says with her smile returning. "Otherwise, I'd have to teach these two a lesson about trying to mess with me. Anyway, how do you guys know everyone else?"

"I went through the Sinnoh region with Ash and Brock, and I met May at the Wallace Cup," Dawn says.

"And I've known Ash since we met each other in summer camp when we were little," Serena says.

Misty looks at Serena, confused.

"You've known him that long?" She asks. "Funny, I don't think he's ever mentioned you."

Serena winces slightly before she chuckles nervously.

"Yeah, he seemed to have forgotten all about me until we saw each other again in the Kalos region," she admits.

Misty smirks and says, "Well, Ash has always had a knack for thinking more about Pokemon or going on a journey."

"I agree," Serena says. "It would explain why I never heard about you when we were in Kalos."

Misty glares at Serena, and the honey blonde becomes uneasy. After a moment, Misty suddenly laughs, making Serena awkwardly laugh with her.

"Well played," Misty says. "And you're right. That would explain why Mr. Forgetful wouldn't mention you to his most loyal companion."

"Hey!" Ash says with a mouthful face.

Everyone else laughs at his reaction until Misty turns to the rest of the group and asks, "So what are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Dawn, Serena, and I just registered for the Pokemon contest here," May says.

"And now that I'm a Pokemon trainer, I want to have a gym battle with you," Max says.

"Hey, I want to have a battle first," Ash says, childishly.

"But, Ash, you already have your gym badge here," Misty says, confused.

"That's right, but I'm going to reenter the Indigo League, and I want to show how much I've grown since then by battling every gym where I didn't earn my badge by winning an official battle," Ash says.

Misty stares at Ash for a moment before she smiles and puts her hands on her hips.

"That sounds like a good reason, Ash," she says, sincerely. "But, I think Max should go first since he's a legitimate challenger."

"Yes," Max shouts, excitedly.

Ash groans sadly, and Serena walks over to him and pats him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, Ash. You have more than enough time to battle her before the contest," she says, assuredly.

Ash sighs and gives Serna a thankful look. Serena smiles brightly with her eyes closed, making Misty look at her quizzingly while Brock and Dawn smirk.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's battle!" Max says, excitedly.

Misty chuckles at Max's enthusiasm before she gives him a determined face and nods in agreement. The two of them run over to opposite sides of the arena while everyone else takes seats on the bleachers. Max and Misty look at each other with battle-ready faces until Misty realizes something.

"Wait a minute, I forgot that my judge isn't here today," she says.

Max stares at her dumbfounded while everyone else falls down. Then Brock gets up and says, "Then why don't I be the referee?"

"That would be great. Thanks, Brock," Misty says.

"Yeah, you're a real lifesaver, Brock," Max says.

Brock nods and gets down from the bleachers and walks to the sideline, asking, "What kind of battle do you want?"

"Two on two is the standard battle here," Misty answers before running to Max. "Is that alright with you, Max?"

"That's perfect," Max says with a grin.

"Alright then," Brock says before raising his left hand high. "This will be a two-on-two battle between Misty, the gym leader, and Max, the challenger! The battle will be over when both Pokemon from either side is unable to battle. Furthermore, only the challenger can substitute Pokemon. Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready," Misty and Max say simultaneously.

"Alright, battle begin!" Brick announces.

"Okay, Staryu, let's go!" Missy calls out as she throws a Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal Starmie.

"Ralts, I chose you!" Max says, throwing a Pokeball to reveal Ralts.

"Staryu, use Tackle!" Misty orders.

Staryu jumps and charges at Ralts, spinning.

"I don't think so," Max says confidently. "Ralts, use Confusion!"

Ralts' unseen eyes turn blue, and Staryu stops charging and hangs high in the air with a blue glow surrounding it. Max grins as Ralts lifts its hands in the air, and Staryu floats straight up and crashes into the ceiling. Misty's eyes widen as Staryu plummets to water and floats back up with its gem blinking.

"Starmie is unable to battle! Ralts is the winner!" Brock declares.

"Alright!" Max shouts, joyously.

"Wow, that was a powerful Confusion," Serena says, amazed.

"Of course. Max and Ralts have been working hard," May says. "In fact, it turns out Ralts was training by itself the entire time it was waiting for Max to grow old enough to be a trainer and catch it."

"You mean he met Ralts years before he ever caught it?" Serena asks, confused.

"Yeah, Max was about Bonnie's age when we went through the Hoenn region," Ash explains. "We had a little adventure with Ralts, whom Max formed a close bond with, and so he promised that he would come back for Ralts once he was old enough to be a trainer."

"Wow, and here they are together on their first gym battle," Serena says, amazed.

"That's right," May says before turning to Ash and Serena in confusion. "But who is Bonnie?"

"Bonnie is one of our friends who journeyed with us in Kalos," Serena answers.

"Yeah, she takes care of a Dedenne that belongs to her brother, Clemont, who will give it to her when she's of age," Ash adds. "She loves taking care of Pokemon and really looks forward to becoming old enough to become a trainer."

"Aw, sounds like she and Max would be great friends," May comments while Misty returns Staryu back into its Pokeball and takes out another one.

"I must admit you took me off guard, Max. But this time I'm ready for you," she says as she throws the ball into the air. "Go, my stead!"

The Pokeball opens, and a large Gyarados lands in the water.

"Whoa, Misty caught a Gyarados?" Dawn, says surprised.

Gyarados looks down and glares at Ralts. The psychic Pokemon takes a step back and becomes uneasy, which Max notices.

"Be brave, Ralts. We got this," he encourages.

"Gyarados, use Crunch!" Misty shouts.

"Dodge it, Ralts!" Max orders.

But Ralts is too intimidated to listen. It only has a moment to realize what is happening before Gyarados already swims toward the little Pokemon and bites it hard. Max stands there shocked as Gyarados releases his Pokemon from its mouth, and Ralts falls into the platform with swirls in its eyes.

"Ralts is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!" Brock declares.

Max frowns sadly and returns Ralts back into its Pokeball. He takes a deep breath to regain his determined face and throws another Pokeball, shouting, "Go Treecko!"

Treecko comes out of its Pokeball and takes a defensive stance. Misty smirks, amused with Max's decision before her opponent shouts, "Treecko, use Bullet Seed!"

Treecko jumps high into the air and starts firing several speed at Gyarados. The large water Pokemon grunts in pain as the attack hits but doesn't appear to have been very effective.

"But how?" Max asks, confused. "Treecko has the type advantage."

"Nice try, Max, but Gyarados is trained to handle more than a simple Bullet Seed," Misty says proudly. "Gyarados, use Crunch again!"

Gyarados charges at Treecko, who grows uneasy until Max shouts, "Dodge and use Mega Drain!"

Treecko jumps high in the air, avoiding the Crunch attack and then fires a dark green beam from its mouth. The attack hits Gyarados, and it roars in pain, making Max and Treecko feel hopeful.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Max orders.

Treecko nods at its trainer and then charges at Gyarados with great speed.

"Gyarados, use Hurricane!" Misty shouts.

Gyarados roars and summons a powerful cyclone of wind. Treecko runs right into the attack, and it sends it flying high into the air.

"Treecko!" Max cries out.

Treecko cries in fear as it's sent flying higher and higher into the air. Finally, it reaches to the top of the ceiling and flies down, slamming into one of the platforms with swirly eyes.

"Treecko, no!" Max says, crushed.

"Treecko is unable to battle!" Brock announces. "Gyarados is the winner, and so the victory goes to Misty, the gym leader!"

"Alright!" Misty says happily while Gyarados lets out a victorious roar.

"Aw, Max lost," May says sadly.

"Yeah, and just when he started so well," Serena adds.

Misty gives Gyarados a berry before returning it in its Pokeball and turns to Max, who picks up Treecko devastated.

"That was a good battle for your first time challenging a gym leader, Max," she says sincerely. "You took me off guard with that Confusion and using grass attacks like Bullet Seed, and Giga Impact are good ideas. I think you just need a little more training on Treecko's moves and help Ralts not to be so intimidated."

Max looks at Treecko sadly before turning to Misty with a sad smile.

"Yeah, you're right," he admits. "We'll train a little more, and then I'll rechallenge you. Misty."

"Good," Misty says with a warm smile. "Come back any time, Max."

Max nods, satisfied with Misty's words. He stands up and carries Treecko to the stands while Misty looks up at Ash.

"Well, Ash, looks like it's your turn," she admits.

"Alright! Come on, Pikachu," Ash says.

"Pika!" Pikachu says excitedly as the two of them run down the stands and head to the platform where Max just off of.

"Ash, Pikachu, you got this!" Serna calls out, supportively.

"You got that right, Serena!" Ash says, determinedly.

The honey blonde girl smiles sweetly at his response, which Misty notices for a moment before she shakes her head and turns to Brock.

"Same deal as before, Brock. Two on two and only the challenger can substitute," she says.

"Right," Brock says understandably before raising his hand. "Battle begin!"

Misty takes out a different Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Go, Politoed!"

The ball opens to reveal Politoed happily clapping on one of the floating platforms.

"Poli...toad?" Serena asked quizzingly while taking out her Pokedex.

"_Politoad, the frog Pokemon,_" the Pokedex says. "_It gathers groups of others as its leader. Its cries make Poliwag obey._"

"Its cries make Poliwag obey?" Serena asks.

"That's right," Max says as he sprays potions on Ralts and Treecko. "Politoed is one of Poliwag's final evolved forms. Poliwag evolves into Poliwhirl, and a Poliwhirl evolves into either a Politoed or a Poliwrath."

"Oh, I see," Serena answers while thinking about her Poliwag and wondering which Pokemon it could fully evolve into.

"Politoed, huh?" Ash says as he takes out a Pokeball and throws it. "Servine, I choose you!"

The ball opens to reveal Servine ready for battle. Misty smirks again before turning to Politoed.

"Politoed, use Double Slap!" she orders.

"Counter it with Leaf Blade!" Ash calls out.

Politoed starts hopping toward Servine, whose leaf at the end of its tail turns green. Servine slashes at Politoed as its opponent begins to strike, and the two attacks collide. Politoed and Servine struggle to overpower the other with Servine pushing with its tail and Politoed pushing back with its yellow hands. Finally, the two of them jump back to their respective platforms, knowing they won't hit the other.

"Politoed, use Double Slap again!" Misty says.

"I don't think so!" Ash says. "Servine, use Attract!"

Servine smirks and winks at Politoed, releasing several pink hearts that circle around the frog Pokemon and shrink into its body. Just like before with Steelix, Politoed's eyes turn into hearts, and it starts staring at Servine with a goofy smile on its face. Brock chuckles, amused that Ash just pulled the same move he used against his Steelix. Serena, May, and Dawn smirk at the display while Max laughs out loud.

"Look at the way Politoed is staring at Servine!" He chuckles.

"Oh, no!" Misty says in fear. "Politoed, shake it off!"

Once again, it is no use as Politoed has its heart-shaped eyes fixed on Servine.

"Looks like a perfect opportunity to try a new move," Ash says with a grin. "Servine, use Leaf Tornado!"

Servine also grins as it jumps high in the air and starts spinning. A massive tornado of green-glowing leaves appears from its tail and spins around with it. Servine releases the attack, which captures an idle Politoed with ease. The tornado separates from the air, moves back into an upward position, and then crashes down onto the ground, crushing Politoed against another platform. Everyone stares for a moment until they see Politoed lying down with swirly eyes.

"Politoed is unable to battle! Servine wins!" Brock announces.

"Alright!" Ash says triumphantly.

"Way to go, Ash!" Serena calls out.

"Great job, Servine!" Dawn shouts.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

Misty sighs and puts Politoed back in its Pokeball.

"That was a shorter battle than I expected," she admits. "You appear to have learned a lot since I last saw you, Ash."

"You bet, Misty," Ash replies. "I didn't make it to the finals of the Kalos League for nothing."

Misty's eyes widen again, taken aback by the information.

"You made it to the finals?" She asks.

"He sure did," Serena answers from her seat. "I was there watching him give it his all at the final match."

"Yep, and that's why I'm going to compete in the Indigo League and win this time for sure," Ash says confidently.

Misty blinks in surprise for a moment before her smirk returns.

"Well, if you're so sure that you're going to win this time, then I'm taking off the kid gloves," she says as she takes out a Pokeball and throws it. "Gyarados, let's do this!"

The ball opens to show Gyarados again, looking just as determined before. Then Misty reaches into her ponytail to reveal a key ring attached to her headband.

"Oh boy, does that mean what I think it means?" Ash asks excitedly.

"You bet it does," Misty says with a grin. "My sweet blue heart, mega evolve!"

The keyring and the Gyaradosite attached to Gyarados' forehead glow, and they shoot several beams that connect. Gyarados glows brightly for a few seconds before the glowing fades to reveal that it has mega evolved.

"So that's mega evolution," Dawn says as she, May, and Max stare at Mega Gyarados with awe.

"Alright, now we're talking," Ash says excitedly. "Now, Servine, let's get going with another Attract!"

"I don't think so!" Misty says with a determined look in her eye as Servine releases another wave of pink hearts. "Gyarados, crush those hearts with Crunch, then use it again on Servine!"

Gyarados swims toward Servine's hearts and crushes them into tiny, sparkling pieces with one bite from its jaw. Then it charges at Servine with its mouth ready to bite again.

"Dodge and use Leaf Blade," Ash commands.

Servine jumps up, dodging Gyarados's mouth and hits it hard on the head with Leaf Blade.

"Gyarados, use Flamethrower, quick!" Misty shouts.

"Flamethrower?!" Serena and Dawn say in alarm.

Gyarados lifts its head and shoots a giant ball of fire at Servine right as it's about to land back on the platform it was on. The grass Pokemon screams in pain as it's sent crashing into the wall behind Ash and Pikachu and lands right behind them with swirly eyes.

"Servine is unable to battle! Gyarados wins!" Brock says.

"Oh my, I didn't know Gyarados can learn Flamethrower," Serena says, shocked.

"Me neither," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplups chirps.

"Yeah, I admit I forgot that Misty's Gyarados could do that," May admits.

"I guess I should be thankful that Treecko or Ralts didn't get hit by that," Max says with an edgy look.

Ash returns Servine to its Pokeball and turns to Pikachu.

"Looks like it's all you, buddy," he says.

"Pika!" Pikachu says, nodding before he jumps into a platform.

"Using Pikachu, eh?" Misty says. "Smart choice, but that's not going to help you. Gyarados, use Flamethrower once more."

"Oh yeah? Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to counter it!" Ash shouts.

Gyarados shoots a giant battle of fire whole Pikachu fires a large beam of electricity. The two attacks collide, causing an explosion.

"Use Quick Attack!" Ash orders.

Pikachu leaps from platform to platform at great speed, and before Misty realizes what is happening, Pikachu rams right into Gyarados's face, causing it to swim backward in pain.

"Follow up with Electro Ball," Ash orders.

"I don't think so," Misty says. "Gyarados, use Rain Dance."

As Pikachu prepares a ball of electricity from its tail, Gyarados roars at the ceiling, and it suddenly starts to rain heavily all over the arena. Serena, May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup try to cover their heads to no avail.

"Why is it raining inside?" Serena asks.

"Because Rain Dance works no matter where Gyarados is," Max answers. "And now its water attacks will be even more powerful."

Pikachu hesitates, concerned with the rain until he hears Ash say, "Pikachu, don't worry about it and fire Electro Ball!"

Pikachu nods and jumps into the air before firing the ball of electricity straight at Gyarados.

"Gyarados, use Hurricane!" Misty shouts.

Gyarados roars and summons a powerful cyclone of wind again. The wind hits the Electro Ball, and the ball bursts upon impact.

"Wow, now Hurricane is even stronger than before," Max says, amazed.

Serena looks at Pikachu with a concerned look, realizing that Max is right. She puts her hand on her ribbon again, worried about what will happen next.

"Gyarados, use Flamethrower again!" Misty shouts.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu starts hopping from platform to platform as fast as it can, but Gyarados fires an even bigger Flamethrower than before, hitting the mouse Pokemon hard.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouts.

May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup become worried about Pikachu while Serena tightens her grip on her ribbon. Pikachu groans in pain as it lies down on a platform with scorch marks on its fur.

"Don't let up, Gyarados! Use Crunch!" Misty yells.

Gyarados charges at Pikachu with its mouth ready to bite.

"Pikachu, quickly get up and jump into Gyarados's head!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu barely manages to get up just in time to make a big jump right before Gyarados's mouth reaches it and lands right on its opponent's head.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Ash orders.

Pikachu's tail turns into iron, and it jumps up and slams its tail right on top of Gyarados's head. Gyarados slams into the water while Pikachu jumps into another platform for safety. Misty blinks for a moment before she smirks, amused.

"You two don't disappoint me," she says. "I'm starting to believe you made it as far as you say you did at the Kalos League."

"What? Still not convinced?" Ash challenges while smirking back.

"You've have improved since last I've seen you battle, Ash, but you have to do better than that to stop Gyarados and me," Misty says boastfully. "Gyarados, Hurricane, full power!"

Gyarados roars and another powerful cyclone of wind appears right around where Pikachu is standing. The Hurricane grows until it reaches the ceiling, making Ash uneasy.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" He shouts.

Pikachu fires another Thunderbolt, but the electricity doesn't reach even half the length of the Hurricane.

"Nice try, Ash, but there's no escape when Gyarados uses Hurricane with Rain Dance," Misty says. "No challenger who has ended up in this position has ever gotten out of it. You and Pikachu don't stand a chance."

But instead of growing worried, Ash smirks excitedly.

"Glad to hear that, Misty," he says. "That kind of challenge just makes this all the more fun."

Misty looks at Ash in confusion while he turns to the Hurricane.

"Pikachu, if you can hear me, climb up the Hurricane!" He calls out.

Misty looks at Ash in confusion. Max, Dawn, and Piplup tilt their heads while Serena smiles. Max notices the honey blonde girl's reaction and stares at her.

"Why are you smiling, Serena?" He asks.

Serena's smile grows, and without looking at Max, she replies, "Because Ash and Pikachu are going to pull off something incredible."

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to run on the electricity!" Ash shouts confidently.

Pikachu nods and jumps right into the Hurricane, using the electricity in it to climb up the wall higher and higher until he leaps out of the cyclone completely.

"Now use Thunderbolt, full power!" Ash shouts.

"Piiiiikkkkkaaaaaaaaacccchhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu screams as it fires a large bolt of lightning straight at Gyarados.

Everyone stares in awe as the attack fiercely strikes Gyarados, causing a loud explosion. Everyone covers their faces until the smoke clears to reveal Gyarados lying on the water back in its normal form unconscious.

"Gyarados is unable to battle! Pikachu wins, which makes Ash the challenger the winner!" Brock announces.

"Alright!" Ash shouts, jumping in the air.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says as it runs over to Ash for a big hug.

"Yay! Alright, Ash and Pikachu!" Serena cheers loudly.

"Well done, Ash!" Dawn calls out.

"Pip, Piplup!" Piplup cheers.

"What a battle," May says.

"Yeah, I honestly didn't stand a chance if Gyarados can mega evolve," Max admits while nervously chuckling with a recovered Ralts and Treecko. "Obviously, I got a long way to go."

Misty, on the other hand, stares at her defeated Pokemon in disbelief. Then she smiles sadly and return Gyarados into its Pokeball.

"You were great," she whispers before she puts the ball away and turns to Ash and Pikachu with an admiring look on her face. "Well, Ash, it looks like you've proven that you've gotten much stronger and have truly earned your badge from my gym. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Misty," Ash says from the other side of the field.

Misty nods before turning to the rest of the group.

"Say, do you guys know where you're staying before the contest?" She asks.

"Well, we were planning to go to the Pokemon Center right after this," Brock answers.

"So were we," May says with Max nodding.

"Same here," Dawn says.

"Oh, then why don't you stay at my house tonight?" Misty suggests.

"Are you sure? We don't want to impose," Serena says politely.

"Oh, you wouldn't be imposing at all," Misty assures. "We're all good friends here, and even though I've never met you or Dawn, I know you're both very friendly. Besides, it's been just me and the Pokemon at home, so there's room for all of you."

"Alright then, your place it is," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"And I can make dinner for everyone too," Brock adds.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, Brock," Misty says with stars in her eyes. "It's been far too long since I've had your cooking."

"Now that you mention it, I miss your cooking too, Brock," May admits, placing her hands on her stomach.

"Me too," Max says.

"Me three," Dawn says.

"Then what are we waiting for, everyone? Let's go!" Ash shouts excitedly.

Everyone nods in agreement as they all run out to the gym, eager to head to Misty's house for the night.

While Brock is making dinner for everyone, Misty, Serena, Ash, May, Max, and Dawn exchange stories, talking about what has been going on since last they met. Despite knowing everyone the least, Serena had fun listening to everyone's stories and accomplishments since the last time they've seen Ash. But her favorite moments are whenever they told stories about their adventures with him. Each one made her feel like she got to know him more and more, and she is secretly thankful for it.

After everyone had dinner and May, Max, Misty, Dawn, and Piplup got to happily try Serena's macarons and Pokepuffs for the first time, May, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena decide to go outside to practice for the contest in separate sides of the house so that they can't see what the other is planning. Ash eventually decides to join Serena and help her practice more with her contest battling. After a couple of hours, May, Dawn, and Piplup go back inside, where they find Misty standing outside a window where she can see Ash and Serena battling with a friendly smile on her face.

"Serena looking ready for her contest?" May asks without looking at the window.

Misty snaps out of her concentration and turns to the girls.

"Uh? Oh, yeah, I think so," she says. "She doesn't look like she's as experienced as Ash, but it looks like training with him is helping."

"That's good," Dawn says with a smile. "I bet she adores spending time battling with Ash."

"Oh, she's probably in bliss," May says, making the two of them giggle.

"What are you girls talking about?" Misty asks.

May and Dawn stop giggling and look at Misty confused.

"You mean you haven't noticed her feelings for him?" Dawn asks.

"What?!" Misty shouts in alarm. "She likes him?!"

May and Dawn stare at Misty dumbfounded.

"Yeah, how did you not notice it?" May asks. "It's as clear as day that she's got it bad."

"Yeah, she cares about him a great deal," Dawn says. "Honestly, Misty, it's as clear as a Squirtle without its shell."

Misty looks at the two girls with her eyes wide open. She turns back to the view through her window where Serena and Ash just finished battling. Ash just complimented her with an encouraging grin, and Serena thanks him with a cheerful smile. They return their Pokemon into their Pokeballs and begin walking back to the house. As they do, Serena looks at Ash fondly as he is talking to Pikachu, who is on his shoulder. Misty's pupils shrink as she puts the pieces together, suddenly remembering how Serena was encouraging Ash so devotedly during his battle with Misty.

"Oh, that poor girl," she whispers.

"What was that, Misty?" May asks.

Misty snaps out her train of thought and turns to May and Dawn, laughing nervously.

"I meant...luckily girl," she lies. "Lucky to have someone like Ash as he practice partner before her big day."

May and Dawn blink for a moment before they smile and nod in agreement. The three of them then hear the door open to hear Ash yawning as he, Pikachu, and Serena enter the house.

"Well, that practice battle took away what's left of my energy," he says. "How about you, Pikachu?"

"Chhhaaaaa," Pikachu yawn cutely.

"We better get to bed," Serena says. "We got a big day ahead of us."

"That sounds like a good idea," Dawn says. "Got to save my energy before getting my new ribbon."

"I think you mean my ribbon," Serena says in a matter-of-factly tone with her hands on her hips.

The two girls stare at each other, menacingly for a moment before they all smile and laugh.

"Well, we'll just have to see who's going to get the ribbon soon enough, now won't we?" Dawn says.

"Sounds good to me," Serena agrees.

"Then let's head to bed already," Ash says.

"Right," Serena and Dawn say simultaneously before the three of them, and Ash turns to Misty and say, "Goodnight, Misty."

"Goodnight, guys," Misty says with a smile. "See you all in the morning.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Dawn, and May nod in agreement before they all head upstairs to go to bed in her respective guest rooms. Misty waits until they are completely gone before her smile turns into a crestfallen frown.

"What am I going to tell her?" She asks, devastated.


	17. Chapter 17

It is early the next morning, and everyone inside Misty's house is filled with excitement. Serena and Dawn are preparing for the contest while Misty and Brock feed everyone breakfast. Dawn is excited to start competing in contests again while Serena is thinking of her strategies as she eats her eggs and bacon. After a while, Dawn notices the concentrated look one the honey blonde girl's face and puts her hand on Serena's shoulder. Serena snaps out her thoughts and turns to Dawn, who gives her a small smile.

"Nervous, Serena?" Dawn asks.

"A little," Serena admits. "I have every confidence in the performance stage, but even after training with Ash, I'm not sure I'm ready for the battling stage."

Suddenly, she feels a hand on her other shoulder, and she turns around to see Ash smirking.

"Don't worry about it, Serena," he says assuredly. "Whatever comes your way, I know you're going to overcome it. You're strong enough to get all five your ribbons in a flash. I know it."

Serena's cheeks turn red, and she quickly shakes off her blush to give Ash a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Ash," she says. "I'll give it everything I got. I promise."

"I know you will," Ash says before he goes back to his breakfast.

Serena sighs and rests her head on her hand as she looks at Ash fondly, touched by his encouragement. Her moment is interrupted when she hears Dawn clearing her throat. Her blush returns as she turns to the blunette, who gives her a smug look and leans into her ear.

"You know, Serena, Ash may be as dense as my hair is blue, but you might want to be careful with how you fawn over him in public," she whispers.

Serena chuckles nervously while Dawn keeps her teasing smirk. The moment is broken, however, when May looks at the clock and gasps.

"Oh my gosh, is that the time already?!" she shouts. "We need to be at the stadium in fifteen minutes."

Everyone gasps in alarm and Dawn and Serena quickly finish their breakfast before grabbing their things and running out the door. Everyone else soon finishes their breakfast and runs after them as fast as their legs can carry them. By the time Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, and Misty make it to the stadium, they find Dawn and Serena panting by the front desk in relief.

"We made it just in time," Dawn says.

Everyone else sighs in relief until they hear a beeping sound from the stadium intercom

"_All contestants, please proceed to the waiting room,_" says a female voice from the speakers.

The two competing girls look at each other with Dawn, saying, "Guess that's us."

"Alright, good luck, you two," Brock says encouragingly.

"We'll be cheering for all of you," Misty says.

"Knock 'em dead," Max says.

Dawn and Serena nod in approval while Ash walks over to Serena.

"Remember, Serena, just give it everything you've got," he says.

"Right," Serena says with a determined nod. "I won't give up until it's over."

Ash laughs, amused with Serena using his own words again while she smiles back before following Dawn to the backstage. Misty frowns, noticing the way she looked at Ash and sighs.

"Something wrong, Misty?" Max asks.

Misty snaps out of her train of thought and chuckles at the younger boy.

"Oh, nothing's wrong," she lies. "Come on, let's go get our seats."

"Good morning, Cerulean City!" A woman announces from the stage. "Welcome to the first Pokemon contest to kick off the season. I'm your host, Lilian, and I'm excited to see what our contestants today have in store for us!"

The audience cheers while Brock stares at Lilian with hearts in his eyes.

"Wow! And I'm excited to see Lilian look as beautiful as ever!" he exclaims before two hands pull on both of his ears.

"She's not excited to see you, Brock," the boy grumbles as he holds on to Brock's right ear.

"You better sit down before you get yourself arrested," Misty rebukes as she yanks on Brock's other ear.

Brock howls in pain while Lillian goes on to introduce, Mr. Contesta from the organizing committee, Mr. Sukizo from the Pokémon Fan Club, and the Nurse Joy from the Cerulean City Pokémon Center. Once she's done, Lilian turns to the side entrance of the stage.

"Now, without further ado, let's kick things up with our first contestant, Dawn!" she announces.

Everyone cheers excitedly as Dawn comes on to the stage with Piplup. The two of them wow everyone with Piplup firing bubbles in the air before freezing them all with Ice Beam and then destroy them all with Drill Peck. The audience and the judges earn in awe as thousands of blue sparkles float into the air before they start cheering. Dawn and Piplup bow a couple of times before they leave the stage. Finally, after an hour of other contestants performing, Lilian clears her throat.

"And now for our final contestant, making her debut all the way from the Kalos region, Serena!" she announces.

"Yeah! Go, Serena!" Ash shouts!

"Pika pi!" Pikachu calls out.

"You got this!" Brock yells.

Serena runs to the stage, giving the audience a wave and a cheerful smile. Then, with a graceful twirl, she throws a Pokeball high into the air, and it opens to reveal Pancham.

"Pancham, use Stone Edge!" She commands.

Pancham slams its hand on the ground, causing glowing light blue pillars of rock to appear all over the stage.

"Now, just like we practiced," Serena orders. "Jump into the rocks and hit them with Arm Thrust."

Pancham's hand turns white, and it starts hopping on top of the blue rocks and destroys them one by one, causing the rocks to explode into tiny sparkling pieces. The audience "ooo" and "ahh" before applauding happily.

"I get it," Brock says as he, Ash, Pikachu, May, Max, and Misty applaud. "She's doing the same thing she did when she performed for my siblings except she's using Pancham's Arm Thrust instead of Braixen with her fiery stick to destroy the Stone Edge. Good way to adapt when you're using only one Pokemon instead of all of them in your party."

"You got that right. Way to go, Serena!" Ash cheers.

Serena's smile brightens as she and Pancham spin and make a final pose with Serena shouting, "And finish!" The audience continues to applaud while the judges give their compliments to her. After a minute, Serena and Pancham break from their pose and give their audience a bow before heading backstage where Dawn and Piplup are waiting for them.

"Great job, Serena," Dawn compliments.

"Piplup," Piplup says.

"Thanks," Serena says appreciatively. "Hopefully, it's enough to make it to the next round."

"Pancham," Pancham says with a nod.

"Oh yeah. You got in no doubt," Dawn says encouragingly before she points at the tv hanging against the wall. "In fact, it looks like they're going to announce the people who will be moving on,"

The two girls and their Pokemon huddle together and wait eagerly to find out the results. They wait until the camera focuses on the big screen above the stage, and sixteen images appear. Dawn and Serena study the screen carefully until they find Dawn's image appearing on the top rack and Serena's appearing on the bottom right.

"Alright!" Dawn shout simultaneously.

"Whew," Serena sighs. "Looks like I just made it."

"Yeah, and I'm glad they showed everyone at once instead of showing one person at a time to build the suspense until they show your picture last. I hate it when that happens," Dawn says. "But, hey, we both made it, so let's get ready for the battle round."

"Right," Serena says in agreement.

Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Brock, May, and Max have been watching battle after battle for the next hour. Dawn crushed her first opponent without a hitch, but everyone is secretly wondering how Serena is going to do on her first contest battle.

"So Brock, how do you think Serena's going to do?" May asks.

"Hard to say," Brock answers. "She knew what she was doing during the performance round, but the battling is a whole other ballpark."

"Don't worry, she's been practicing hard with me for the past couple of weeks," Ash says assuredly. "She's going to pull through no matter what."

"I hope so," Max says.

"And now for our final first-round battle!" Lilian declares. "On the right side, we have Serena, and on the left, we have Russell!"

The group cheers for Serena, who smiles and waves against while a scrawny man with gray hair comes from the other side. The two opponents stare at each other before they throw their Pokeballs to reveal Pancham and a Hypno.

"Battle begin!" Lilian shouts excitedly.

"Alright, Pancham, let's get started with Stone Edge," Serena shouts.

Once again, Pancham slams its hand on the ground, causing glowing light blue pillars of rock heading toward Hypno. The skinny man named Russell smirks, however, and with a monotone voice, plainly says, "Psybeam."

"Nnnooooo," Hypno growls as it summons a multicolored beam and fires it at the Stone Edge, causing the rocks to explode into multicolored sparkles. The judges gasp in amazement, and Serena's bar on the screen goes down, making her uneasy.

"Alright, focus, Serena focus," she says to herself. "Pancham, use Arm Thrust!"

Pancham's arm glows again, and it charges at Hypno.

"Oh please," Russell says, shaking his head. "Confusion."

Hypno's eyes glow blue, and Pancham is lifted into the air. The small bear Pokemon panics as Hypno sends it flying in circles, causing Serena to lose more points. Serena stares at the scene worries until she gets an idea.

"Pancham, use Dark Pulse," she orders.

Pancham stops panicking and shoots a Dark Pulse right at Hypno. The psychic Pokemon's eyes widen as the attack hits it square on the chest, causing it to lose control of its Confusion attack, freeing Pancham. Serena smiles excitedly as Russell loses a large chunk of his points.

"Good thinking from Serena since dark type moves are super effective against psychic types," Brock says in approval.

"Alright, use Dark Pulse once more," Serena orders.

"I think not," Russell says with a serious frown. "Disable."

Hypno shoots several blue rings at Pancham just as it's about to fire another Dark Pulse. Pancham looks at its arms in shock as the attack fizzles and disappears from its hands.

"Uh, oh. It looks like Hypno has prevented Panacham from using Dark Pulse," Lilian says as Serena loses more points.

"Use Confusion one more," Russell says with a grin.

Once again, Hypno's eyes glow blue and lifts Pancham into the air and sends it flying in circles.

"_Oh no, what do I do now?"_ Serena thinks worriedly. "_With Dark Pulse disabled, Pancham only has Stone Edged, and Arm Thrust left, and we can't do either unless he's on the ground._"

But as she thinks about it, a loud ding is heard, and Serena's heart drops, realizing the worst.

"Time's up, and it looks like Russell wins!" Lilian announces.

The crowd cheers while Serena frowns sadly. Hypno lowers Pancham back to the ground before Russell returns it in its Pokeball and leaves with a smirk. Pancham drops its head as it walks over to Serena, who gets down on her knees and pets it.

"It's okay, Pancham," she says kindly. "You were great. We'll get them next time. I promise."

Pancham sighs and gives Serena it's own sad smile before she puts it back in its Pokeball and leaves the stage.

Backstage, Dawn is quick to apologize to Serena for her loss. She shakes her head and gives Dawn a sad smile before exiting the room. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, Max, and Misty decide to go over backstage to comfort her, only to find out from Dawn that she and Piplup left before heading out for her next battle. The six of them leave the room and search until they hear someone talking from the other side of one of the exit doors. Brock opens the door to find Serena sitting down on her knees in the cement while talking to Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag with a sad smile on her face. She turns her head, noticing that she and her Pokemon are not alone and smiles at her friends.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?" she asks softly.

"We were just about to ask you the same thing," Max says. "Are you doing okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Serena says plainly. "I'm a little down about the loss, but I learned a lot about contest battles, so I'm just going to practice some more."

"Are you sure?" Brock asks.

"Absolutely," Serena says. "No sense in beating myself up when I can start getting ready for the next time. Right, Ash?"

"Right," Ash says with a smirk. "And I want you to know that you two were awesome out there."

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Pancham," Pancham says appreciatively.

"Thank you, Ash," Serena says, giving Ash an appreciative look. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'd like to practice right now."

"Of course. Let's go, everyone," Ash says.

"We'll see you after the contest, okay?" May says.

"Sure. Keep cheering for Dawn for me," Serena says.

"Will do," Max says as the group turns around and leaves.

Serena nods appreciatively and turns back to face her Pokemon.

"Alright, as I was saying, I think we should work on more creative performance for each of you," she says. "Pancham did great on the performance round, but I think we should take the fact that I barely made it into the next round as a sign to be more creative so that we can breeze through the round, no problem."

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag nod in agreement. Serena smiles until she hears footsteps coming from behind and turns around to find Misty looking at her sadly with her hands behind her back

"Misty, I thought you went back with the others," she says.

"I was going to, but I wanted to talk with you," Misty says.

"About the contest?" Serena asks curiously.

"No, about Ash," Misty answers. "Do you mind if I sit down with you?"

Serena keeps her curious face before she says, "No, go right ahead."

Misty gives Serena a small smile and walks over to sits down next to Serena with her legs crossed.

"So, what is it about Ash you want to talk about?" Serena asks.

"I want to talk to you about your feelings for him," Misty says.

Serena blinks before she sighs.

"Of course," she groans. "Even you have figured it out."

"Well, actually, I didn't until May told me," Misty admits. "I didn't realize how you feel about him until after she said it, and then I saw the way you look at him. But that's partly because I didn't want to notice."

Serena looks at Misty even more confused than before.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

Misty takes a deep breath and looks away from Serena.

"The thing is, Serena, I am used to seeing Ash view other girls as nothing more than friends," she says. "Whether it's with May or Dawn or Iris or me, I've never heard of him looking at us any differently, and it hurts."

"Why does it hurt you?" Serena asks.

"Because I love him too."

Serena's eyes widen, and Misty turns to face her with a sad look.

"You...you...but Brock said…" Serena says.

"Yeah, I imagine Brock is clueless about it too. I'll admit there were many times throughout our journeys where I found the idea of being Ash's girlfriend to be gross" Misty says with a sad smile. "But I guess that's what happens when you don't realize what you have until it's over."

"What does that mean?" Serena asks.

"Have you been told how Ash and I met?" Misty asks.

"Yeah, he accidentally destroyed your bike, and so you decided to follow him until you got a new one," Serena answers.

"Yeah, well, that was true originally," Misty admits softly. "But as time went on, I forgot about my bike completely until we were in Viridian City after coming back from the Johto region and the Nurse Joy there brought it back completely fixed. It was when I saw Ash being happy for me that I got it back that I realized I didn't want to leave his side."

Serena's eyes widen more while Misty sighs again.

"I'm sure you've heard more stories about Ash and me bickering like the children we were," she says. "But when I saw my bike repaired, I realized how much I really cared about him, even to the point of being jealous whenever a girl flirted with him or when he was blushing at the sight of a pretty girl."

"He's done that?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Yeah, once with this girl named Giselle," Misty says. "Anyway, by the time I fully processed how I felt, he and Brock and I were already going our separate ways."

"But why didn't you say anything?" Serena asks. "Maybe you could have at least tried something before you left? In fact, why did you have to leave?"

"Because I was needed here," Misty answers. "My sisters were doing a terrible job running the gym, so it was up to me to retake responsibility. Besides, I already knew Ash didn't feel the same way because before we parted ways. He just said in that cheerful voice that we'll always be good friends."

"But you still could have said something to show that you would like to be more," Serena says.

"Maybe," Misty says. "But when I heard those words, I realized that we could never be together. No matter how much he complimented me about my accomplishments or how nice I looked when I was occasionally wearing a nice dress or swimsuit, I was no more than a good friend. And it became clearer when I met May during his journey to Hoenn and Dawn when we were swapping stories during dinner last night. He never felt that way about anyone, and judging what I've heard about Iris from Dawn, I would be shocked if he ever thought that way about her either. And I hate to say it, Serena, but I don't see him ever feeling that way about you either."

Serena frowns and says, "You don't know that,"

Misty gives Serena a look of pity, hoping the honey blonde girl will understand.

"Serena, I've traveled with him longer than anyone. I am the only one who knows that. Or at least I'm the only one willing to face reality for what it is," she says. "Can you honestly tell me that he has looked at you differently from other girls?"

Serena opens her mouth to speak, but the words die in her throat. All that comes to her mind are times when Ash only smiled at her the same way he would smile at Clemont, or Bonnie, or Pikachu, or Professor Sycamore or anyone else. Misty nods, knowing that her point is made.

"And besides, what will you do when you and Ash are done with your journey here in Kanto?" She challenges. "Do you think he will fall for you and go wherever you want to go? Would you allow him to give up on his dreams just to be by your side while you go after your dream?"

"Of course not," Serena rebukes. "I would never want him to stop trying to become a Pokemon Master. His love for his Pokemon and his passion for his dream are why I -"

Serena stops herself, and her eyes widen as she realizes what Misty is getting at.

"Exactly," Misty says. "And that's also why I won't confess to him. As much as I cherish the time I've spent journeying with Ash and our friends more than anything, I have a duty to my gym that I can't ignore. If I convinced him to stay for me, he wouldn't be the same as he is right now doing whatever he wants to do to try to accomplish his dream. Sooner or later, you will be in the same spot where you want to go one direction for your dream, and he wants to go somewhere else. You may try to confess your feelings if you wish, but I think I can guarantee he won't feel the same way."

Serena feels hurt, hearing these words. Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag glare at Misty, disproving of the way she is talking down to their trainer's dreams.

"Please understand, all of you," she begs sincerely to the Pokemon before turning to Serena. "I am not saying this as a means to crush the competition for Ash or anything, Serena. All I want is for you to know what you're getting into before you bring yourself into disappointment. I know it's hard to hear, but you must know it's the truth. If you can accept that what you want won't happen, it might spare you the pain."

Serena looks down on the ground with a hurt look on her face. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, Misty's words make sense. Even when Serena was traveling through Kalos with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie, she can't think of a time when Ash thought of her or any other girl any differently from any of his other friends. But as she thinks about it, Poliwag suddenly hops onto her lap. She turns to the tadpole Pokemon taken aback, and Poliwag smiles supportively and nudges her affectionately. She smiles appreciatively and turns to Misty with a look of confidence in her eyes.

"No," she says. "I can't do that."

"Serena…" Misty begins.

"I _won't_, Misty," Serena says firmly. "You can't just tell me why I will never get what I want and expect me to just give up like that. I use to give up doing what I wanted to do all the time while my mom forced me to do something I _never_ wanted to do. But ever since I went on my journey to see Ash again, I grew stronger by making my own decisions and pursuing my new dreams no matter what. And in the end, I didn't become Kalos Queen, but through my failure, I discovered that I wanted to do more than perform in showcases. And that is why I won't give up on my dream to make people and Pokemon happy, and I will _never_ give up on becoming the one person who will always be by Ash's side. I just wouldn't be who I've become ever since I left home. And I know Ash is blind to those kinds of feelings, and I know it looks like he'll never feel the same way, but what I have for him is not something that you throw away when things look inconvenient. So matter what, I won't give up until the very end."

"Poliwag!" Poliwag says encouragingly.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon says gleefully.

"Pancham, cham," Pancham says proudly.

"Braixen," Braixen says in approval.

Misty looks at all of them, slightly taken aback by Serena's response. Then she sighs with a sad smile on her face.

"Well, if that is your decision, I won't stop you," she says in a respectable tone. "Just be careful with how far you take pursuing your dream."

Serena nods with an appreciative look.

"Thank you, Misty. I know you mean well," she says sincerely.

The two girls look at each other with small smiles until they hear loud cheering from inside the building.

"I guess we better head back," Misty says. "We still need to cheer Dawn on."

Serena nods and returns all of her Pokemon as the girls stand up and go back inside.

At the end of the contest, Dawn emerged victorious with her first Kanto ribbon. She and Piplup were still jumping up and down with glee when Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Serena, May, Max, and Misty came to the side entrance of the stadium to meet and congratulate them.

"Alright! I got my first ribbon already!" She shouts in a giddy voice.

"Piplup!" Piplup chirps gleefully.

"Calm down, Dawn. No need to be that excited," May says.

"Now that's funny coming from you," Max remarks. "How many times do you like to clean or kiss your ribbons every time you get a new one?"

May chuckles nervously, proving Max's point while everyone else laughs.

"So, where are you guys going now?" Ash asks.

"Well, May and I have decided to go to Vermillion City so that I can challenge the gym there," Max announces.

"Ah, you'll be challenging, Lt. Surge, huh?" Ash says with a grin. "You better train hard for that, Max. He's a tough one."

"Oh, I will, Ash. That's a promise," Max vows.

"How about you, Dawn?" Serena asks.

"I'm honestly not sure," Dawn admits while scratching the back of her head. "There's a lot of contests that are starting soon all over the region, so I might just pick one that is closest from here."

"Really? Well then, let's see," Serena says as he takes out his tablet. "Hey, there's one in Saffron City. It's just south from here, and it starts in a few days. That's also where you want to have a rematch with the gym leader, right, Ash,?"

"Yeah, that's where Sabrina and Haunter are," Ash confirms.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says excitedly.

"Sabrina and Haunter?" Serena asks.

"We'll explain along the way," Brock says with an uneasy chuckle. "Anyway, would you like to tag along to Saffron City, Dawn?"

"Sure, that would be great," Dawn says happily.

"Piplup!" Piplup shouts.

"Then I guess this is goodbye for now," Misty says.

"We'll see each other again, Misty. Count on it," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Misty gives Ash a small, caring smile and says, "I will. Good luck to all of you on your journeys."

"Thanks, Misty," Max says. "You better watch out, though, because next time I'm going to best you."

"I look forward to seeing you try," Misty says with a playful smile.

The two of them laugh until Brock notices the time and clears his throat.

"Well, we better get going," he says. "We should get a head start before the sun sets."

"Good idea. Max and I should do that too," May says. "Goodbye, everyone!"

"Bye!" Everyone says as May and Max start walking east while Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup head south with Misty waving to everyone.

As her friends grow farther away, Misty stops waving and stares at the distant figures of Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena. Her smile fades as she thinks about what Serena said to her.

"Best wishes, Serena," she says softly before she turns around and walks away.


	18. Chapter 18

A couple of days have passed since Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup left Cerulean City. Since that time, Dawn and Serena have been getting to know each other more and started to become very good friends. While Ash, Brock, and Pikachu lead the group as they walk toward Saffron City, Serena and Dawn walk behind to talk about showcases, contests, and fashion. Serena even began to teach Dawn how to make Pokepuffs for her Pokemon when they spent the night at a Pokemon Center out in the woods. It took Dawn several tries before she was able to serve her Pokemon Pokepuffs that weren't burnt.

Ash and Brock also got to enjoy catching up with Dawn whenever the group was taking a break for lunch or dinner. Serena was surprised yet amused to find out that Dawn's Buneary has a crush on Pikachu. Every time Dawn lets it out of its Pokeball along with the rest of her party whenever it was time for a meal break, the bunny Pokemon will try to sit next to Pikachu while eating much to the mouse Pokemon's uneasiness. Brock, Dawn, and Ash watch the display in amusement while Serena finds it adorable.

On the fourth day, the four trainers and Pikachu and Piplup find their way to a small town. Serena and Dawn smile excitedly, hoping to find a Pokemon Center where they can each take showers and make more Pokepuffs while Ash and Brock look at the view in recognition.

"Hey, Brock, is it just me, or do you think this is the town I think it is?" Ash asks.

"I think so, Ash," Brock answers.

"You recognize this town?" Dawn asks.

"Yeah, this is where the Battle Area is," Ash answers.

"Battle Arena? Isn't that one of the locations of the Battle Frontier?" Serena asks.

"Yeah, Greta is the Frontier Brain there," Brock says.

"I wonder if Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers have come this way yet," Ash says.

"Huh? Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers?" Dawn asks. "Who are they?"

"Timothy is my new rival," Ash answers. "He's the guy who faced Lance for his title as Johto's champion and won and is going to compete in the Indigo League to face him again for the title of Kanto's champion."

"What?! You're rivaling against a guy who defeated a regional champion?!" Dawn shrieks. "Ash Ketchum, don't you think you've overdone it this time?"

"Nope. I don't think so," Ash says proudly. "The bigger the challenge, the better. Besides, it was Timothy who challenged me to face him in the Indigo League, not the other way around. He started this rivalry."

"He did?" Dawn asks flabbergasted.

"He sure did. I was there," Serena says with a proud smile. "Timothy only agreed to compete in the Battle Frontier on the condition that Ash competes in the Indigo League with him. Apparently, he found it unsettling that it took him many years to be able to face a champion while Ash almost won a Pokemon League tournament at such a young age, so he wants Ash to show him what he's made of at Indigo Plateau."

"Wow, sounds like you really got to this guy," Dawn says.

"Well, it's not like I meant to, but I guess there was no changing his mind," Ash says.

"No changing his mind, eh? Now that sounds familiar," Brock says with a teasing grin.

The four trainers laugh at his joke and calm down just in time to make their way to pass by the fighting dojo. They stop when they hear loud noises that sound like a Pokemon battle is happening inside. Ash grins excitedly, making Brock and Pikachu smirk, and Serena and Dawn look uneasy.

"Ash, please don't tell me you're thinking of -" Serena begins.

"Let's go check that battle out," Ash interrupts as he and Pikachu start running inside.

"Ugh, not again," Dawn whines. "I really wanna take a shower."

"Well, that's Ash for you, always interested in battling," Brock says.

Serena sighs with a small smile and admits, "Yeah, he just wouldn't be himself if he didn't. I guess all we can do is check out the battle too."

Brock and Dawn silently agree as the three of them and Piplup go inside where Ash is standing on the sidelines with dozens of people dressed in martial art clothes. They walk over to his side to see a blonde woman in black martial arts robes standing on one side of the battle area with a Medicham and a Hariyama standing in front of her. They turn to the other side to indeed see Timothy on the other side with a Lucario and a Gardevoir standing in front of him and Coovers, Electchu, and Scott standing behind him with an egg container lying next to Coovers.

"Alright, it is Timothy," Ash says excitedly.

"Oh, so that is Timothy," Brock says intrigued.

"Huh," Dawn says, confused. "Well, he looks confident enough that he might be a powerful trainer, but I don't know if I'd believe that he defeated a champion just on looks alone."

"Well, we're going to find out," Serena says. "This is actually going to be the first time we see Timothy battle."

"Right, and I can't wait to see how strong he is," Ash says happily.

As they are talking, the blonde woman notices how the Pokemon from both her and Timothy's sides are tiring and smirks.

"You put up a pretty awesome fight, Timothy," she compliments. "But I'm just a few moves away from beating you."

Timothy smirks back and crosses his arms.

"You know something, Greta? I was going to say the same thing to you except I'm going to do it with fewer moves," Timothy says in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Is that so?" Greta asks in amusement. "Well, I'm just gonna have to prove you wrong. Medicham, Focus Punch! Hariyama, Arm Thrust!"

Medicham's entire right arm glows blue, and both of Hariyama's hands glow white and the two Pokemon charge at Timothy's Lucario and Gardevoir.

"Just as I thought," Timothy says. "Shockwave, use Psychic if you please and lift them as high as you'd like."

The Gardevoir named Shockwave grins, and its eyes glow blue. Medicham and Hariyama suddenly stop on their tracks, and they are suddenly lifted high in the air with blue outlines surrounding their bodies.

"Oh, no! Medicham! Hariyama!" Greta cries out.

Serena's eyes widen as she watches the two fighting Pokemon panic as they hang in the air. The display makes her remember Pancham hanging in the air in the same manner after Russell's Hypno disabled Dark Pulse. She turns to Greta, who looks as clueless of what to do as she was and then to Timothy, who is ginning just like Russell.

"No holding back now," Timothy declares. "Shockwave, Odyssey, Moonblast and Aura Sphere, full power!"

Shockwave and the Lucario nicknamed Odyssey grin at each other before Shockwave summons an orb of pink energy from the front of its hands, and Odyssey puts its hands close together and creates a large blue ball between them. Medicham and Hariyama's eyes widen as they watch the two attacks hit them, causing two explosions that sent them flying higher into the air for a moment before they slam into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Medicham and Hariyama are unable to battle!" the judge declares. "Odyssey and Shockwave win, which means the winner is Timothy, the challenger!"

"Alright!" Coovers cheers.

"Ria!" Electchu shouts happily.

Timothy smirks and turns to his Pokemon, saying, "Nicely done, guys."

"Gardevoir," Shockwave replies with a smile.

"Luca," Odyssey replies with a grin.

Greta returns Medicham and Hariyama into their Pokeballs and walks over to Timothy with a respectable smile.

"Well done, Timothy. You have beaten me," she says while taking something out of her pocket. "Therefore, I present to you the Guts Symbol."

"Thanks," Timothy says as he takes the symbol and puts it in his symbol case.

"Great battle, Timothy," Scott praises as he, Electchu, and Coovers walk over to him. "You have two of your symbols already. You are making tremendous progress on your journey."

"Thanks, Scott," Timothy says, pretending to be invested in the Battle Frontier. "So where to next?"

But before Scott can answer, Ash suddenly shouts out, "Hey, Timothy, Coovers, Scott, Greta!" Timothy, Electchu, Odyssey, Shockwave, Coovers, Scott, and Greta turn around to see Ash running over to them with Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena walking behind.

"Well, if it isn't Ash," Greta says with a grin. "Long time, no see."

"Hey, Ash, and Serena. Fancy meeting you guys here," Coovers says with a friendly grin.

"Raichu!" Electchu says in agreement.

"It's nice to see you again, Brock," Scott says, noticing the oldest of the group. "What brings you over here?

"We're just passing by on our way to Saffron City, and Ash wanted to visit after hearing you guys battle," Brock answers.

"I see," Timothy says. "So you wanted to see what some of my Pokemon can do, did you?"

"I sure did, and your Pokemon were amazing," Ash says enthusiastically. "What are their names again?"

Timothy chuckles, amused by Ash's excitement, and says, "Odyssey is my Lucario and Shockwave is my Gardevoir."

"Cool," Ash says before turning to both Pokemon. "Odyssey, Shockwave, you were awesome."

"Luca, lu," Odyssey replies with a grin.

"Gar," Shockwave says, giving a respectful nod.

"Wait a minute, so who are you two?" Coovers asks Brock and Dawn. "Are you friends of Ash and Serena?"

"We sure are. I'm Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup," Dawn introduces.

"Pip, Piplup," Piplup says.

"And I'm Brock," Brock says.

"Nice to meet you both," Timothy says before turning to Brock. "Have we met before? You look like Flint, the gym leader from Pewter City."

Brock chuckles and says, "Flint is my father, and he retired from being the Pewter City gym leader years ago. Since then, I've been the gym leader, and now my brother, Forrest, runs it."

"Ah, that explains it," Timothy says. "You look an awful lot like your father."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Brock chuckles.

Timothy gives Brock a nod before Ash suddenly steps between the two men and asks, "Timothy, I know you want to wait until the Indigo League, but do you think we can have a battle right now between Odyssey and Shockwave and some of my Pokemon?"

Timothy looks at the raven-haired boy dumbfounded and replies, "Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea. Shouldn't we be holding off battling until the league?"

"Aw, don't listen to this spoilsport, I think that's a great idea," Coovers says to Ash.

"Coovers!" Timothy says sharply.

"Well, why not?" Coovers challenges. "You said yourself that you want to see what makes Ash special as a trainer, and there's no reason you shouldn't find out a little about that before the league."

"He's right," Greta says. "It's all part of having a friendly rivalry."

Timothy looks at everyone hesitantly, which makes Serena look at him concerned.

"Something wrong, Timothy?" She asks.

Timothy hesitates before he admits, "Well, it's just that...I've never had a rivalry before that was...friendly."

"Really?" Ash says, surprised. "How come?"

Timothy starts feeling uneasy, feeling on the spot. Coovers notices and feels worried, knowing the reason why. Just then, Timothy gets an idea and looks at Ash with a friendly look.

"Tell you what, " he says. "Shockwave and Odyssey have just finished a big battle so, why don't we go over to the Pokemon Center so that they can quickly heal and then we can have a double battle. If you win or at least take down one of my Pokemon during the match, maybe I'll tell you."

"Maybe?" Ash asks. "Why can't you just tell me?"

Timothy hesitates and looks at Electchu. The loyal Raichu has a grim look on its face as if it's starting to remember a memory that should have been forgotten forever. Timothy sighs before turning to Ash.

"Let's just say the reason why has to do with some harsh memories," he answers calmly. "So, if you really want to know, you have to show me in a battle what it means to have a friendly rivalry and that I can trust you and your friends with knowing what happened."

Ash looks at Timothy, confused for a moment before he nods in understanding.

"Alright, it's a deal," he says.

Timothy nods and says, "Then let us be off."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Scott, Dawn, and Piplup nod in agreement. Timothy nods and returns Shockwave and Odyssey into their Pokeballs while Coovers picks up the egg container. Ash turns to Greta and asks, "Would you like to watch us after Shockwave and Odyssey are checked up?"

"I'd love to, but my team and I still have a lot of work to do today," Greta says respectfully. "But, please feel free to drop by again soon."

"We sure will. That's a promise," Brock says. "See you later."

The rest of Ash's group say their goodbyes to Greta as they start heading to the Pokemon Center with Scott, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu walking ahead. As they walk, Coovers leans into Timothy's ear and whispers.

"Are you sure about letting a Pokemon battle decide whether or not to tell them?" He asks. "It took a long time before you felt ready to tell me what happened."

"I know," Timothy whispers back. "But this isn't about winning or losing. This is about knowing a little more who Ash is as a trainer and me trying to understand his view of what it means to have a friendly rival."

"But that is quite a bit of personal history to tell after you only met him and Serena once before, and this is the first time meeting Brock and Dawn," Coovers points out.

"Yes, but you are also the one who suggested Ash might be of use to us in case Team Rocket is up to something, right?" Timothy challenges.

"Well...yes," Coovers admits.

"Then, if he has the potential to be an ally for our secret mission, then he should know what people like Team Rocket are capable of," Timothy states.

Coovers thinks hard about his friend's argument and sighs.

"Well, I would like for you to lighten up to other trainers besides me," he admits.

Timothy nods in agreement, and the two men and Electchu continue to walk with everyone else following behind. Neither of them notice, however, that the egg inside the container is starting to glow.

Before long, everyone makes it to the Pokemon Center, and Timothy gives Shockwave and Odyssey to Nurse Joy. The group waits a few minutes before the bell rings, and Nurse Joy comes back, announcing that Timothy's Pokemon are in perfect health. Timothy thanks her, and the group decides to have the battle in a field next to the Pokemon Center. Coovers and Electchu stand on the sidelines with Serena, Pikachu, Scott, Brock, Dawn and Piplup while Ash and Timothy stand on opposite sides of the field.

"Alright, Shockwave, Odyssey, let's go!" Timothy calls out as he tosses two Pokeballs into the air, and they open to reveal his Gardevoir and Lucario.

"Alright, Oshawott, Gible, I choose you!" Ash shouts while also tossing two Pokeballs into the air, and they open to reveal Oshawott and Gible.

"_Really? He's choosing two Pokemon that are in their first stage evolutions against Odyssey and Shockwave?_" Timothy thinks in confusion. "_I hope this boy has something up his sleeve to at least make the match last longer than I think it will because it looks like I overestimated him._"

"I'll be the referee," Scott announces. "This will be a double battle between Ash and Timothy! The battle will be over when both Pokemon from either side are unable to battle! Are the contestants ready?!"

"Ready!" Timothy and Ash say simultaneously.

"Then battle begin!" Scott declares.

"Oshawott, use Razor Shell and Gible, use Rock Smash!" Ash shouts.

Oshawott takes out the scallop from his stomach, and it glows while Gible's right hand glows yellow. The two smaller Pokemon charge at Shockwave and Odyssey, making Timothy frown in disappointment.

"I hoped you had a better strategy than that, Ash," he says honestly. "Shockwave, Psychic, Odyssey, Bone Rush!"

Shockwave's eyes glow blue while Odyssey puts its paws together and then moves them apart to form a light green bone of energy. Both Oshawott and Gible are lifted into the air with a blue glow surrounding them. Odyssey takes advantage of their helplessness to bash them with his bone like a bat causing the two small Pokemon to fly into the air and crash into the ground in front of Ash.

"Oh, no! Oshawott! Gible!" Serena shouts worryingly while holding on to her ribbon.

"Are you two okay? Can you still battle?" Ash asks, worried.

Oshawott and Gible groan for a moment before they stand up, looking ready to continue battling.

"Impressive," Timothy admits. "Normally, Pokemon on their first stage evolutions like your Oshawott and Gible do not recover from Odyssey's Bone Rush so quickly if at all."

"Yeah, well, I've been training Oshawott and Gible hard enough so that they don't need to evolve to be strong enough to handle whatever comes their way," Ash states proudly.

"So I see," Timothy admits with a smirk. "Now let's see what else they are made of. Shockwave, use Disarming Voice, and Odyssey use Aura Sphere!"

Shockwave opens its mouth, and with a shrieking voice, several purple hearts appear from its mouth heading toward Gible while Odyssey once again creates a large blue ball in between its hands and fires at Oshawott.

"Gible, use Dig and Oshawott jump in behind Gible!" Ash orders.

Ash's Pokemon nod before Gible dig a deep hole into the ground, and Oshawott jumps into it right before the Aura Sphere, and Disarming Voice hit them. Timothy, Shockwave, and Odyssey look around in confusion until the trainer sees the ground underneath Odyssey moving.

"Odyssey, use Bone Rush to protect yourself from Dig, quick!" He shouts.

Odyssey forms another bone of energy and holds it, pointing at the ground just in time for Gible to emerge. The small dragon Pokemon gets its mouth caught into the bone before it can collide with the Lucario. Odyssey lifts the bone into the air, sending Gible flying into the air.

"Now, Oshawott, use Aqua Jet!" Ash calls out.

Timothy and Odyssey look at the hole in the ground where Gible emerges just in time for Oshawott to pop out with water surrounding its body. The water Pokemon collides with Odyssey, knocking off its feet and hitting the ground back first. Timothy and Shockwave stare at Odyssey dumbfounded as it slowly gets up, and the trainer smirks.

"Not a bad use of teamwork there, Ash," Timothy compliments. "I can't say I've seen Dig used that way before."

"Well, I've had it used against me before, so I know how handy that move can be," Ash says. "I always find a way to escape any situation my Pokemon and I come across."

"Really? Then let's test that claim," Timothy says with a grin. "Shockwave, use Psychic on both Oshawott and Gible and lift them high into the air!"

Shockwaves' eyes glow blue again, and Oshawott and Gible are raised high into the air. Serena gasps as she once again remembers her Pancham put into this helpless position.

"What do I do?" Ash asks himself. "Hey, I know. Oshawott, Gible, use Hydro Pump and Dragon Pulse on Shockwave!"

Despite dangling high in the air, the two Pokemon quickly obey with Oshawott glowing blue and moving its hands in a counterclockwise formation to create a ball of water while Gible opens its mouth and summons a large turquoise ball of energy. The two Pokemon fire straight at Shockwave, but Timothy smirks.

"Bone Rush," the older trainer says plainly.

Without hesitation, Odyssey jumps in front of Shockwave, creates another bone of energy, and spins it around. The two attacks hit the bone and explode, causing a large cloud of smoke, which fades to reveal neither the Gardevoir or the Lucario harmed at all. Odyssey and Shockwave turn to each other, and Shockwave nods, thanking for the assistance while Odyssey grins and nods back.

"What?" Ash says, surprised.

"Good thinking, Ash, but you'll have to do better than that," Timothy states.

"I see, so Timothy used Odyssey to protect Shockwave," Brock says.

"And all he said was Bone Rush, and Odyssey knew what to do," Dawn adds amazed.

"Piplup," Piplup says.

"Yep, that's why Timothy likes to use them in double battles," Coovers states with a smile.

"Raichu!" Electchu says in agreement.

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"You see, Timothy caught Shockwave and Odyssey at roughly the same time back when they were a Ralts and Riolu respectively when he went on his first journey through the Sinnoh region," Coovers explains. "He started to use them in double battles so many times that the two of them have become the best of friends and together with Timothy have learned how to counter each other's weaknesses. Shockwave's psychic and fairy attacks are handy for protecting Odyssey from psychic, fairy and flying moves which it is weak against while Odyssey is strong enough to cover for Shockwave whenever they're against dark or bug type Pokemon and whenever their opponents try to free themselves from Psychic like Oshawott and Gible just did."

"I see. So together they make a powerful duo that can take on just about anything," Serena says in understanding.

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says.

Meanwhile, Ash thinks deeply in thought.

"Now, what do I do? It looks like Odyssey will counter anything I fire at it and Shockwave," he thinks. "There's no way I can hit both of them unless…"

He hesitates for a moment before he shakes his head and shouts, "Gible, use Draco Meteor. Give it everything you've got."

Gible stops squirming in the air and glows orange before it creates an orange ball of light and fires it high into the air. The ball explodes and takes releases several smaller spheres that head straight towards the ground. Ash smiles until he realizes the spheres are spread apart so much that they are about to land all over the field.

"Everyone, take cover!" Brock yells, realizing the same thing.

Coovers, Electchu, Scott, Timothy, Serena, Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup only have a moment to react until they quickly move away before the spheres hit them. Shockwave releases Oshawott and Gible and quickly uses Psychic to protect itself while Odyssey knocks the spheres back with its Bone Rush. Even Ash and Oshawott start running around in panic, looking for cover while Gible looks at them nervously.

Suddenly, one spheres lands and explodes in front of Coovers, and it knocks him off his feet. The egg container slips off his hands, and the white and dark blue egg flies off the container and is sent flying in the air.

"Shockwave, use Psychic on the egg now!" Timothy yells, afraid for the egg.

The trainer's Gardevoir looks up to see the egg beginning to fall to the ground. Its eyes glow blue, and a blue aura surrounds the egg, but it doesn't stop falling. Shockwave's eyes widen and keep trying to catch the egg with its powers, but the egg is still falling, and Timothy's heart sinks in fear of it breaking.

Suddenly, Serena notices the egg falling while ducking for cover and gasps. Without thinking about it, she runs over to the field and dives to catch the egg. Everyone stops running or ducking for cover just in time to see Serena catch the egg, pull it toward her and somersaults on the ground.

"Serena!" Ash calls out. "Are you alright?"

It takes a moment before Serena replies, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Serena, is the egg okay?" Coovers asks worryingly.

Everyone waits for a moment until Serena sits up with her arms around the egg. They walk over to her to see Serena smiling reassuringly, and the egg not undamaged at all. Timothy, Coovers, Scott, Ash, Brock, Dawn, Oshawott, Gible, Odyssey, Shockwave, Electchu, Pikachu, and Piplup all sigh in relief while Serena still hugs the egg protectively.

"Thank heavens. That was too close," Coovers says. "Thanks a lot, Serena."

"No problem," Serena replies.

"Garrr," Shockwave says while giving Timothy an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it, Shockwave. It's safe, thanks to Serena, and that's all that matters," Timothy says, patting his Pokemon on the back. "Besides, if anything, it was my fault. I should have told everyone to try to catch it, and I should have considered the likelihood that you would not have been able to catch it with your psychic power."

"Huh? Why not?" Dawn asks, confused.

Suddenly, the egg starts to glow brightly. Serena loosens her hold on the egg and stares in both awe and excitement as the egg jiggles back and forth.

"It's starting to hatch!" Ash says in realization.

"Oh, boy! I can't wait to see what it is!" Dawn squeals excitedly.

Everyone huddles around Serena as they eagerly watch the egg begin to hatch. The next thing they know, the eggshell dissolves completely into thin air and in its place, is a tiny four-legged furry Pokemon.

"Aw! It's a little Absol!" Serena coos excitedly.

"Wow, so that was an Absol the whole time," Coovers says, amazed.

"Just as I suspected," Timothy says with a smirk.

The Absol groans softly as it opens its red eyes and looks up to see Serena looking at it with a sweet smile.

"Hi, Absol. Nice to meet you," she greets warmly.

Absol tilts its head, studying the honey blonde girl's face for a moment before it smiles brightly.

"Soolllll," it says happily.

The disaster Pokemon suddenly gets up on its hind legs and rests its head and on Serena's shoulder cutely.

"Awww, it likes you, Serena," Dawn says.

"Aw, aren't you sweet, Absol?" Serena says, still holding Absol.

Ash gets down on his knees next to Serena and says, "Hey, Absol, my name is Ash. It's nice to meet you."

Absol whimpers and looks away from Ash fearfully.

"Don't worry, Absol. There's nothing to be afraid of. Ash is very kind," Serena says while petting Absol comfortingly.

Absol hesitates before slowly turning to Ash, who carefully reaches out with his arm to pet it. Absol whimpers nervously until Ash starts petting it carefully, and it slowly smiles.

"There, you see? You have nothing to worry about," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says, hopping on Ash's shoulder from behind and smiling at Absol.

Absol whimpers nervously again and suddenly looks up to see, Brock, Dawn, Piplup, Gible, Oshawott, Scott, Coovers, Electchu, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Timothy all surrounding it. The small disaster Pokemon quivers in fear and buries its head on Serena's shoulder.

"Aw, don't worry, Absol, it's okay," Serena says softly as she picks up Absol and stands up to face everyone. "They're all friends. You don't have to be afraid."

Once again, Absol hesitates before it dares to lift its head to look at everyone who is looking at it with friendly faces.

"Hey, Absol," Coovers says. "I've been taking care of you for a while when you were an egg."

Absol tilts its head before is smiles and says, "Absol!"

"Guess it recognizes your voice, Coovers," Timothy says.

"Hey, Serena, let me have a look at Absol," Brock says as he opens his backpack and takes out his doctor's equipment. "I want to check up on its health."

"Okay," Serena says as she gets down on her knees and gently puts Absol down. The baby Pokemon becomes nervous as Brock gets down on one knee in front of it until Serena kneels down next to it to assure it that she's right there. Absol slowly loosens up and allows Brock to run some quick tests on it.

"Looks like Absol is in perfect health," Brock says.

"Well, that's good to hear," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

Suddenly, everyone hears a tiny rumbling sound. Absol frowns and whimpers until Serena picks it up and gives it a kind smile.

"You sound hungry. Do you want something to eat?" She asks.

"Absol," Absol replies nodding.

Then everyone hears a loud rumble, and Ash chuckles nervously.

"Guess it's starting to be lunchtime for me too," Ash admits.

"Alright, then let's head back to the Pokemon Center and get some lunch, everyone," Brock suggests.

Everyone nods in agreement and heads back inside.


	19. Chapter 19

Before long, everyone is happily eating at the cafeteria inside the Pokemon Center. Timothy gave bowls of Pokemon food to Electchu, Shockwave, and Odyssey while Brock gave bowls of his special Pokemon food to Pikachu, Piplup, Oshawott, and Gible. Absol refused to eat unless it's with Serena, so Brock had its food placed next to Serena's chair while the human all eat at the table. As expected, Ash stuffs himself with plates full of food much to the shock of Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu.

"Uh… is he always like this when he eats?" Coovers asks Serena.

"Pretty much," Serena answers.

"How in the world does he not gain weight from so much food?" Timothy asks, baffled.

"Believe me, we wish we knew," Dawn says. "Maybe he burns all those calories by being so unbelievably active too."

"It's the closest thing that makes sense to me," Brock admits.

After everyone has finished eating, everyone pats their stomachs satisfied, and Serena let's Absol hop onto her chair so that it can sit on her lap. The group silently decides to stay seated at their table and relax until Ash turns to Timothy.

"Oh yeah, Timothy, we never finished our battle," he says. "You were going to explain how you've never had a friendly battle before if I won."

Timothy winces, and Coovers and Electchu frown, having forgotten about the deal.

"We don't need to go into that," Coovers says.

"No, it's fine, Coovers," Timothy says.

Coovers turn to his friend, dumbfounded while everyone looks at him, surprised.

"Are you sure?" Brock asks. "I mean, he didn't win the battle."

"True, but the truth is the battle wasn't about winning or losing so much as seeing what kind of trainer Ash is, and it's clear that he's a very cunning and caring trainer," Timothy answers. "Besides, it's also obvious that everyone here is friendly and very caring about Pokemon, so I see no harm in telling them."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Dawn, Scott, Piplup, and Serena smile appreciatively at his words. Coovers looks at his friend worriedly while Timothy takes a deep breath and thinks for a moment about where to begin.

"It all started when I was a little boy in Pallet Town," he says. "Like any kid, I was practically dying to turn ten so that I could become a Pokemon trainer. The idea of catching as many Pokemon as possible and defeating the greatest trainers there are was my ultimate dream. Unfortunately, there was a boy who was about a year older than me and lived just a few houses away from me in Pallet Town, named Trent Lane. He had the same desires but was more...aggressive about it. He believed he was already superior to everyone because he was going to be the greatest Pokemon Master there is without a hitch. When we were in preschool, he would verbally bully me, claiming I was never going to be a better trainer than him. The teachers and my parents and his parents kept trying to get him to stop, but it was like he had his mind sent on bullying me as a means to make me give up on my dreams before I ever could try to achieve them. He usually threatened me saying that if I ever became a trainer, he would look for me and defeat me in a battle and take away my Pokemon just like that."

"Really? That sounds like a really pompous child," Dawn says.

"You have no idea," Timothy says. "At that age, I was deeply discouraged because of his claims that I would lose any Pokemon I have if I ever became a trainer. Thankfully, I felt more comfortable about my dreams when he finally turned ten and left Pallet Town after receiving a Charmander from Professor Oak. The next year, my dad got Electchu for me on my tenth birthday after he won a contest when he went to Neon City with my mom. Like any excited boy finally able to become a trainer, I thought I was ready to face the world with my new friend and partner and the determination to capture as many Pokemon as I can."

Ash smiles and nods at the man in the "H.A.K." shirt, knowing what he's talking about. Electchu hops onto Timothy's lap and smiles as Timothy pets his partner.

"Eventually, I made it to Pewter City all ready to face the gym with Electchu and Poliwrath back when it was a Poliwag, along with a couple other Pokemon in my team," Timothy continues. "But before I got to the gym, who should be standing in front of the road but Trent. He told me to hand over my Pokemon because he is already the strongest trainer in the world, and if I refused, he'd take them by force with his Pokemon like he said he would when we were little. Naturally, I had no desire to give up Electchu or Poliwag or any of my Pokemon, so I refused, and we started to battle. At first, he started to win when his then Charmeleon took down my Butterfree, Kakuna. Rattata, and Pidgey without a hitch, but when it came to Poliwag, the water attacks were too much for the fire Pokemon before Poliwag took it down. Trent was infuriated. It turned out that his Charmeleon was the only Pokemon he really trained, and he only captured the rest so that he could boast about having a full party unlike a lot of trainers in the area. So as you can imagine, it didn't take much for Poliwag and eventually Electchu to take down the rest of his team about as quickly as he took down most of mine."

"I remember my dad telling me about there being a trainer like that around the time I was two years old," Brock said. "He was banned from competing in gym battles after acting so disrespectful to his pokemon and every gym leader he went up against every time he lost. He kept harassing trainers around the borders of the city until one trainer defeated him, and he disappeared. So I guess that other trainer was you?"

"I guess so," Timothy says. "But even so, I wish that was the last I would ever see of Trent. As it was, he held a horrible grudge against me, and so we went on ahead to places he knew I would go for my next badges and forced me into a battle to steal my Pokemon once they were all defeated. He did everything he thought was the way to make his Pokemon strong enough to defeat mine, but in his eagerness, I started to work hard in training my Pokemon too. Even if it was mostly to win gym badges, I realized after the first couple of encounters with him that he was never going to let up. Trent was so determined to prove he is stronger than the boy he bullied growing up that he wanted to beat me no matter the cost. So each time I won a gym battle, I would stay in the city or town training my Pokemon constantly while staying at the Pokemon Center until they reached the highest level they can be within my rank as a trainer. Then with my Pokemon stronger, I would travel to the next gym where Trent was waiting for me, and we'd battle only for me to ultimately win and his anger growing with another vow that he will become more powerful than me. But what he never realized was that his attempts only helped me grow stronger and smarter as a trainer. Between winning gym battles, training with my Pokemon, and constantly having to deal with him, I learned to strategize and use his pride against him."

"Wow, sounds like a really persistent guy," Dawn comments before she asks, "What do you mean by he did everything he thought was the way to making his Pokemon stronger?"

"I mean, he overtrained them cruelly," Timothy answers. "He forced them to battle against wild Pokemon more powerful than they are constantly and to keep fighting even if they have no energy left whatsoever. He abused them verbally just so that they would keep standing every time they got down after getting hit by a powerful attack."

"You can't be serious," Ash snarls. "No one should be that cruel to their Pokemon."

"I've seen it first hand, Ash," Timothy says seriously. "Each time I had the upper hand while he was forcing me to battle him, he would throw insults at his Pokemon and angrily rant about everything he had done to force them to be just the tiniest bit stronger. The more time we battled throughout my journey, the more it was all clear to me: there was no bond between him and his Pokemon. As far as he was concerned, they were no more than items or weapons that he can say or do anything he wants, leaving the poor creatures to obey out of pure, undeniable fear."

"That's horrible," Serena says, devastated. "He should have been brought to justice for everything he did."

Timothy gives the honey blonde girl a small smile before he frowns and turns to Electchu. "Well, he ultimately did, but he did something terrible first."

Electchu frowns sadly and snuggles close to Timothy. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt doesn't hesitate to pet his partner back, and Ash, Brock, Dawn, and Serena look at each other before Ash asks the question that's on everyone's mind.

"What happened?"

Timothy sighs while still petting Electchu.

"He found a new way to get what he wanted," he answers softly. "On my way to Viridian City for my last badge, he went on ahead and was found out by Team Rocket."

"Team Rocket?!" Ash, Serena, Brock, and Dawn shout simultaneously.

"You know the organization?" Coovers asks curiously.

"All too well," Ash answers. "A group of Team Rocket members have been trying to steal Pokemon wherever I go, especially Pikachu."

"Especially Pikachu?" Coovers asks, confused.

"Yeah, they like to try to capture Pikachu the most," Dawn says. "They always go through these elaborate schemes just to try to steal it before we stop them."

"Pika, pika," Pikachu says seriously.

Timothy's frown deepens, and he says, "Then I envy you for having that kind of fortune with your Pikachu, Ash."

"Why's that?" Ash asks.

"Because Team Rocket is where things took a harsh turn," Timothy answers. "As I said, he was found out by the organization, and they took a liking to him because of the way he viewed Pokemon. When he told them what he was doing in town, they offered assistance to nab me for good in exchange for having him become part of Team Rocket. Thus, when I came to the Viridian City gym, I battled the gym leader, Giovanni, with everything I had and won, and thus got my final badge, but the moment I exited the building, I was ambushed by Trent and a couple of Team Rocket grunts. My Pokemon were too tired to battle after already facing the gym, and so they overpowered us, and the next thing I knew, I was tied up, beaten, and thrown across the street with Trent taking Electchu and the rest of my Pokemon with Team Rocket. It was hours before someone found me and freed me from the ropes, but by that time, those cowards were long gone with my Pokemon...my friends."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup gasp in shock. Electchu tightened its hug on Timothy, who keeps petting his Raichu comfortingly.

"I reported to the police, of course, but it turned out that my Pokemon were just some of the ones that Team Rocket recently stole all around the city," Timothy says. "And without a trace to go on, it was clear that they couldn't do anything to find where Team Rocket could have taken my Pokemon."

"What did you do?" Serena asks.

"The only thing I could do," Timothy answers. "I retrieved six other of my Pokemon from Professor Oak and went to find them. One of them is my Arcanine that I named Fenrir and who I told to look for Electchu and my then-Poliwhril's scent since they are the two Pokemon I always carried on my journey. Because Fenrir was part of my team with Electchu and Poliwhirl for a time back when it was a Growlithe, it could detect their scent. Thankfully, Fenrir was able to track them to a two-story building deep in Viridian Forest that was guarded by several Team Rocket grunts. I used a communicator to call Officer Jenny and gave her my location so that she can come over with the entire police force. But as I was waiting for her after calling, I heard Electchu crying out in pain from inside the building. I was so horrified by its scream that I couldn't wait until Officer Jenny came to stop whatever they were doing to my Pikachu."

Ash nods and starts hugging his own Pikachu, unable to bear the thought of the same thing happening to his best friend.

"I knew I had to be quiet so that whoever was up there wouldn't notice," Timothy continues. "So, I quietly took out my Butterfree, who knocked out the guards with Sleep Powder. Once I was inside, I had Butterfree continue to use Sleep Powder against the grunts in the building until I reached the second level and found several Eevee, Nidorino, Clefairy, and Poliwhirl, including my own, in cages. I looked further to find Trent using a machine that was torturing Electchu. There were a couple of Team Rocket scientists that were analyzing and taking notes of what the device was doing to Electchu, looking displeased. Finally, the torturing stopped, and one of the scientists named Dr. Zager turned on a monitor to find none other than the Viridian City gym leader, Giovanni."

"Wait, the former Viridian City gym leader is the leader of Team Rocket?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Just as I figured," Brock says.

"So, you know that he's the leader of Team Rocket?" Timothy asks, intrigued.

"We sure do," Ash says. "Brock and Pikachu and I encountered him in Johto, and then Pikachu and I reencountered him in Unova with our friends, Iris and Cilan."

"You did?" Coovers asks. "What was he doing there?"

"He and the group of Team Rocket goons that always follow me and Pikachu were after a device that can summon and control the three legendary Unova Pokemon, Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus, using the power of our friend, Meloetta," Ash explains before he hesitantly says, "But what happened in Johto is a secret."

"A secret?" Dawn asks.

"Yeah, we can't tell you anything that happened," Brock says firmly. "We made a promise to someone not to say anything about what happened, and we won't betray that trust."

Timothy and Coovers frown, wishing they could say what Giovanni did in the Johto region. Serena also secretly frowns, bummed that there is at least one adventure that Ash cannot tell her when she thought he was going to tell her everything during their new journey. She silently sighs, accepting that she won't press on the issue, knowing how devoted he boy she cares about is on keeping promises to his friends.

"Well, I guess if that's the way it is, then I will respect your wishes," he sighs. "Anyway, as I was saying, that moment was when I found out that Giovanni is the leader of Team Rocket and the scientists and Trent were reporting to him on their experiment. Apparently, they were trying to make a machine that would force Pokemon that can only evolve with evolution stones to evolve without them. Trent partly agreed to join the organization in exchange for keeping my Pokemon for himself once they succeed in forcing Electchu and Poliwhirl to evolve."

"That's horrible!" Dawn exclaims.

Timothy nods before he continues.

"Luckily, as they were talking, Officer Jenny arrived outside with the entire Viridian City police force," he says. "They started arresting the guards that Butterfree put to sleep, and Officer Jenny used her horn, telling the people inside that they're surrounded the building and they must surrender. Giovanni quickly cut off the transmission from the monitor to avoid getting caught in the mess while Trent, Dr. Zager, and the scientists started to panic. I took advantage of the chaos by coming out of my hiding spot and had my Butterfree use Sleep Powder once more on the scientists. Unfortunately, before I could do the same for Trent, he quickly released his Charmeleon, and it quickly took Butterfree down. We started to battle with our full party again, and eventually, my Snorlax barely took down his last Pokemon before the police arrived and surrounded him. Once again, Trent was infuriated beyond reason, and he vowed that they would never take him alive before activating a self-destruct sequence. Before any of us knew what was happening, all sorts of explosives were starting to destroy the building. The police quickly released the Pokemon that were in cages, including my Poliwhirl, while I retrieved Electchu and grabbed the rest of my other captured Pokemon that were still in their Pokeballs. As I tried to leave, however, Trent grabbed me from behind in a headlock, declaring that if he is going to die, then I must go with him."

"So, he was so determined to be superior to you that he tried to have you both killed?" Brock asks.

"Yes," Timothy answers. "But then Electchu used Iron Tail on his left arm despite its weak state, breaking it and freeing me. With the rest of my Pokemon safe in their Pokeballs, Poliwhirl, Electchu, and I ran out of the building as fast as we could to safety. The last I heard from Trent was him screaming my name out of both anger and pain from his broken arm before he was silenced by one of the explosions."

Dawn and Serena wince, uncomfortable with the description. Timothy clears his throat and gives the two girls an apologetic look before he continues.

"As expected, Officer Jenny was cross that I took things into my own hands even though I found their hideout and saved my Pokemon," he says. "Nevertheless, I was thanked for my deeds with a warning, and the other Pokemon were healed and either brought back to their trainers or released into the wild if they turned out to be wild Pokemon. I told Officer Jenny about how Giovanni was involved in the situation, but she didn't do anything about it."

"What?! " Ash shouts angrily. "Why not?"

"There was no proof," Timothy answers plainly. "They had nothing but my word to go by to prove he leads Team Rocket or had anything to do with what Trent and the scientists were doing. There was only enough evidence to lock up the scientists and guards, save for Dr. Zager who disappeared, and declare that Trent is either dead or missing because they didn't find his body."

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup stare at Timothy, taken aback by this information. Everyone remains silent until Serena asks, "So then what happened?"

Timothy shrugs and says, "I never saw Giovanni or Trent ever again. I guess the leader of Team Rocket either never found out I was responsible for stopping his scheme or he did but decided I wasn't worth trying to get revenge over. After the rescue, I went back home and stayed there, where I felt like my Pokemon, and I could be safe. It took a little pep talk from my dad to get up and leave in time to compete in the Indigo League for the first time. Sadly though, I was disqualified shortly after passing the preliminaries, and that was partly because Electchu and Poliwhirl weren't into it because they were still tormented with what happened."

Everyone looks at Timothy and Electchu sadly. The older trainer continues to pet his Raichu, who is glad Timothy is done talking about that particular day.

"How did they get over it?" Brock asks.

"They stayed at home with my family for a couple of years while I started traveling through the other regions," Timothy answers.

"You traveled without your partner?" Ash asks in disbelief.

"I had to," Timothy answers. "Neither Electchu or Poliwhirl were in any mental position to leave the house, and neither they nor my family wanted what happened to stop me from pursuing my dream. It was a hard decision, but both Electchu and Poliwhirl wanted me to move forward and become stronger. Besides, they were under my Grandma Judy's care, and she knew how to lift their spirits up and nurture them until they were no longer afraid to leave Pallet Town. Right, Electchu?"

"Raichu!" Electchu says happily.

Serena smiles and says, "Since I was her neighbor, I can vouch for that."

Timothy nods with his own smile and says, "Anyway, I just started anew with a new starter Pokemon with every region I went to. Sometimes I would call home and have Electchu and Poliwhirl transported to where I am so that we can spend time together just for the day before I brought them back and carried on with my journey. Eventually, Electchu and Poliwhirl decided they were ready to travel with me again, so we went on another journey through the Kanto region and competed in the Indigo League again with some of my other Pokemon. We only made it to the top 16, but it didn't entirely matter. The three of us were just happy to have given it all we could. In fact, they were so pleased with how we did that Electchu and Poliwhirl decided that they were ready to evolve. So before we went to Unova so that I could compete in the Unova League again, I bought a Thunder Stone and a Water Stone at Saffron City, and with them, they evolved into a Raichu and a Poliwrath."

"The Unova region. That's where you're from, right, Coovers?" Serena asks.

"That's right," Coovers says with a grin.

Ash and his friends smile at the man from Unova before the raven-haired boy turns to Timothy seriously.

"So, are you telling me that you never had a rival again after everything with Trent?" He asks.

"Not once," Timothy says plainly.

"But how come?" Ash asks. "You could have found someone who would want to be your rival in a more friendly and respectful way."

"I could have, but I refused to try," Timothy says honestly. "Even when I was traveling in other regions, I never really wanted to interact with other trainers outside of gym battles or when in a Pokemon league. You might say I was afraid to meet more trainers than what was required of me out of fear that I would get into a rivalry as terrible as what I had with Trent."

"But that shouldn't even be possible," Dawn says with a frown. "I've had my share of rivalries, and we were all good friends at the end of the day."

"Me too," Serena says.

"Timothy, I admit that I've had rivals like Paul and Trip, who were unfriendly at first, but they also knew how important it was to take care of your Pokemon and learned to be friendly to people too," Ash says. "So you can't let what happened between you and Trent keep you from having any other rivalries just because he was so horrible."

"That's what I've tried to tell him ever since he told me what happened," Coovers says seriously. "But after a while, I accepted that it is hard to be so open to the idea of having any more long term rivals after what his very first one did before either of them had a Pokemon."

"I see," Brock says in thought. "So when you challenged Ash to face you in the Indigo League, you didn't mean it as a means to start a long term rivalry."

"That is correct," Timothy says. "I only see my rivalry with Ash as something determined by just the possible battle we'll have against each other in the league, and that's it. I didn't want any other battles between us beforehand because all I care about between us is just that possible one."

Ash stares at the older trainer, devastated by his answer. Timothy notices the raven-haired boy's reaction and smiles.

"But I have to admit, even if it wasn't an important battle, I found myself enjoying our double battle with Odyssey, Shockwave, Oshawott, and Gible," he says. "So maybe a friendly rivalry with you might be good for me, Ash."

"Huh? You mean that? No, joke?" Ash asks, surprised.

"I don't joke about trainers whose Pokemon last as long against Odyssey and Shockwave as yours have even though they are in their first stage evolutions," Timothy states. "Granted, you're the first person to do so, but that strengthens my point. You are a very commendable and cunning opponent, and you have a kind, and friendly heart like Serena said. I'm sorry that I mislead you, but if you're still up for a rivalry that will be determined at Indigo Plateau, I would like that with you."

Ash looks at Timothy blankly for a moment before he smiles and says, "Of course, I'd like to stay your rival. You're a powerful trainer, and I want to show how much I've learned since the last time I competed in the Indigo League. I wouldn't want it any other way."

Ash extends his hand, and Timothy stares at it, surprised before he smirks and shakes it.

"Then it's settled," Timothy says. "But you better be ready for me, because now I have an idea of how you battle and I might use it against you."

"Same goes for you," Ash says proudly. "I'm going to beat you for sure."

Everyone smiles to see the two trainers renew their rivalry. Serena gives Ash a fond look until she notices Absol slowly waking up after falling asleep on her lap. Coovers notices the small disaster Pokemon and the honey blonde girl starting to pet it again much to Absol's delight. The Unova man smiles at the moment and scratches his chin in thought.

"Hey, Scott, what is our next destination for the Battle Frontier?" He asks, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh, that's right. I didn't get around to telling you yet," Scott realizes. "Your next stop is the Battle Dome, where Timothy will go against Tucker, the most famous of our Frontier Brains. Here, let me put the location in your Pokenav."

"Thank you," Coovers says. "I think we get a head start there soon."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup are taken aback by what Coovers said, but out of all of them, Serena looks the most hurt.

"Do you have to go now?" She asks. "Is there any reason you can't stay for the night?"

"I'm afraid not," Timothy answers, not noticing what Coovers is up to. "I want to go through the entire Battle Frontier as soon as possible, and we didn't plan on staying in this town for as long as we have."

Serena frowns sadly, which Ash, Dawn, and Brock notice.

"What's wrong, Serena?" Ash asks.

Serena hesitates and looks as Absol sadly.

"Oh, I see," Brock says in realization.

Serena takes a deep breath, stands up while holding Absol, and gives the man from Unova a pleading look.

"Coovers, I know Absol came from your egg, but...would it be okay if I keep it, please?" She asks.

Coovers smirks, secretly glad that Serena did as he hoped she would.

"Well, of course," he says warmly. "To tell you the truth, Serena, I was holding on to that egg as a favor for the Pokemon Professor at the Hoenn region. He wanted me to find a home for this little one right here in Kanto, and it's clear that you have already formed a bond with it. In fact, I'd say Absol probably looks up to you as its mother."

Serena smiles happily and lifts up Absol until it is facing her and asks, "Absol, is that true?"

"Absol!" Absol says cheerfully before it starts licking Serena's face vigorously, making Serena laugh.

"Stop, Absol, that tickles," Serena shouts.

"You know, Serena, Absol would also be a good Pokemon to use if you come across another psychic Pokemon like that Hypno again," Dawn says.

"That's true. Psychic attacks are completely ineffective against dark-type Pokemon," Brock says.

"Really?" Serena asks.

"Yes, in fact, that's probably why Shockwave was unable to catch Absol's egg," Timothy says. "Come to think about it, most people in the Kanto region are typically unaware of the strengths of having a dark type Pokemon since none of them are native here in the region. But I'd be careful with fairy and fighting attacks that are very effective against a dark type Pokemon like Absol. That's why I've trained Shockwave to know Disarming Voice and Moonblast. With those attacks, Shockwave can defend itself against dark type Pokemon since its psychic attacks are useless against them."

"Gardevoir," Shockwave says proudly.

Serena nods, remembering how the Kalos champion, Diantha had her own Gardevoir use Moonblast to defeat a Mega Absol.

"Well, I think Absol will need a lot of training before I think about using it for a contest, but I promise to take good care of it," she vows.

"That's great, Serena. I know you will," Ash says supportively.

"Right," Serena says as she reaches into her bag and takes out an empty Pokeball. "I'm going to catch you now, Absol."

"Sol," Absol says excitedly.

Serena gently nudges the Pokeball against Absol's cheek, and it opens and sucks the disaster Pokemon inside. It only moves once before it lets out a loud ding, confirming that it's been caught.

"Alright," Serena says happily. "I caught Absol!"

"Congratulations, Serena," Coovers says warmly.

Serena nods before she tosses the ball into the air, and it opens for Absol to appear in front of Serena. The honey blonde girl and her new Pokemon look at each other lovingly as she picks Absol up again.

"Absol, I'm going to take very good care of you," she promises.

"Absol!" Absol says.

"You might want to enjoy it being so tiny while it lasts," Timothy suggests with a smirk. "It only takes a couple of months or so before an Absol is fully grown."

"Raichu!" Electchu says, nodding.

"That's true," Brock says in agreement. "Still, I think you are going to grow pretty close with Absol, Serena."

"I think so too," Ash says.

"Pika, Pi," Pikachu says.

Serena keeps looking at Absol and says, "I know we will."

Coovers, Timothy, Electchu, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Scott smile in agreement before Timothy clears his throat.

"Right, Coovers, you have the coordinates?" He asks.

"Sure do," Coovers says with a smirk.

"Then we better get going on the double," Timothy says before taking out two Pokeballs. "Odyssey, Shockwave, return."

The Lucario and Gardevoir return to their Pokeballs, and Timothy puts them away before turning to Ash.

"Alright, you better train hard for our next meeting, Ash," he says, offering his hand.

"Same goes to you, Timothy," Ash replies as he shakes Timothy's hand.

And so, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu exit the Pokemon Center and begin walking down to the Battle Dome, waving to Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, and Scott as they walk. Before long, the two trainers and the Raichu cross the border of the town in silence.

"You know, I'm proud of you, Timothy," Coovers says. "That was a big step telling everyone what happened and opening yourself to start a long term rivalry with Ash."

"Well, it helps that Ash came through when it comes to proving that he and his friends can be trusted," Timothy says. "It was also nice of you to give Absol to Serena."

"Ah, there was no I was going to take it from her when she and Absol were bellowing attacked to each other," Coovers says with a toothy grin. "Why would I keep Absol when it has already formed such a closer bond with Serena?"

"Why indeed," Timothy agrees.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

The three of them continue to walk until Timothy starts to frown, which Coovers notices.

"What's the matter?" He asks.

Timothy sighs, without looking at his friend and says, "I only told Ash half the truth about why I challenged him. I wonder if he, Serena, and their friends will be so forgiving if I have to tell him…"

"That you also challenged him to see if he would make a good ally against Team Rocket?" Coovers finishes. "I'm sure they will all be forgiving about that too, given that he has a fair amount of experience against Team Rocket as well. I think the only reason we shouldn't tell them that was because we still don't know if Team Rocket is after the Gieldanstone. No need to have Ash and his friends worry about something that we don't know is going to happen, right?"

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding in agreement.

"I guess that's true," Timothy says, half convinced. "Anyway, onto the Battle Dome, guys."

"Right, straight to the Battle Dome!" Coovers says excitedly.

"Rai!" Electchu shouts.

Meanwhile, as they are walking down the path, a familiar, Meowth hot air balloon slowly follows them several yards away. Jessie, James, and Meowth watch Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu with their binoculars, grinning evilly.

"There they go heading to the next destination toward Brandon," Jessie states.

"I still can't believe you talked us into not trying to catch Pikachu, Meowth," James whimpers. "I was so sure we could have come up with something that would have worked this time."

"And we coulda compromised da mission given to us directly from da boss," Meowth points out. "Face it, even if we captured Pikachu, we couldn't bring it back to headquarters and risk losing the only lead that can take us to Brandon."

"Meowth's right," Jessie admits. "Our mission is something even bigger than capturing Pikachu. And besides, after eavesdropping while they were at lunch, I doubt it would do us any good to cross a trainer that has a bad history with Team Rocket like that Timothy fellow. It's like you said before, Meowth: the less they know about our plans, the better."

"Exactly," Meowth says. "Da boss ordered us not to engage Brandon or anyone who has anything to do with him, and since those three are our only way to find him, that includes staying far away from them and even the twerps and Pikachu."

James sighs and says, "I guess stealth is still the name of the game. At least they're getting closer to Brandon after defeating that martial arts lady."

"Indeed," Jessie says. "Now, let's keep quiet already and keep following them."

The trio goes back to watching Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers at a distance. Meanwhile, the cloaked figure continues also to follow the group and Team Rocket secretly.

"So, this Timothy and Coovers know Brock and Ash," it says. "This could work to my advantage and prove they are people to trust."


	20. Chapter 20

Giovanni is sitting on his desk, studying files and records about Arceus and other mythical and legendary Pokemon carefully on his computer. He reads each one until he knows it by heart and then proceeds to the next one. Persian lies on the couch next to his desk and yawns, bored with Giovanni so focused on his work.

"Meoooowwww," Persian groans.

"Not right now, my pet," Giovanni says bluntly without looking away from the monitor. "I need to focus."

Persian growls bitterly, having heard him say the same thing multiple times in the past couple of weeks. The leader of Team Rocket has been so confident that he will get the Gieldanstone and control Arceus that he must know everything about all of the other legendary and mythical Pokemon that he plans to control with it. All day he has been reading the files forward and backward and barely notices his pet anymore.

Suddenly, Giovanni and Persian hear a knock on the door, and Giovanni finally gazes from the screen and turns off the monitor.

"Enter," he says.

The door opens to reveal Matori entering the room carrying a folder of files and stopping a few feet away from the desk to salute her leader.

"Report," Giovanni says bluntly.

Matori nods and with a serious face reports, "Sir, all our agents across the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions have received their orders and stand ready. Our agents in the Sinnoh and Unova regions have reported progress in recruiting new members in those respective regions, most of which are notable gangs and Pokemon poachers."

Giovanni merely smirks and says, "Excellent. Our numbers are rising across the other regions as planned."

"Yes, sir," Matori says. "Also, the team you sent to Kalos wishes to report an update."

Giovanni raises his eyebrow, suddenly intrigued.

"Very well. Patch them over to me," he orders.

"Yes, sir," Matori says before leaving the room.

Giovanni waits for a moment until he hears a ringing on his holo communicator and presses a button. The lights in the room grow dark, and Persian leaves its lying spot and walks over next to its master intrigued. A holographic screen appears on Giovanni's desk to reveal a thirty-year-old man appearing on the screen. He is wearing a large, black trench coat with a red "R" on the left side and has a robotic left eye and arm and burn scars all over the left side of his face.

"Agent Basker. Good to hear from you already," Giovanni says with a smile. "I take it you've made some significant progress?"

"Yes, sir," Agent Basker answers with a smirk. "Despite it being heavily guarded by the police, I have successfully snuck my way into Team Flare's headquarters."

"And?" Giovanni asks eagerly.

"The Kalos police confiscated much of the equipment, but they left behind the computer in the main lab, which includes blueprints to the device they created to control the Zygarde," Agent Basker answers.

"Wonderful," Giovanni says excitedly. "Have you copied and analyzed them through your robotic eye?"

"I have," Agent Basker says. "They collected energy from mega evolution to power their device. I'm sending you pictures through my eye's mainframe now."

Almost as soon as Agent Basker finished his sentence, several pictures of blueprints appear on the holographic screen. Giovanni frowns and scratches his chin in thought.

"That does present a problem. There aren't many people who have the power of mega evolution here in Kanto apart from some gym leaders," he says. "Perhaps Dr. Zager can make adjustments to it so that a different energy source can power it. Send these to him immediately."

"Yes, sir," Agent Basker responds.

"Is there anything else?" Giovanni asks.

"I'm afraid not," Agent Basker replies. "I tried looking through the security cameras, but the most I got was footage of our two members with the talking Meowth fighting some of Lysander's men. Showing you now."

Several events appear in the hologram, showing Jessie, James, and Meowth fighting Team Flare members just as Agent Basker said.

Giovanni smirks and says, "I don't recall them saying they infiltrated Team Flare's base in their report. They must have forgotten amid everything else they did to secure Team Rocket victory."

"Perhaps," Agent Basker says with a suspicious frown. "Speaking of victory, I hope you don't mind me saying that I hope to return to Kanto soon."

Giovanni raises his eyebrow curiously until he smirks in understanding.

"I see. You heard about Timothy Durbin defeating the Johto champion, and so you want your revenge for your failure even more?" he asks.

"It has been 18 years, and I still haven't gotten him back for what he did! I can't let that slide any longer! " Agent Basker growls. "And besides, as far as I'm concerned, he could be a bigger threat to Team Rocket if he's grown so powerful after all this time! If there's any time to gain my revenge for myself and in the glorious name of Team Rocket, it's now!"

Giovanni chuckles with his mouth closed and says, "Oh, young man, you have worked so hard to regain my good graces ever since that day. I must admit you showed potential when we replaced your damaged eye and arm to take pictures, record videos, and download information for your past missions. Indeed, I don't think anyone is as passionate to show their devotion to our cause as you are. Not even Butch and Cassidy or 009 in a way. But only a fool would fail to realize that behind all of your accomplishments, nice gadgets, and calling yourself Agent Basker, you're still just an 11-year-old bully named Trent Lane holding a grudge against someone who has done nothing to further interfere with our goals and likely never will."

"You don't know that," Agent Basker growls childishly. "If Durbin has any idea what we're doing, he very well could -"

"Enough!" Giovanni barks. "I will hear no more about your pathetic vendetta. What we must achieve is something far more important, and I will not tolerate anyone getting distracted by such nonsense. You will drop this ridiculous grudge and never speak of it to me again. Is that clear?"

Agent Basker grinds his teeth, wanting to say something that would convince his leader otherwise. After a moment, he huffs bitterly and grumbles, "Yes, sir."

"I can't hear you," Giovanni hisses.

Agent Basker fights back the urge to yell, and with a forced professional voice, he turns to the screen and clearly says, "Yes, sir."

Giovanni nods and says, "Very good. Continue your investigation. Do not cut corners under any circumstances."

"Understood," Agent Basker says. "Basker out."

The image of Agent Basker disappears, and the lights come back up. Giovanni sighs and rubs his forehead, annoyed. Persian nudges Giovanni's arm with its head to gain attention, and the man starts petting it without looking at it.

"Honestly, my pet, it confounds me how incompetent even some of my best people can be," he grumbles. "For years, I have spent countless money and gathered many resources to prove how my mother was a fool for not seeing the potential behind stealing Pokemon. And even if my organization has made some accomplishments in the past, it seems almost frequent that I will come across something like Butch and Cassidy imprisoned again or hearing a group of trainers destroy an operation even with two hundred grunts guarding it. And who knows if that stupid boy will comply with letting go of his vendetta. No matter how devoted they are to carry out my desires, every single member of Team Rocket has done something to ruin my ultimate goal. My mother would laugh at my general lack of major progress and call me a 'brat boy' again!"

He slams his fist onto the desk and grinds his teeth angrily. Persian becomes uneasy with its trainer acting to venomous. Thankfully, Giovanni restraints himself and takes a deep breath to bring back his stone-cold face.

"Still, it won't be much longer now," he says. "Whether Brandon has the Gieldanstone or not, I _will _find Arceus and with it all the Pokemon in the entire world. And no one - whether for or against Team Rocket is going to stop me."

Persian smiles, sharing its master's confidence and dreams as Giovanni goes back to his computer and starts studying again while still petting his pet.


	21. Chapter 21

It has been three days since Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup bumped into Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, and Scott. Ever since Serena got her Absol, the honey blonde girl has started to cherish taking care of her new Pokemon like she promised. It warmed her heart to introduce Absol to her other Pokemon, and despite feeling uneasy at first, it started to become good friends with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag. Absol and Poliwag have begun to become playmates as they like to chase and playfully tackle each other whenever Serena lets out her Pokemon for during meals. Serena also lets Absol out of its Pokeball at night so that it can sleep next to its mother figure in her and Dawn's tent because it doesn't like to sleep in its container.

On the sixth day since they left Cerulean City, the group find themselves in Saffron City. Dawn and Serena look around in awe as they walked down the streets of the city excitedly.

"Oh my, this city is huge," Dawn says excitedly.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps in Dawn's arms.

"Yeah, they don't call it the biggest city in the Kanto region for nothing," Serena says.

"Yeah, I guess it's pretty big, but I'm more excited to re-challenge Sabrina at the Saffron City Gym and see Haunter again," Ash declares.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, sharing Ash's enthusiasm.

"Of course you are, Mr. Ketchum," Dawn says, smirking while shaking her head.

Serena nods in agreement before she says, "But don't forget, Ash, Dawn, and I have a contest here too, and we need to register for that."

"I know," Ash says. "And I'm going to be rooting for you all the way."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agrees.

Serena smiles and blushes while Dawn pouts.

"Hey, what about me?" She whines.

"Well, of course, I'm rooting for you too, Dawn," Ash says scratching the back of his head.

"Sure, you are. I know how it is," Dawn grumbles before giving Serena a teasing look that makes the honey blonde girl blush even more.

"Speaking of which, isn't the contest today?" Brock asks. "I think we should make sure you have enough time to register on time."

"No problem, Brock," Serena assures as she takes out her tablet. "Registration doesn't close until -"

Suddenly, Serena gasps loudly, catching everyone's attention.

"Oh my gosh, they moved the time! We need to register by 10:30, and it's already 10:23!" She says, panicking.

Everyone gasps and Brock says, "We need to hurry, quick!"

Without another word, the four trainers start running as fast as possible with Pikachu struggling to stay on Ash's shoulder and Dawn still carrying Piplup. They keep running until they take a turn to a giant stadium and barge inside where Dawn and Serena almost ram into the help desk

"Please don't tell us we're too late to register!" Both girls desperately shout simultaneously.

"No, you still have a minute left," the woman at the desk says, chuckling.

Both girls and Piplup sigh in relief as they hand their registration cards to the woman at the front desk, and she scans them and gives them back to them.

"Alright, you're both set," the woman says. "We will need you to come to the back in five minutes with the rest of the competitors."

"Great, thank you," Serena says as she and Dawn turn around to Ash, Brock, and Pikachu, who all sigh in relief.

"Gee, that was cutting a little close again," Ash says.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu agrees.

"No kidding," Dawn says before turning to Serena. "You should check on your tablet more often in case of something like this more often."

"I'll get right on it next time," Serena says, chuckling nervously.

"Are you sure you two are prepared for this?" Brock asks. "You both only had six days to practice from Cerulean City to here."

"No sweat, Brock. Six days is plenty of time to come up with a good strategy," Dawn says proudly. "Right, Serena?"

"Er, right," Serena says hesitantly to the blunette before turning to Brock and Ash. "Honestly, six days is not a lot, but I think my Pokemon and I have things figured out now that I've experienced the battle stage first hand."

"That's great, Serena. Remember to give it all you got," Ash says encouragingly.

Serena smiles and nods at the raven-haired boy. Then she remembers something and says, "By the way, Ash, I need a favor from you."

"Oh?" Ash asks, confused.

Serena plays with her fingers and asks, "Remember when my Sylveon was an Eevee during the showcase in Anistar City and then it got scared and ran away and when we found it you promised to look after it during the rest of the showcase?"

"Of course, I do," Ash answers.

"Would you please look after Absol while watching the contest?" Serena asks. "I think it's still too young to compete, and I want it to see what Pokemon contests are like so that can decide if it would be interested in participating with my other Pokemon and me."

Ash looks at Serena for a moment and says, "Absolutely. I'll watch over it, no problem."

Serena smiles gratefully at Ash before she takes out Absol's Pokeball and opens it to reveal the recently-born Pokemon. Absol immediately turns to Serena and smiles happily, and Serena, in turn, gets down on her knees and pets it.

"Absol, I'm going to perform in this Pokemon contest, and I want you to stay with Ash," Serena says.

Absol instantly becomes uneasy, and Serena gives it a comforting look.

"I won't be long, I promise," she says calmly. "I'm just going to be performing on stage with Dawn and a lot of other contestants. I want you to watch the contest so that you can see if you would like to do it with me, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag."

"Don't worry, Absol, I'm going to take good care of you," Ash promises. "We'll have a great time watching Serena perform."

Absol still feels slightly scared. Even though it isn't afraid of Ash, Pikachu, Brock, or any of Serena's friends, it has never been apart from its mother figure ever since it hatched. Noticing this, Serena leans close to Absol's ear.

"When Ash says he's going to take good care of you, Absol, he's going to do it," she whispers. "Between you and me, I would trust Ash with my life and everything I have."

Absol's eyes widen, taken aback by its trainer's secret declaration. She moves her head back and smiles sweetly to back up what she said, making Absol feel better.

"Absol," It says cheerfully.

"Great. Thank you, Absol," Serena says kindly.

"Sol!" Absol replies before Ash picks it up. Then everyone hears a beeping sound from the stadium intercom

"_All contestants, please proceed to the backstage,_" says a female voice from the speakers.

"Alright, Serena, we better get going," Dawn says.

"Okay," Serena answers before turning to Absol and petting it. "Please be good to Ash for me, Absol."

"Sol," Absol replies nodding.

Serena smiles and walks away with Dawn to the backstage. As they walk, Brock turns to Ash and smirks.

"So, she's trusting you with her newborn Pokemon, eh? Smooth," he says teasingly.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ash asks, confused.

Brock chuckles to himself, knowing that his friend is acting clueless again and clears his throat.

"Ash, don't you think it's kind of peculiar that Serena specifically asked you to take care of Absol?" he asks.

"Uh...no," Ash answers. "I've taken care of other Pokemon for my friends before, not just Serena with Absol or her Eevee. All my friends trust me with their Pokemon. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, agreeing.

"Right, but I think she asked for you as someone who looks at you as more than just a friend," Brock says.

Ash continues to stare at Brock, confused for a moment, and then looks down at Absol, who is looking up at him, equally confused.

"You know, my mom talked to me about something like that when Serena and I were in Pallet Town," he says. "She said something along the lines of how it's normal to love someone more than anyone in the world, even Pikachu. But I really don't get it. Can two people really feel that way about each other more than anyone else, even their Pokemon?"

Brock frowns and scratches the back of his head, unsure of how to answer that.

"Seems to me like maybe your dream for Pokemon has gotten too far into your head," he says. "Ash, there's nothing wrong with loving your Pokemon but still love a person more in a very special way. You can care for that person so much that you're willing to do anything to support their dreams and make them happy."

Ash keeps staring at Brock confounded and says, "But that just sounds just like what you would do for any of your friends, so how is this any different?"

Brock groans and opens his mouth to say something else until another beeping sound from the intercom.

"_Attention, the contests will start in ten minutes. Audience members, please proceed to be seated_," the announcer says.

Brock sighs, defeated, and turns to Ash.

"I guess we better find some seats quick," he says. "But I want to talk about this later."

"Uh...okay," Ash says as he, Pikachu and Absol follow Brock to the auditorium

"Good morning, Saffron City!" Lilian announces from the stage. "Welcome to today's Pokemon contest! I'm your host, Lilian, and I'm excited to see what our contestants today have in store for us!"

The audience cheers excitedly as Brock, Ash, Pikachu, and Absol watch from the first row.

"Wow! Lilian still looks so beautiful!" Brock shouts excitedly.

Ash rolls his eyes as his friend stands up and gazes at the host while she introduces the judges. As Brock is fawning over Lilian, however, two red eyes suddenly appear floating in the air a couple feet away from Brock's face. Brock looks in confusion until a big mouth appears a couple inches below the eyes and lets out a monstrous roar. Brock, Ash, Pikachu, Absol, and even some of the audience members sitting behind them scream in fear until they hear a woman laughing joyously. They turn around to see none other than Sabrina walking over to sit next to Ash with a friendly and amused smile on her face.

"Sabrina?" Ash says, surprised. "Then, that must mean…"

Ash turns his head to see the floating eyes and head dissolve into a laughing Haunter. The raven-haired boy only has a moment to smile happily before Haunter licks him right in the face.

"Hey, Haunter, glad you're happy to see me," Ash says, chuckling.

"Haun, Haunter," Haunter replies gleefully before it licks Pikachu much to the mouse Pokemon's delight and proceeds to lick Absol only to see the disaster Pokemon fearfully cuddled up in a ball on Ash's lap.

"Oh, dear, it seems like your Absol didn't enjoy Haunter's prank," Sabrina comments.

"Actually, this is our friend, Serena's Absol," Brock says. "It just hatched a few days ago, and it is very shy around meeting new people and Pokemon."

"Aw, the poor dear," Sabrina says.

Ash pets Absol comfortingly with a smile on his face and says, "It's okay, Absol. No need to be afraid. It's just Haunter. It likes to pull pranks, but it's actually friendly."

Absol continues to hide with its curled up body for a moment before it bravely looks up to face Haunter, who looks hurt that the young Pokemon is afraid of it. The young Pokemon slowly sits up on Ash's lap to look at Haunter, who slowly floats closer to Absol and smiles before going for a big lick on Absol's face. Absol whimpers and turns around and buries its head on Ash's stomach. Haunter stares at Absol crushed while Ash pets Absol again and gives Haunter a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry, Haunter. Absol is still young and shy. It'll get more comfortable around you before you know it," he promises.

Haunter smiles, satisfied with Ash's words, and floats to the empty seat next to Sabrina, who gives it a cheerful look that lifts Haunter's spirits.

"Wow, Sabrina, you are much more upbeat since we last saw you," Brock comments.

"Yeah, I guess Haunter staying with you really helped," Ash says.

"Oh, I can't get enough of Haunter," Sabrina says, gleefully. "It's just what I needed whenever I need to feel better. Honestly, I don't know how to repay you for bringing Haunter to me, Ash."

"Haunter," Haunters says gleefully.

"Aw, it's nothing," Ash says until it hits him. "Actually, there is something you can do for me."

"Oh, what's that?" Sabrina asks.

But before Ash can open his mouth, Lilian suddenly speaks up having finished introducing the judges and explaining the rules of the contest.

"Now, for our first contestant!" She declares.

Ash sighs and turns to Sabrina and says, "I'll tell you later," and she nods before they turn to watch the first contestant.

One by one, coordinators put on their best performance with their Pokemon. Each one amazes the audience and the judges in some way or another. Eventually, Dawn comes up next and wows everyone with her Quilava doing tricks while using Flame Wheel. Not long after that, Serena comes up on stage with a bright smile on her face.

"Poliwag, come on out!" She shouts as she throws her Pokeball, and Poliwag comes out of it with a cheerful smile on its face.

"Wow, so she chose Poliwag for the performance round," Brock says intrigued. "I wonder how this is going to go since this will be Poliwag's first performance."

"They'll both do great," Ash says confidently. "Serena told me that Dawn helped her practice with Poliwag."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

"Absol!" Absol cries out, happy to see its trainer on the stage.

Serena notices Ash, Absol, Pikachu, and Brock in the crowd and smiles fondly at Absol sitting comfortably on the lap of the boy she cares for before turning to Poliwag.

"Poliwag, are you ready for your first performance?" She asks.

"Poli, poli!" Poliwag happily replies, jumping up and down.

"Alright then, Poliwag, then use Bubble Beam up in the air!" Serena commands.

Poliwag nods and looks up at the ceiling before shooting several bubbles into the air.

"Now, jump up and use Double Slap!" Serena orders.

Poliwag nods and then jumps high into the air and starts kicking it each of the bubbles in the air with its feet. The impact causes the bubbles to burst into tiny sparkles, amazing the audience.

"Now, use Water Gun," Serena says.

As it is falling to the ground, Poliwag looks down and shoots water toward the ground right as it's about to land. The move causes Poliwag to propel itself into the air, much to everyone's surprise. The tadpole Pokemon repeats this process six more times until it flips into the air and lands on Serena's hands.

"Ta-da! All done!" Serena declares as she makes a pose while lifting Poliwag above her head.

The crowd roars in thunderous applause. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock clap and cheer while Absol cries out to Serena and Poliwag joyously. Sabrina gives a modest clap while Haunter claps vigorously like a little child. Serena's smile grows as she looks at all the people and Pokemon who are happy with her performance. She turns her gaze back to Ash, who is still clapping and cheering with Pikachu and Absol and feels her heartwarming up to see her new Pokemon and especially the boy she likes being so supportive of her. She lowers her arms to look at Poliwag who is smiling happily.

"Did you have fun, Poliwag?" Serena asks.

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag replies, cheerfully.

"I'm glad," Serena says, smiling as she hugs her Pokemon. "You were really wonderful."

The remaining contestants and their Pokemon did their performances without a hitch. Once they were all done, Lilian came back on stage with her microphone.

"Alright, let's hear it for all of our contestants!" she says.

The audience cheers in response.

"The judges have made their choices, so in just a few seconds, we will find out who will be competing in the battle stage!" Lilian announces.

"I hope your friends will be able to continue," Sabrina says kindly.

"I don't doubt that they will. Their performances were great," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Sol, Absol," Absol says proudly.

"I should think so," Brock says thoughtfully with his arms crossed. "Dawn's use of Flame Wheel with Quilava was clever, and Serena really showed her passion by being more creative than she was in Cerulean City. I must admit it seemed like a risk to pick Poliwag since it's a new Pokemon, and this is only Serena's second contest, but it clearly paid off."

"Alright, here are coordinators who will be moving on to the next round!" Lilian announces.

Everyone looks up to watch the large screen above the stage. With a loud "ding," thirty-two pictures appear. Ash, Pikachu, Absol, Brock, Sabrina, and Haunter look closely until they smile to find Dawn's picture in the top row and Serena's picture just a couple rows down.

"Alright!" Brock shouts.

"See? What did I tell you?" Ash says.

"Absol!" Absol shouts.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu yells.

"Excellent," Sabrina says.

"Haunter, Haunt!" Haunter says excitedly.

"And now, the computer will randomize the order in which the contestants will face each other," Lilian announces.

Everyone looks up at the screen again, which goes blank for a couple of seconds before the pictures reappear in a tournament bracket. Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Absol smile to find Serena in the first bracket.

"Our first battle will be Ginger versus Serena!" Lilian announces.

The crowd cheers again as Serena enters the arena again on one side while a chubby woman with green hair appears on the other side. The two of them look at each other from opposite sides of the battlefield and give each other respectable nods before they each take out a Pokeball.

"Braixen, I choose you!" Serena calls out.

"Tangla, come on out!" Ginger yells.

The Pokeballs open with Braixen and a Tangela coming out and facing each other. Serena looks at Ginger's Pokemon in confusion.

"I've never seen that Pokemon before," she says as she takes out her Pokedex.

"_Tangela, the Vine Pokemon_," her Pokedex says. "_It's body is wrapped in vines. The rest of its form is hidden beneath these vines_."

"I see," Serena says before putting away her Pokedex and giving Braixen a confident look. "Well, we're going to take it down no matter what it is. Right, Braixen?"

"Braix!" Braixen agrees.

"Battle begin!" Lilian declares.

The clock starts to count down from 5 minutes with a "ding."

"Braixen, use Scratch!" Serena commands.

Braixen's paw turns white, and it charges at Tangela.

"Tangela, use Constrict!" Ginger orders.

Tangela spins around and wraps several vines around Braixen just as it is a couple feet away from the vine Pokemon. Serena looks at the display, worried as Braixen struggles to move with the vines wrapped tightly all over her.

"Now, toss Braixen up in the air," Ginger says.

Tangela nods and throws Braixen, sending the fox Pokemon flying high into the air above it. Then Tangela catches Braixen as it's about to fall and tosses it into the air again. The judges watch intently as Tangela repeats the process and Serena's point bar toward down. Serena frowns as Braixen flies into the air again, panicking before she gets an idea.

"Braixen, use Flamethrower on Tangela at full power," she commands.

Braixen suddenly stops panicking, and as it's falling back into Tangela's vines, it aims it's stick right above Tangela and fires a large stream of red and orange fire comes out from the ends of the stick heading straight down toward Tangela. Tangela's pupils shrink in fear as the fire rains down right on top of its head, burning the Pokemon in the process. Braixen then uses the force of the attack to propel itself into the air and land several feet away from its opponent gracefully. Ginger grinds her teeth, frustrated as she loses a lot of points from the attack.

"Whoa, Serena had Brixen propelled itself with Flamethrower just like Poliwag did with Water Gun," Brock observes.

"Clever," Sabrina says amused.

"Tangela, use Knock Off!" Ginger shouts.

Tangela regains its focus and sends several vines heading toward Braixen.

"Use Scratch to deflect those vines," Serena calls out.

Once again, Braixen's paw glows white, and with inhuman speed, the fox Pokemon swats all the vines away one by one. The judges look at each other, impressed with how Braixen is defending itself, and they remove more points from Ginger's point bar. The green-haired woman grinds her teeth again, growing more frustrated.

"Tangela, Tackle!" She yells.

Tangela nods and starts running straight toward Braixen.

"Hmmm, that sounds like a reckless move," Sabrina comments with a frown.

"I agree," Brock says, crossing his arms. "It's clear that Ginger is losing her cool, and that is giving Serena an opening to finish the battle."

"Braixen, use Fire Blast!" Serena shouts.

Braixen points its stick at the charging Tangela and releases a 大-shaped figure from the tip of the stick. The attack hits the Vine Pokemon and sends it flying into the air and landing just a few feet away from Ginger with swirly eyes. Ginger gasps, shocked with what just happened while all the judges hit their buzzards.

"Tangela is unable to battle," Saffron City's Nurse Joy declares. "Serena and Braixen are the winners."

The screen changes to Serena's picture appearing at the center with the "winner" text below it. Serena smiles as the crowd cheers, and she walks over to Braixen.

"Well, done, Braixen," she praises. "Now, we just need to do this a few more times, and we'll win the ribbon."

"Braix," Braixen says with a nod.

Over the next couple of hours, the coordinators battle each other with both Serena and Dawn winning each of their matches. On the last two matches before the final round, Serena and Braixen defeated a boy with a Meowth, and Dawn practically crushed a woman's Vaporeon with Mamoswine. Afterward, Lilian allowed a short break before the two remaining contestants faced each other.

"So, both of your friends are going to face each other, eh?" Sabrina asks. "This should be interesting."

"Haunter," Haunter says.

"Yeah, I wonder how it's going to turn out," Brock says with his arms crossed. "Serena has been improving since Cerulean City, and her Braixen has the type advantage against Mamoswine, but Dawn is more experienced. What do you think, Ash?"

Ash thinks for a second before he says, "I just hope they give everything they got into the battle, and I'll be happy with whoever wins. Although, if I had to choose one to root for, it would be Serena."

"Oh, really? And why is that?" Sabrina asks.

"Because I told her I would be there to cheer for her before we went on this journey, and that's what I'm going to do," Ash answers with a proud smirk.

"Absol!" Absol shouts to express its own support for its trainer.

"Oh, I see," Sabrina says. "For a moment, I thought you had another reason to root for her over Dawn."

"Huh? Like what?" Ash asks.

Sabrina stares at the raven-haired boy, dumbfounded with his obliviousness, making Brock chuckle. Before she can answer, though, Lilian appears back on stage and clear her throat.

"Alright, everyone, it is time for the final round," she announces on the microphone. "Who will win the Saffron ribbon? Will it be Dawn or Serena?"

The crowd cheer to express their excitement.

"Alright, let's have our contestants come on stage and find out who wins," Lilian says.

The crowd continues to cheer while Serena and Dawn enter the battlefield on opposite sides and take out their Pokeballs.

"Braixen, I chose you!" Serena calls out while throwing her Pokeball.

"Mamoswine, spotlight!" Dawn shouts as she twirls and tosses her Pokeball into the air.

The two Pokemon come out of their containers and glare at each other, ready for battle.

"Just so you know, Serena, we're not gonna go easy on you," Dawn says.

"Mamo!" Mamoswine roars while letting out icy wind through its nostrils.

"I was going to say the same thing to you," Serena says, smirking. "Braixen and I are going to give it everything we've got."

"Braix!" Braixen shouts pumped and armed with its stick.

"Battle begin!" They hear Lilian declare, and the clock starts to countdown from 5 minutes.

"Alright, Mamoswine, let's start things up with you using Ice Shard and eating it!" Dawn commands.

"What?" Serena asks, confused.

Mamoswine creates a large light-blue ball if ice between its tusk and eats it. Serena and Braixen stare in confusion as the fur in Mamoswine's back freezes over, creating large icicles on its back.

"Now, use Take Down!" Dawn calls out.

Manoswine's body becomes surrounded in an orange aura and charges toward Braixen.

"Braixen, stop it with Flamethrower at full power," Serena says.

Braixen points its stick at the charging Mamoswine and fires a giant stream of fire. The attack hits Mamoswine, but despite letting out a painful grunt upon impact, it continues to charge at Braixen. The fox Pokemon only has a moment to realize what is happening before Mamoswine rams into Braixen, nearly sending it flying straight into a wall. Serena's eyes widen in shock, and her points bar goes down a little.

"You like that move, Serena?" Dawn asks proudly. "I call it Ice Armor."

"Ice Armor?" Sabrina asks, surprised. "What a clever idea."

"Yeah, I'd hate to say it for Serena's sake, but I knew that wouldn't work like it did with Ginger's Tangela," Brock says. "Mamoswine is weak against fire attacks too, but that Ice Armor protects it from most of the damage. Serena is going to have to be more creative than that to win this match."

Absol grows worried, taking in Brock's words until it feels Ash petting it with a smile.

"Don't worry, Absol," he says assuringly. "Dawn and Mamoswine are strong, but so are Serena and Braixen."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says happily.

"Sol," Absol says, uplifted by Ash's words.

"Mamoswine, now use Hidden Power!" Dawn calls out.

Mamoswine's tusks glow yellow, and light blue circles appear between them. Serena thinks for a second before she gets an idea right as the twin tusk Pokemon fires.

"Braixen, you use Hidden Power as well!" She commands.

Braixen forms a light blue ball of energy and fires. The two attacks collide and explode, causing a large cloud of smoke to cover the entire area.

"Now use Flamethrower again and keep at it," Serena commands.

Braixen fires another Flamethrower in the direction where it last saw Mamoswine. The fox Pokemon is unsure of whether or not it aimed correctly until it hears a low groan of pain and smirks as it continues to use Flamethrower. Dawn gasps, worries for her Pokemon as the smoke slowly clears to find Mamoswine struggling to stay up and a large stream of fire constantly hitting it face first and its Ice Armor completely melted away. She starts to grow nervous as the judges take off a large amount of points.

"Mamoswine, use Ice Fang!" She calls out.

Despite still getting hit by Flamethrower, Mamoswine's tusks turn light blue, grow large and become covered in ice. It charges again at Braixen, who realizes its attack isn't working anymore.

"Braixen, dodge Mamoswine," Serena says.

Braixen jumps away from Mamoswine just as its opponent is about to hit. Mamoswine growls, irritated, and charges at Braixen again.

"Braixen, dodge repeatedly by jumping the way you would hop on each of Pancham's Stone Edge," Serena orders.

The fox Pokemon smirks, understanding what its trainer is thinking. As Mamoswine constantly tries to hit Braixen with Ice Fang, Braixen jumps away, spinning and twirling in the air as it jumps from one spot of the arena to another. The Pokemon repeat the process multiple times, making it look like Braixen is performing an acrobatic show while dodging its opponent's every attempt to hit it with its tusks of ice. The judges are impressed with the performance and deduct more points from Dawn. The blunette girl becomes even more nervous until she gets an idea.

"Mamoswine, wait for the right moment when Braixen is going to land on its feet then hit it with Ice Shard," she commands.

Mamoswine grins under its large coat of fur and waits until Braixen is landing on the ground from another jump and fires an Ice Shard straight at it. Braixen notices what is happening and tries to dodge, but the blue ball of ice hits it on its side, causing half of its body to be covered in ice.

"Braixen!" Serena calls out worryingly as the judges take out more of her points.

"Now use Take Down again," Dawn says with her confidence regained.

Once again, an orange aura surrounds the twin tusk Pokemon and charges at Braixen, who is struggling to move with half of its body frozen.

"What do I do?" Serena asks herself. "There's no way Braixen can free herself unless…"

As she thinks about it, her mind goes back to when she watched Ash face Viola in Santalune City. When Pikachu was on the verge of falling asleep because of Vivillon's Sleep Powder, Ash had Pikachu use Electro Ball to stay awake. Serena thinks carefully, wondering if she should do something similar.

"It's worth a try," she says to herself before turning to Braixen. "Braixen, use Flamethrower on yourself."

Braixen stops struggling and then points its stick at itself and fires another Flamethrower. The fire hurts the fox Pokemon slightly but also melts all the ice.

Serena smiles, happy that her plan worked, and says, "Now jump over Mamoswine and use Fire Blast!"

At the last moment, Braixen jumps over Mamoswine just as it's about to hit the fox Pokemon. Braixen flips in the air and fires a Fire Blast at Mamoswine from behind. The attack hits Mamoswine in the back, and the impact causes the twin tusk Pokemon to trip and fall to the ground, causing Dawn to lose points again.

"Quick, Mamoswine, get up and create another Ice Armor!" Dawn says, desperately.

Mamoswine slowly gets up and turns around to face Braixen. It summons another Ice Shard and eats it, creating large icicles to appear on it's back again. Braixen raises its stick, prepared to face whatever its opponent is going to do next.

*Ding*

Serena, Dawn, Braixen, and Mamoswine look at each other surprised until they look up on the screen to find that time is up and Serena's point bar is bigger than Dawn's by just a couple points.

"Time is up, and Serena and Braixen win!" Lilian declares.

The screen changes to only Serena's picture and large texts appearing under it saying "Winner." The crowd applauds loudly, but not as loudly as Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Absol. Serena stares at the screen, shocked for a moment before she smiles, and she and Braixen walk over and hug each other.

"Alright! We did it!" Serena shouts happily.

"Braixen!" Braixen shouts.

Mamoswine groans sadly as it walks over to Dawn, who pets it comfortingly.

"It's alright, Mamoswine. You did great," she says. "We'll get them next time."

Mamoswine smiles, appreciative of Dawn's words. Dawn then puts Mamoswine back in its Pokeball and talks over to Serena.

"Congratulations, Serena," she says. "Looks like you bested me."

"Thanks, Dawn," Serena says. "You and Mamoswine were great too."

"Braix," Braixen says in agreement.

The two girls shake hands just as Mr. Contesta walks over to Serena with a ribbon in her hand.

"Congratulations, Serena," he compliments. "I now present to you the Saffron Ribbon."

"Thanks so much," Serena says as she takes the ribbon out and presents it to the audience who cheer even louder

"Way to go, Serena!" Ash calls out.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts.

"Absoooolllll!" Absol shouts joyously.

"Well done, Serena!" Brock yells.

Sabrina smiles and applauds with the group while Haunter claps vigorously like a child again.

Ten minutes later, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Absol, Sabrina, and Haunter stand outside the stadium, waiting for Dawn and Serena to meet up with them. Eventually, the two of them and Piplup exit the building, and Absol excitedly runs over to Serena and jumps into her arms.

"Did you enjoy the contest, Absol?" She asks.

"Absol!" Absol replies with a smile.

"So would you like to try competing with me?" Serena asks.

"Sol!" Absol answers nodding.

"I'm glad!" Serena says cheerfully as she hugs her Pokemon tightly while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Sabrina, and Haunter head over to her, Absol, and Dawn.

"Congratulations, Serena," Brock complements.

"I knew you could do it," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Serena's cheeks turn pink, and she looks down at the floor while saying, "Thank you, Ash and Brock."

"Guess the two of you are tied at one ribbon," Brock says. "You both got a way to go before the Grand Festival."

Dawn gives Brock a sad smile and says, "I know. That's why I think we should part ways from here."

Everyone looks at her, surprised.

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

Dawn looks at Serena with a kind smile and says, "As much as I love hanging out with all of you guys, I think I should try to grow stronger and gain ribbons on my own like I originally planned. Besides, it's less dramatic if Brock and Ash have to root for both of us constantly."

Serena looks at Dawn for a moment before she smiles and nods.

"I understand," she says before she takes out her tablet and searches through it. "In that case, there's a contest coming up soon at Celadon City and another at the same time in Vermillion City. Since we're going to Celadon City anyway for Ash's rematch at the gym there, how about Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and I go there where I will compete in that contest while you and Piplup compete in the one in Vermillion City?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"Wait, why are you after a rematch against the Celadon City gym, Ash?" Sabrina asks. "Don't you have all the badges you need to compete in the Kanto League."

"Uh, I'm sorry. Who are you?" Dawn asks with both her and Serena confused with the woman standing next to Brock, Ash, and Pikachu.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot," Ash says. "Dawn, Serena, this is Sabrina, the Saffron City gym leader. And Sabrina, I do have all of my badges, but I want to battle again against some of the gym leaders before I compete in the Indigo League this year, including you."

"Me? But you already beat me in battle," Sabrina says.

"Yeah, but only because Haunter made you and your Kadabra laugh, and he's not even my Pokemon," Ash points out. "I want to compete in the Indigo League again this year, showing how much I've learned and grown as a trainer since then, but I also want to prove that by having rematches with gym leaders who gave me my badges without really defeating them formally in battle. So I want to show that I am capable of defeating you the right way. So please have a battle with me?"

Sabrina looks at Ash surprised before she and Haunter look at each other and smile.

"That sounds like an admirable goal to have, Ash." She says. "Alright then, I accept your request. Just give me an hour or so to prepare, though. I closed the gym so that Haunter and I can watch the contest."

"Great. Thank you," Ash says appreciatively.

"Well, I'd like to watch you two battle before I go," Dawn says. "Why don't we stop by the Pokemon Center so that Mamoswine and Braixen can heal up."

"Sounds good," Serena says, smiling. "And Ash, while we wait, we could call my mom, Clemont, and Bonnie so that I can show them my first contest ribbon and see how they are doing."

"Great idea," Ash says before turning back to Sabrina. "Sabrina, I hope you will be ready for me, because my Pokemon and I are much stronger than we were before."

Sabrina quietly chuckles with her mouth closed.

"I'm looking forward to see you prove that to me, Ash," she says as she turns around. "Come along, Haunter."

"Haunter," Haunter says as it obediently follows Sabrina as she walks away. The group watches the pair leave until they are out of sight and then start heading to the Pokemon Center.

"So that was the Haunter that you tried to use to defeat Sabrina in battle?" Serena asks.

"Yup, and it looks like the two of them have grown very close since then," Ash says with a smile.

"Personally, I'm just glad that I can look at Sabrina in a friendly manner without having to worry about turning into a doll again," Brock admits.

Everyone laughs at his comment while they head over the Pokemon Center. As they walk, Serena takes out her contest ribbon and smiles warmly. Her mind goes back to how that audience enjoyed her performance with Poliwag, and she lets out a blissful sigh.


	22. Chapter 22

"_YAY, SERENA!_"

"_De ne, ne!_"

"_Bonnie, not so loud!_"

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena chuckle in amusement as they, Brock, and Dawn are calling the two siblings on a video phone at the Pokemon Center after calling Grace first. Serena has just told her two former companions that she won the Saffron City contest and showed them her new ribbon to prove it.

"_I can't help it, Clemont. It's just so exciting!_" Bonnie says gleefully. "_Already she has a contest ribbon! Before you know it, she'll probably have all the ribbons she needs long before she competes in the Grand Festival!_"

Serena chuckles again and says, "Thank you, Bonnie, but let's not take things that far. It was a close match, after all."

"She's right," Dawn says while pointing at herself proudly. "Serena was really good, but she's gonna have to work harder if she wants to have the upper hand against a professional like me again."

"_I'm sure she'll do it. I believe in Serena,_" Bonnie states.

"Yeah, I believe in her, too," Ash says proudly.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

Serena smiles, sweetly at Bonnie and Ash before she gets an idea.

"Oh that's right, you two haven't met my new Pokemon,"

Bonnie's eyes light up in excitement, and she shouts, "_New Pokemon? Show me! Show me!_"

"Alright," Serena says with a smile as she takes out two Pokeballs. "Poliwag, Absol, come on out."

The two balls open, and Poliwag and Absol appear.

"_Awww, they're so cute!_" Bonnie squeals. "_I just want to come over them and hug and play with them all day!_"

"_De ne, ne,_" Dedenne says in agreement.

"Poliwag and Absol would love that," Serena says. "They love to play together, so I know they would really enjoy playing with you and Dedenne."

"Poli, Poli," Poliwag says.

"Sol, Absol," Absol says.

"_So Ash, what are you doing on this journey?_" Clemont asks.

"I'm going to compete in the Indigo League again," Ash says proudly. "But first, I'm on a quest to have a rematch against the Kanto gyms where I didn't get my badges through winning a battle to show how much I've grown as a trainer since then."

"_Huh? So you didn't win your badges through winning battles?_" Clemont asks, confused.

"More like earned them either out of pity or because he saved the gym from Team Rocket," Brock says teasingly.

Ash chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his head before he says, "That's why I want to fix that by having a full-on battle against each of the gyms where something like that happened. I already defeated Brock and Misty, I'm going to have a rematch with Sabrina here in Saffron City, and once I'm done with that, I'll have a rematch at the gyms in Celadon City and Viridian City."

Clemont looks at Ash, still confounded about Ash winning his first badges in unorthodox ways. But then he smiles, understanding what his friend is doing.

"_I see,_" he says with a nod. "_Well, that sounds like a good thing to do while getting ready to compete again._"

As Ash nods back, they hear a bell and Nurse Joy saying, "Serena, Dawn, your Pokemon are ready. Please report to the front desk," through the intercom.

"Well, we better let you go," Serena says. "We're going to head to the Saffron City gym now that Braixen and Mamoswine are healed up."

"_Of course, we understand,_" Clemont says politely. "_It's been great to hear from you, Ash and Serena. And it was nice to meet you, Brock and Dawn._"

"Likewise," Brock says with a nod.

"Same here," Dawn says with a smile.

"Serena, please let us know when you get your next ribbon, okay?" Bonnie asks.

"I will, Bonnie. Promise," Serena says.

"Tell Meyer we said hi, okay?" Ash says.

"_We will. Bye, everyone,_" Clemont says.

The screen goes blank, and Serena smiles warmly while putting Poliwag and Absol back in their Pokeballs and turning to look at Ash and Pikachu.

"I know it's only been a little more than a month, but it feels like it's been forever since we left Kalos," she says.

"I know what you mean," Ash says.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says.

With that, Serena and Dawn pickup Braixen and Mamoswine from Nurse Joy, and together, the four trainers and Pikachu and Piplup leave the Pokemon Center and make their way to the Saffron City gym. Ash knocks on the entrance door, and after a couple of seconds, it opens to reveal an older man and woman looking at the group with friendly smiles on their faces.

"Well, if it isn't Ash and Brock," the man says warmly. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too, sir," Ash says before turning to Serena and Dawn. "These are Sabrina's parents."

Both girls say, "oh," in understanding before Serena says, "Nice to meet you. I'm Serena."

"And I'm Dawn," Dawn introduces.

"Nice to meet you both," Sabrina's mother says. "Please come in. Sabrina is expecting you all."

"Thank you," Ash, Serena, Brock, and Dawn say simultaneously before entering the gym and following Sabrina's parents down the hall.

"So Ash, I'm sure you noticed while you watched the contest with Sabrina that she's changed a lot since you last came here," Sabrina's father says.

"Yeah, she's much more cheerful than I remember," Ash says.

"Oh, she's an absolute gem," Sabrina's mother says happily. "It's like the little girl we knew before she started practicing her powers never left. I speak for both of us when we say we can't thank you enough for bringing Haunter into our lives."

Ash gives Sabrina's mother a toothy grin in response, not noticing Serena, giving him a happy look from behind. No one but Brock and Dawn notice the honey blonde girl looking pleased to hear more about the raven-haired boy she cares for helping others.

After a minute, Sabrina's father opens the door to reveal the gym's arena. Ash and Brock smile at the sight as it looks just about the same as it was when they were at the gym years ago. On the opposite side, Sabrina is sitting on her chair with Haunter floating next to her.

"Welcome, everyone," she says in a friendly tone. "I hope you are truly ready for me, Ash."

"I know I am," Ash says confidently while Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Sabrina's parents walk over to the sidelines of the arena. "So, are we going one-on-one like last time?"

"Actually, I have changed the rules a little since our last match," Sabrina answers. "Now, I want my challengers to face me with all of their Pokemon."

"Huh? Why's that?" Ash asks.

Sabrina smirks and takes out a Pokeball saying, "Let's just say you're not the only one who has grown stronger since your last visit."

She throws the Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal an Alakazam.

"Wow an Alakazam," Dawn says in amazement.

"I see," Brock says in thought. "Now that your Kadabra is an Alakazam, you're probably harder than ever to beat, right?"

"You are correct, Brock," Sabrina says. "With Alakazam fully evolved and our bond stronger than ever, it is appropriate that challengers face us with all the Pokemon they have."

"Alakazam," Alakazam growls in agreement.

Ash smirks back at Sabrina and says, "No problem. The bigger the challenge, the better."

"Pika!" Pikachu says, sharing Ash's determination.

"Good luck, Ash!" Serena calls out.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash says, giving her a thumbs up.

Sabrina nods and turns to her parents.

"Father, would you like to be the referee?" She asks politely.

"I'd be happy to," her father says cheerfully before he raises his hand and clears his throat. "This is a battle between Sabrina, the gym leader, and Ash, the challenger! The battle will be over when all of the Pokemon from either side are unable to battle! Are the contestants ready?!"

"Ready!" Ash and Sabrina say simultaneously.

"Then battle begin!" Sabrina's father declares.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's show them what we got!" Ash says.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu shouts as it jumps into the battlefield, pumped.

"So you're starting with Pikachu just like before, huh?" Sabrina says.

"Yep, and I'm going to finish with Pikachu," Ash says confidently.

"We'll see about that," Sabrina says, still smirking. "You may have the first move."

"Alright, then let's start things up with Thunderbolt!" Ash commands.

Pikachu squeezes his cheeks and lets out a large bolt of electricity at its opponent.

"Alakazam, Teleport!" Sabrina commands.

Alakazam nods and disappears right as Pikachu's attack was about to hit it and reappears several feet away.

"Ugh, Teleport again," Ash groans. "Pikachu, use multiple Thunderbolts. Try to predict where Alakazam is going to appear next."

Pikachu nods and fires several Thunderbolts at Alakazam, and the psychic Pokemon continues to use Teleport to dodge the attacks. Pikachu studies where Alakazam goes until it makes a prediction and fires right where Alakazam appears next, hitting it. Alakazam groans in pain with the electric attack hitting it hard.

"Alright!" Serena cheers.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Dawn calls out.

"Don't celebrate just yet, you two," Brock says seriously.

The two girls look at Brock, confused until they hear Sabrina say, "Alakazam, use Recover!"

"Oh no," Ash says worriedly.

Alakazam stands up, and all the damage fades away in seconds.

"Oh great, it's a Pokemon that knows Recover," Dawn groans.

"Yeah, this is just like when Ash faced Sabrina last time," Brock says. "Pikachu would manage to hit Alakazam back when it was a Kadabra only for all of the damage to be lost when it uses Recover. You haven't changed much of your battle style, have you, Sabrina?"

"Not a whole lot," Sabrina says plainly. "Alakazam may have gained a new move over the last couple of years, but while a trainer gets the better of us on occasion, I can't say we have found enough fault to change our battling style in the grand scheme of things. So I hope you can do more than that, Ash."

"Alright, then I will," Ash says. "Pikachu, multiple Thunderbolts once more!"

Pikachu fires several bolts of electricity again, and without needing an order from Sabrina, Alakazam dodges the attacks with Teleport until one of them successfully hits it.

"Alakazam, Recover!" Sabrina calls out.

"Not so fast," Ash says. "Pikachu, run toward Alakazam with Quick Attack, then use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu charges at Alakazam with inhuman speed and then smacks it in the head it Iron Tail before its opponent could fully use Recover.

"Use multiple Iron Tails!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu smacks Alakazam with Iron Tail, again and again, each one more damaging than the last. But Sabrina raises her eyebrow and smirks at the display.

"Alakazam, use Psychic," she says.

Alakazam's eyes glow blue, and Pikachu freezes in mid-air with a blue glow surrounding it. Ash grows worries while his opponent stands up and claps her hands.

"You certainly have improved, Ash," Sabrina compliments. "But I think it's time for both of us to take off the kid gloves."

She then takes out the ring on her finger and touches the gem. The gem glows, and Alakazam smirks while the gem on its necklace also glows.

"Uh oh," Serena says worriedly while putting her hands on her ribbon.

"Looks like Alakazam can mega evolve too," Brock says.

Several beams come out from both gems and connect until Alakazam glows white. When the glow disappears, Alakazam appears floating, and mega evolved while still holding Pikachu in the air.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt quick!" Ash calls out.

"I don't think so," Sabrina says seriously. "Send Pikachu flying."

Before Pikachu can summon the electricity, Mega Alakazam waves its left hand, and the mouse is sent crashing into a wall beside Serena, Dawn, Brock, and Sabrina's parents.

"Pikachu!" Ash calls out.

Pikachu falls to the ground, groaning with swirly eyes.

"Pikachu is unable to battle!" Sabrina's father declares. "Alakazam wins!"

Ash frowns, disappointed that Pikachu couldn't stop Mega Alakazam in time. Serena walks over to Pikachu and picks it up before turning to Ash with a sad smile.

"I'll look after Pikachu, Ash," she says.

Ash smiles back and nods.

"Thank you, Serena," he says.

Brock and Dawn smirk at the honey blonde girl as she returns to her spot, and Serena uses Pikachu to hide her bashful face while Ash takes put a Pokeball.

"Boldore, I choose you!" He calls out.

He throws the ball, and Boldore comes out ready for battle.

"Huh? Why is he using Boldore?" Dawn asks. "It's not very strong against psychic Pokemon."

"Neither is Pikachu, but I think Ash is focusing less on typing with his strategy again," Brock says.

"Boldore, use Sandstorm!" Ash shouts.

Boldore jumps into the air, gliding several different colors and then stomps on the ground causing sand to swirl out from under in all directions. Everyone covers their eyes, and Serena, and Dawn try to hold on to her hats while Serena protects Pikachu from the sand. Sabrina covers her eyes as best as possible while trying to look for Mega Alakazam in the storm.

"Alright, Boldore, now use Flash Cannon," Ash commands.

Boldore's body becomes outlined in white energy that starts to form in Boldore's ear. An orb of energy forms in front of it and fires a beam of energy at its unsuspecting target. Mega Alakazam struggles to see anything before the attack hits it and sends it crashing to the ground.

"Alakazam, use Recover, and close your eyes!" Sabrina shouts.

"Stop it with Rock Smash!" Ash shouts.

Mega Alakazam floats back up again, heals its wounds, and closes its eyes. Sabrina closes her eyes as well so that the two of them can use their bond to search for the opponent. Finally, they hear the footsteps of Boldore running toward Mega Alakazam, and Sabrina smirks.

"Psybeam!" She shouts.

Mega Alakazam fires a multicolored beam of aura, and the attacks hit the rock Pokemon. Boldore gets hit and is sent flying and crashing next to Ash, causing the Sandstorm to disappear. Ash turns to look at Boldore lying motionless, shocked.

"Boldore is unable to battle! Alakazam wins!" Sabrina's father declares.

Ash sighs and returns Boldore back into its Pokeball before taking out another one and throwing it into the air.

"Go, Quilava!" He shouts.

The ball opens, and Quilava comes out looking at Mega Alakazam with a stoic look.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel and circle around Alakazam," Ash orders.

Quilava jumps into the air and spins around, causing its body to engulf in flames. The volcano Pokemon lands on the ground and starts circling around Mega Alakazam, creating a trail of fire as it goes. Quilava circles closer to its opponent so that most of the field is on fire. Mega Alakazam becomes uneasy while Sabrina frowns and thinks about what Ash is going to do next.

"Now, use Aerial Ace!" Ash shouts.

Sabrina's eyes widen as she figures out what Ash is up to and shouts, "Use Psychic behind you!"

Mega Alakazam trusts its trainer, and its eyes glow blue again, just as Quilava is about to pounce at it from behind. Quilava struggles for a moment before Mega Alakazam waves its hand and sends Ash's Pokemon running into another wall before it falls down with swirly eyes.

"Quilava is unable to battle! Alakazam wins!" Sabrina's father announces.

Ash sighs and reluctantly puts Quilava back in its Pokeball while the fire on the field dies out.

"Wow, Quilava went down in seconds," Dawn asks. "What was Ash trying to accomplish there?"

"I think I know," Brock says with his arms crossed. "He was trying to create a situation similar to what he created with Boldore's Sandstorm. When the sand was covering everything, Alakazam and Sabrina had no way of knowing where Ash was going to attack and so didn't know when to use Teleport to dodge. With Quilava setting the field on fire, he thought he was keeping Alakazam from using Teleport again, but Sabrina figured out his plan and seemed to have sensed when Quilava was going to attack."

"You are correct, Brock," Sabrina says proudly before turning to Ash. "You are much more creative and unpredictable in battle since you last faced me, Ash, but that will only get you so far before I can figure out what you are up to. If you really want to feel worthy of gaining a badge from me, you'll have to do better than this to beat Alakazam and me."

Serena grows worries and turns to look at Ash, who is struggling to think of who to choose next. By this point, Pikachu has regained consciousness and shares the honey blonde girl's fears.

"What will he do, Pikachu?" Serena asks as she holds the mouse Pokemon. "Sabrina seems to stop him at every turn when trying to stop Alakazam from using Teleport or Recover. Not to mention, it's really powerful when using Psychic and Psybeam. There has to be a way to stop Alakazam from recovering and taking it down for good. But how can Ash get the upper hand against all of its attackers when his remaining Pokemon are Oshawott, Servine, and -"

Suddenly, Serena gasps, catching the attention of Sabrina's parents, Brock, and Dawn.

"That's it," Serena says in realization.

"What's it?" Dawn asks.

"Ash!" Serena calls out, ignoring her friend. "Use Gible next!"

Everyone, including Ash and Sabrina, looks at the honey blonde girl confused.

"Huh? Why, Gible?" Ash asks.

"Remember your battle with Timothy!" Serena answers. "Remember what you did to stop Shockwave!"

Ash stares at Serena in confusion before he scratches his chin and thinks about his double battle with Timothy. Then his eyes light up, and he smiles determinedly again before taking out Gible's Pokeball.

"Gible, I choose you!" He calls out.

The ball opens, and the little dragon Pokemon appears, ready for battle. Brock and Dawn remain confused and look at Serena.

"Why did you tell him to take out Gible?" Brock asks.

"You'll see," Serena says, happy to see Ash looking pumped again.

Sabrina raises her eyebrow at the honey blonde girl before turning back to the battle, where Ash is ready to make another command.

"Gible, use Dig!" Ash says.

Gible digs deep into the ground, and Mega Alakazam looks around, wondering where it opponent could be. Suddenly, Gible emerges right underneath Mega Alakazam and rams it with its hard head.

"Alakazam, use Psychic now!" Sabrina shouts.

Mega Alakazam quickly recovers from Gible's attack and catches its enemy in the air using Psychic. Gible panics as it hangs in the air with a blue outline surrounding it, which only makes Ash smirk.

"Gible, calm down, and use Draco Meteor at full power!" He shouts.

Gible stops squirming and opens its mouth wide, trusting its trainer. Just like before, Gible glows orange, creates an orange ball of light, and fires it high into the air. The ball explodes and releases several smaller spheres that head straight towards the ground. Sabrina grows worries at all the tiny spheres coming down the field at once.

"Alakazam, let go of Gible and use Teleport, now!" she yells.

Mega Alakazam stops using Psychic, but before it could dodge one of the spheres hits it on the head. The other spheres surrounding the psi Pokemon explode on the ground, sending it flying into the air and slamming into the ground, groaning in pain.

"Alakazam, use Recover," Sabrina calls out.

"Oh, no, you don't," Ash says. "Gible, use Dragon Pulse!"

Gible summons a turquoise ball of energy and fires at Mega Alakazam, hitting it before it can use Recover.

"Don't let up! Use Dragon Pulse again!" Ash shouts.

Gible fires another ball of energy, but now Sabrina is ready for them.

"Alakazam, stop that attack with Psychic!" she shouts.

Mega Alakazam's eyes glow blue, and the Dragon Pulse stops in mid-air just a few inches away from its face.

"Gible, keep using Dragon Pulse," Ash commands.

Gible fires another Dragon Pulse, but Mega Alakazam catches it with Psychic. The Land Shark Pokemon uses Dragon Pulse again and again, and its opponent just stops them before they hit, creating a collection of turquoise balls of energy floating in front of Mega Alakazam.

"Whatever you're doing, Ash, it isn't working," Sabrina states. "Alakazam can hold dozens of things at once using Psychic, and your Gible is going to tire out at this rate."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Ash says. "Gible, aim your next Dragon Pulse at one of the Dragons Pulses that Alakazam is holding!"

Everyone looks at Ash confused until Gible fires at one of the Dragon Pulses Mega Alakazam is holding with Psychic. The balls of energy explode on impact, which harms Mega Alakazam, causing it to lose control of the other Dragons Pules, which hit it all at once. The psi Pokemon slams into the ground and groans in pain, making Sabrina worried.

"Alright, use Dragon Pulse one more time before it tries to use Recover!" Ash shouts.

"Counter it with Psybeam!" Sabrina yells.

Mega Alakazam quickly summons another Psybeam and fires just in time to hit Gible's Dragon Pulse, causing it to explode.

"Don't give it another chance. Use Psybeam at maximum power!" Sabrina shouts.

"You use Dragon Pulse with everything you've got, Gible!" Ash shouts.

But instead of creating a turquoise ball of energy forming in its mouth, the two appendages on Gible's head glow blue. Everyone looks at Gible confused until its body is enveloped in a light blue aura, and it sporadically charges at Alakazam.

"What is that?" Sabrina's mom asks.

"It's Dragon Rush," Brock says, surprised. "Gible just learned a new move!"

Mega Alakazam is still summoning the energy to use Psybeam when Gible slams into the psy Pokemon. Sabrina watches in shock as Mega Alakazam falls down on its back unconscious and turns back in its normal form. Everyone turns to Sabrina's father, who looks at the display dumbfounded before he clears his throat.

"Alakazam is unable to battle!" he announces. "Gible wins, so the victory goes to Ash!"

"Alright!" Ash shouts, jumping into the air.

"Alright! Way to go, Ash and Gible!" Serena cheers as she, Pikachu, Dawn, Brock, and Piplup walk over to Ash.

Sabrina frowns until Haunter pops up in front of her and starts making funny faces that instantly makes her laugh.

"Thank you, Haunter," she says. "You always know how to make me feel better."

"Haunt Haunter," Haunter says, happy to cheer up its friend.

Pikachu jumps into Ash's arms, and the two laugh joyously while Serena, Dawn, and Brock surrounded them.

"Good job, Ash," Brock says.

"Way to go, Ash!" Dawn says.

"Thanks you guys," Ash says before he turns to Serena, who gives him a warm smile. "And thank you for your advice, Serena. I couldn't have done it without you."

Serena blushes slightly at the compliment and says, "You're very welcome, Ash. I told you I'll be here to support you all the way."

Ash smiles and nods at her. Then he turns to Gible and says, "Great job with using Dragon Rush, Gible. That's so awesome that you know that move now."

"Gible!" Gible shouts happily.

Suddenly, the land shark Pokemon glows white, and everyone stares at it, surprised. Ash's look of shock turns into one of joy as his Pokemon grows taller with longer arms and legs before it stops glowing.

"Gible evolved into a Gabite," Brock says.

"That's wonderful!" Serena says happily as she takes out her Pokedex.

"Gabite, the cave Pokemon," her Pokedex says. "Gabite goes wild for precious jewels, first digging them up and then flashing them in its nest."

"Awesome. You finally evolved, Gabite. That's great!" Ash says.

"Gabite!" Gabite says happily before it proceeds to bite on the top of Ash's head, making Ash laugh.

"Yep, that's the same Pokemon alright," Dawn says with a smirk.

"Piplup," Piplup says, agreeing.

"I still wish it wouldn't do that to Ash," Serena sighs.

Sabrina returns Alakazam and walks over to the group with her parents and Haunter.

"Well done, Ash," she compliments. "You really are much stronger than you were before. You've more than earned your badge at my gym."

"Thanks, Sabrina," Ash says.

"So, are you going to Celadon City next to have a rematch with the gym there?" Sabrina asks.

"Yeah, and Serena's going to compete in the Pokemon contest there too," Ash says.

"While I go compete in the contest in Vermillion City," Dawn adds.

"Well, we wish you all the best of luck," Sabrina's father says.

"Thank you," Serena says.

Haunter floats over to Ash and gives him a big lick on the face.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Haunter," Ash chortles.

"Haunter," Haunter says cheerfully.

Thus, Sabrina, her parents, and Haunter walk the group to the exit. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Brock, Dawn, and Piplup wave goodbye until they are far away from the Saffron City gym. The group walks several more blocks until they reach the main road with a sign pointing at the directions to Celadon City, Cerulean City, Lavender Town, and Vermillion City.

"Alright, everybody, this is where I gotta split," Dawn says.

"Okay, Dawn, then we'll see you later," Ash says.

"Maybe we'll bump into you again along before the Grand Festival," Brock says.

"I'd love that!" Dawn says cheerfully before turning to Serena. "And Serena, you better work even harder because the next time we face each other, whether in a contest or the Grand Festival, you won't be so lucky."

"I'll be waiting," Serena says with a smile as she shakes Dawn's hand.

Pikachu and Piplup say their goodbyes before the penguin Pokemon and its trainer head out. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock wave Dawn and Piplup goodbye until they are out of sight.

"Alright, it looks like it's time to head to Celadon City," Brock says.

"For my rematch with Erika," Ash says.

"And for my second contest ribbon," Serena adds.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu shouts.

Thus, the three trainers and Pikachu begin making their way to Celadon City. As they leave the city and follow the dirt path, Ash looks up at the sky and wonders how his rival, Timothy, as well as Electchu and Coovers, are doing.


	23. Chapter 23

Inside a two-person bedroom at a Pokemon Center, Timothy snores with his mouth open until he feels something poking his nose. The trainer whimpers and rolls over on the bed only to feel something poking his nose again. He covers his head with a pillow and tries to go back to sleep, but his moment of peace is interrupted when he hears a voice saying, "Rai…" and his eyes snap open.

"Okay, okay!" he shouts in a sitting position. "You win, Electchu! I'm up!"

Timothy's faithful Raichu gives him a smirk as it hops out of bed, pleased with its work in walking up its trainer. Timothy sighs and groans, mentally wishing his partner would not force him to wake up by threatening to use Thunder on him every day. He yawns and stretches before he gets out of bed, and turns to the bed on the other side where Coovers is sleeping soundly.

"Rai…" Electchu begins, preparing to hit the other man with a Thunder

"No!" Timothy hisses as he tiptoes over to Coovers' bed. "I have a better idea."

Electchu looks at Timothy, confused until he gestures to Raichu to listen. The two of them lean in close to Coovers who is hugging his pillow tightly and muttering in his sleep.

"Oh, my darling...you're so beautiful...let's get married and have a hundred children…"

Timothy and Electchu fight the urge to laugh out loud. The trainer puts his finger on his lips before he tiptoes back to his bed, grabs his pillow, and tiptoes back to Coovers' bed. The two of them wait carefully until the black-haired man is slowly leaning his head toward his pillow with his lips pressed together. Timothy grins evilly as he waits for the right moment before he slams his pillow right on Coovers' head.

"AUGH! WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Coovers screams as he jumps out of bed and makes a defensive stance.

"Oh good, you're up," Timothy chortles while Electchu drops onto the floor, squealing with laughter.

Coovers takes a moment to recognize his surroundings before he turns to Timothy and Electchu with a mopy face.

"Tiiiimmmmooottthhhhyyyyyyyyyyyyy," he whines like a little child. "That's not funny."

"You're right. It's hysterical," Timothy says while making his bed.

"I was having such a wonderful dream," Coovers protests.

"Yeah, we noticed," Timothy says, earning a snicker from Electchu while he grabs clean clothes from his backpack and walks over to the bathroom. "Let me guess, your dream girl had short blonde curly hair, blue eyes and a high-pitched voice that you think is adorable.

Coovers frowns as his friend goes to the bathroom and says, "No, she had a really sweet voice with chocolate-brown eyes and long, shiny black hair that she keeps in a ponytail."

"Score," Timothy sarcastically says from the other side of the bathroom door.

Electchu keeps snickering, earning a death glare from Coovers. He walks over to the bathroom door with a bitter look on his face.

"You're just making fun of me because I want that special kind of companionship," he claims.

Timothy opens the door dressed in clean clothes while holding his pajamas.

"Nope, I'm making fun of you because you almost kissed your pillow," Timothy says.

Coovers frown and says, "You know what? Someday you're gonna find a nice girl that's gonna make you super happy, and when you two get married with me as your best man, my speech is going to be nothing, but how you stepped on my dreams for true love, and you're gonna get embarrassed and...and...and your wife is going to hate you forever."

Timothy scoff laughs and says, "Classic comeback, Coovers, except for all we know I might choose Electchu as my best man, and there's nothing in that story that says you got married too."

Timothy and Electchu both chuckle as the trainer puts his pajamas in his backpack. Coovers glares at his friend bitterly and storms over to him.

"I'm serious, Timothy. There's nothing wrong with wanting romance in your life," he says. "I mean, what are you going to do even if you successfully win every single Pokemon league there is? Just keep training and traveling with Electchu and your other Pokemon for the rest of your life?"

Timothy's teasing smirk fades, and he thinks about Coovers' question seriously for a moment before he looks away and shakes his head.

"I can't worry about that stuff, Coovers," he says. "Now is not the time to find a special lady in my life."

"If not now, then when?" Coovers challenges.

Timothy frowns and thinks about it again for a second.

"I don't know," he says honestly. "I just know that it can't be now, especially since we need to focus on our mission. Remember? We got to find Brandon?"

Coovers stares at Timothy for a moment before he understands and chuckles sheepishly.

"Right," he says. "You have a match at the Battle Dome today."

"Exactly," Timothy says. "So let's turn in our key cards, get that battle against this city's Frontier Brain over with and keep working our way to stop Team Rocket, and then we can worry about other things."

"Fine," Coovers sighs. "But I won't give up on finding someone just because we have a job to do. We can multitask if we have to."

Timothy scoffs again as Coovers grabs some clothes from his backpack and heads to the bathroom to change out of his pajamas.

"Can is not the same thing as should, Coovers," Timothy calls out. "Besides, how are we going to come across any pretty ladies that you could date during the Battle Frontier?"

"TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER! TUCKER!"

Timothy frowns at the sight of countless women flooding the stands inside the Battle Dome. After coming across an uncomfortable crowd of reporters and cameraman after leaving the Pokemon Center and awkwardly partaking in a press conference, Timothy finally stands backstage, waiting to enter the battlefield. He can see all the women screaming and fawning for his opponent while holding out signs and wearing t-shirts that have the face of a guy with strange purple hair. He turns to Coovers, who has a gaga look on his face and then to Scott who is standing next to them and Electchu with his signature smirk.

"So…" Timothy begins. "This Tucker guy is popular?"

Scott chuckles in amusement.

"You could say that," he says. "Tucker is a great strategist, but he's also a performer at heart. He tries to make every battle he's in entertaining whether he wins or loses, and that definitely includes a match against the trainer who has defeated the bi-regional champion."

"Okay, so why couldn't you have explained that to me before the press conference where I made things awkward by asking who was Tucker that the reporters were asking me about?" Timothy demands.

Scott chuckles nervously and says, "I like to take everyone by surprise when a contender is having a press conference."

Timothy gives the fat man an unamused glare before he sighs and turns to Coovers, who is still checking out the crowd with a happy look.

"Will you stop that?" He rebukes. "They're here for Tucker, not for you."

"I know, but there's so many pretty ladies out there," Cooves says, not looking at his friend. "I don't know how I can look away."

"Oh yeah? Well, how about I have Electchu hit you with Thunder if you don't stop creepily staring at those poor, unsuspecting women within the next five seconds?" Timothy challenges with Electchu squeezing its cheeks in preparation.

"Okay, okay, you win!" Coovers says, panicking.

Timothy, Electchu, and Scott chuckle before Scott walks over to Timothy and places his hand on the trainer's shoulder.

"Timothy, I know you're eager to win and continue your journey through the Battle Frontier, but I want you to enjoy yourself while you're facing Tucker," he says.

"Why? Just to entertain the crowd some more?" Timothy asks.

"Well...yes," Scott admits. "But I think you should use this battle to work on having fun battling. You said yourself that you found yourself enjoying your double battle with Ash even though it wasn't an important battle. Why not practice treating other battles better with a battle where part of the goal is to entertain people?"

Timothy frowns, unsure of Scott's advice. He turns to Coovers, who thinks deeply in thought before gesturing his friend to come to him and lean in his ear.

"That actually might be a really good idea, Timothy." He whispers.

"Seriously?" Timothy says.

"Well, you did say that you want to be more open to friendly competition, didn't you?" Coovers asks.

"Well, yeah, but I just meant with Ash as my new rival," Timothy says.

Coovers sighs and rubs his forehead before he gives his friend a serious look.

"Look, Timothy, I've been trying to get you to be more open around other trainers for years," he says. "You now have a chance to do that thanks to Ash and all of his friends, and I'm not going to let it slip away. You need to have fun battling with other trainers."

"And what about the mission?" Timothy challenges.

"It'll still be here," Coovers says. "Besides, this could be a good cover for the mission."

"How do you figure?" Timothy asks.

"Well, this battle is being televised," Coovers points out. "And as one of my superiors taught me, you should keep your enemies unaware that you suspect anything. So if Giovanni or anyone from Team Rocket are watching this right now, how likely are they going to suspect that you might be trying to stop them if you're appearing like you're having lots of fun battling."

Timothy thinks for a moment before he says, "I think Giovanni and his minions would be the last people in the world to be interested in watching a televised battle surrounded by squealing women, but I do see your point."

Coovers smiles hopefully and asks, "So you'll do it?"

Timothy hesitates before he reluctantly says, "I guess I could act like I'm enjoying the battle before I crush this guy in front of his adoring fans."

Coovers stares at his friend, feeling uneasy.

"Uh...great...please do…" he manages to say.

The two of them break from their huddle, and Timothy turns to Scott, saying, "Scott, I can't promise to be a hundred percent fun, but I'll give it a try."

Scott smiles and nods in approval.

"That's all I ask, Timothy," he says.

Suddenly, the lights in the dome light up, and the audience screams even louder in anticipation.

"Looks like it's showtime," Scott says. "Good luck, Timothy. We'll be cheering for you on the balcony."

"Thanks," Timothy says half-heartedly as Scott and Coovers leave.

Timothy lets out a big sigh before turning to Electchu.

"Fun and entertaining, huh?" He says. "Do you think we can do it?"

"Rai!" Electchu replies proudly.

Timothy smiles at his partner's enthusiasm and says, "Then let's go have fun, crushing another opponent."

The trainer and his Raichu nod and step on the platform that lifts them up to the stage. The lights in the stadium go dark, and the audience becomes quiet, and a large screen appears showing a picture of Timothy and Electchu.

"_From the quiet village of Pallet Town, this trainer has made a tremendous career as a Pokemon trainer,_" an announcer begins.

"Well, that's not overselling it," Timothy mutters sarcastically to Electchu.

"_He has competed in the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova Pokemon Leagues many times, getting stronger each time,_" the announcer continues.

"Well, that's more or less true," Timothy admits.

"_He's this year's winner of the Johto League who has defeated the Johto Elite Four and Lance, the bi-regional champion. Please give a big round of applause for Timothy Durbin!_"

A spotlight appears right above Timothy and Electchu, and the two of them quickly force big smiles on their faces and wave at the audience who are cheering loudly for them.

"Thank you. Thank you very much," Timothy calls out, acting as happy as possible. "I hope you can all forgive me for beating your celebrity."

Electchu snickers at his trainer, taking advantage of the fact that no one can hear him from all the cheering and applause. Suddenly, after Timothy and Electchu make it to the platform on their side of the battlefield, the spotlight disappears, and the audience immediately becomes silent.

"_And now, for the moment you've been waiting for. A man talented for creating beauty in Pokemon battles,_" the announcer begins "_Reigning undefeated apart from his legendary battle against Ash Ketchum who is also from Pallet Town, a master who cares about his fans as much as his craft, feast your eyes on the greatest display of talent the Battle Dome has to offer! It's Tucker, your Dome Ace!_"

The audience roar is high-pitched screams of joy that make Timothy's ears hurt. He covers his ears with his hands as he watches a man with large purple hair, and a strange outfit is lowered to the other side of the battlefield via cables.

"Battle Frontier greetings to you, my friends! Welcome one and all to the Battle Dome!" He says in a mellow but friendly voice. "I'm here to have a good time. How about you?"

The audience screams even louder with Timothy, hearing some women calling him a dreamboat or saying he's very hot.

"Really? They find a guy in that getup attractive?" He mutters quietly.

"Rai," Electchu says, agreeing with its trainer.

The man named Tucker waves energetically and blows kisses to his fans, but to their delight. Finally, he turns to Timothy and Electchu and smirks at them.

"At last, the man who defeated Lance, the bi-regional champion," he says enthusiastically. "I have been eagerly awaiting for you to make it this far in the Battle Frontier."

"Is that right?" Timothy asks with his own smirk.

"Very much so," Tucker replies. "So here's to a battle between us that is worthy of the Tactic Symbol."

"Here's to such a battle indeed," Timothy calls out, keeping his proud demeanor. "But you realize, of course, that symbol is mine no matter what you throw at me."

Tucker's smirk grows, and he says, "Now that's the kind of confidence I'd like to hear. So our fighting theme will be the hot but cool fusion of fire and water."

Without another word, Tucker throws two Pokeballs into the air, and they open to reveal an Arcanine and Swampert both looking during and pumped for battle. A referee appeared on a floating platform.

"This is a double battle between Tucker the Dome Ace and Timothy Durbin, the challenger!" he announces. "The battle will be over when both Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! Timothy, since the Frontier Brain revealed the identity of his Pokemon, it's time for you to do the same! You may even have Pokemon transported here if you wish!"

A transporter appears next to Timothy and Electchu's platform. Timothy thinks hard about his decision until Electchu tugs his parents for attention.

"Raichu. Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai Raichu," it says.

Timothy frowns and looks at Tucker's Arcanine and Swampert carefully and then looks at his opponent. Tucker has an upbeat look on his face, but Timothy can see the look of an expert strategist in his eyes, and his Pokemon clearly look very strong. Timothy scratches his chin in thought for a few seconds before he sighs and turns to his Raichu with an apologetic look.

"No, I think I should use Odyssey and Shockwave again instead of you and Poliwrath," he says.

Electchu looks at its trainer shocked before it looks upset and says multiple "Rai" and "Raichu's" that make Timothy uneasy.

"I know Arcanine is weak against water, but Swampert is a water and ground type," he points out. "So Poliwrath has a type advantage against either of Tucker's Pokemon, but you don't."

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu."

"Odyssey and Shockwave may not have any advantage over those two, but neither do either of Tucker's Pokemon, so it's even."

"Raichu! Rai, Rai, Raichu!"

"Electchu, look at the way Tucker and his Pokemon are looking at us. Even if Swampert is only a water type, do you really think they aren't prepared to fight well against the Pokemon they are weak against? They did offer me to switch Pokemon."

Electchu looks at Timothy skeptically until it looks down and thinks carefully. After a moment, it sighs and reluctantly says, "Rai. Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu."

"Exactly," Timothy says, relieved that his partner understands. "Don't worry. You and Poliwrath will get your chance during the Frontier. I promise."

The Raichu bitterly nods, still wishing that it could battle with Poliwrath.

"Timothy, what is your decision?" The referee asks.

"I'm sticking with the Pokemon I have, thank you," Timothy answers.

"Okay," the referee says as he presses a button, and the transporter disappears.

Timothy nods before he takes out two Pokeballs and takes a deep breath.

"Try to have have fun," he mutters to himself before he shouts, "Odyssey, Shockwave, showtime!"

The two balls open, and the trainer's Lucario and Gardevoir come out, both looking ready for battle.

"A Lucario and a Gardevoir? What an interesting choice," Tucker says. "I am eager to see what kind of strategies you are going to use with them."

"I can honestly say the same thing about your Swampert and Arcanine," Timothy says.

"All Pokemon are in place, so now it's on to the frontier battle!" the referee declares. "And go!"

"Okay, Odyssey and Shockwave, let's test the water with Extreme speed on Arcanine and Disarming Voice on Swampert!" Timothy orders.

Shockwave and Odyssey nod before the Gardevoir fires a Disarming Voice, and the Lucario charges toward Arcanine at blinding speed.

"Arcanine counter with Extreme speed like the wind. Swampert, use Protect," Tucker responds calmly.

Swampert summons a force field around itself, blocking Shockwave's attack while Arcanine charges at Odyssey with equal speed. The two of them run into each other, and Odyssey is sent flying back and landing next to Shockwave.

"Well done, both of you," Tucker says to his Pokemon.

"So Swampert can use Protect, and Arcanine's Extreme speed is slightly more powerful than Odyssey's," Timothy analyses. "You've trained your Pokemon well, Tucker."

"Thank you, Timothy," Tucker says with a proud smile. "But I am disappointed to know you and your Pokemon were only testing Arcanine, Swampert, and Me. Show me your full power!"

Timothy gives his opponent a playful smirk and says, "Sorry pal, but nobody simply gets our full power. They _earn_ it like Ash did."

The audience gasps, taken aback at Timothy's response while Tucker looks at his opponent intrigued.

"So you too have battled against Ash," he says.

"We've formed a little friendly rivalry after a little battle with Odyssey and Shockwave here," Timothy replies. "So if you want to see our full power as he did, then you better prove you can handle it."

Tucker smirks at Timothy and says, "Very well. Swampert, use Mud Shot, and Arcanine use Flamethrower."

Arcanine shoots Flamethrower at Odyssey while several balls of mud shoot out of Swampert's mouth and head toward Shockwave.

"Odyssey, counter with Aura Sphere and Shockwave, catch the Mud Shot with Psychic!" Timothy calls out.

Shockwave's eyes glow blue, and the balls of mud are frozen in midair while Odyssey fires an Aura Sphere, and the collision between the beam and the Flamethrower explodes on impact.

"Now, Shockwave, throw the Mud Shot back!" Timothy commands.

"Swampert, Protect," Tucker calls out quickly.

Shockwave throws the balls of mud back, using the smoke as a cover. But Timothy frowns when the smoke clears, and Swampert is using protect in front of Arcanine.

"Clever idea, Timothy, but I've seen trainers try that on me before," Tucker says. "Swampert, use Dynamic Punch and Arcanine, use Extreme speed."

With Swampert's fist glowing in an orange aura, it and Arcanine charge at the Lucario and Gardevoir, making Timothy smirk.

"Seriously?" He says unimpressed. "Shockwave, lift them up in the air with Psychic!"

Sharing its trainer's disappointment, Shockwave's eye glow blue again. Swampert and Arcanine stop in mid-charge and are raised high into the air with a blue glow surrounding their body. The two Pokemon begin to panic until they hear Tucker's voice.

"Arcanine, Swampert, do not be afraid," he calls out in a warm, comforting voice. "Use Flamethrower and Mud Shot on Shockwave."

Arcanine and Swampert stop panicking and fire their attacks.

"Bone Rush," Timothy says plainly.

Odyssey creates a large bone of energy and stands in front of Shockwave, spinning the Bone in front of both of them rapidly. The two attacks hit the bone, causing an explosion only to find neither the Lucario or Gardevoir harmed.

"Ah, I see you have your own way of having your team protect each other," Tucker says.

"I sure do," Timothy stars proudly.

"Rai!" Electchu shouts triumphantly.

"It's good to see such teamwork between trainer and Pokemon in a double battle," Tucker says. "But you do not have the upper hand against me. Swampert, use Water Pulse!"

Swampert's tail glows orange, and it summons water vapor from the air with its tail. A geyser then fires from the water above Swampert's tailfin, and it unexpectedly lifts Odyssey and Shockwave into the air, sucking them into a water tornado, freeing Swampert and Arcanine.

"Oh no," Timothy says, suddenly afraid.

"Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" Tucker calls out.

Arcanine fires a Fire Blast, and the water tornado and the two attacks combine fusing the two attacks together. Odyssey and Shockwave shout in pain as the two attacks cause an explosion that sends them flying into the air and crashing into the ground.

"Odyssey! Shockwave!" Timothy calls out.

"How did you like that, Timothy?" Tucker asks triumphantly. "This is the foundation of my craft. The bedrock in which everything I do is built; the bending of two opposing powers to achieve maximum damage. Fire-water fusion!"

The audience let out ear-piercing screams of cheer, with many women rooting for Tucker with hearts in their eyes. Timothy and Electchu, however, look worriedly at Odyssey and Shockwave, who are still on the ground with scratches all over their bodies.

"Timothy, I can't thank you enough for this battle," Tucker says sincerely. "You forced me to use my greatest combo against your Pokemon. Only Ash has ever given me such a battle here in the Battle Dome. Truly, I have enjoyed this challenge, and I hope you have too."

Timothy only half pays attention to Tucker with his eyes on his Pokemon.

"Odyssey, Shockwave, can you keep up?" He asks.

The two Pokemon groan before Odyssey slowly gets up and offers Shockwave its hand. The Gardevoir smiles appreciatively and accepts the Lucario's hand before it pulls it up. They turn to Timothy and firmly nod to show they are still up for battling.

"Thank heaven," Timothy sighs in relief.

"Rai, Rai, Raichu!" Electchu says, which makes Timothy, Odyssey, and Shockwave look at it in confusion.

"What's that, Electchu?" Timothy asks.

"Raichu! Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu!" Electchu says excitedly.

Timothy thinks about it before it hits him, and he turns to Odyssey and Shockwave, who are grinning deviously, having figured it out as well.

"Yeah, you got a point there, pal," the trainer says. "He did say that, so now we have the upper hand. Don't you agree, fellas?"

"Gardevoir!" Shockwave calls out with a smirk.

"Luca!" Odyssey roars, grinning.

Tucker sees his opponent's Pokemon act pumped, and he chuckles, saying, "Your Lucario and Gardevoir have a lot of spirit, Timothy. I'm glad Arcanine, Swampert, can continue to face such an energetic team."

"I'm glad to hear it because they won't be facing us for much longer," Timothy states. "Odyssey, use Extreme speed!"

Tucker frowns and says, "I don't see how that will do you any good. Arcanine, use Extreme speed as well."

Arcanine and Odyssey charge at each other with inhuman speed. Timothy watches carefully until he makes the next call.

"Now, jump!" He shouts.

Odyssey jumps over Arcanine right as the two are about to collide, surprising the quadruped Pokemon. Tucker smirks as he realizes that Timothy tricked him into thinking his Lucario was going after Arcanine when its actually heading toward Swampert.

"Ah, you tricked us, but it will do you no good," he says. "Swampert, Protect."

Swampert summons another green forcefield, and Odyssey runs right into it, tumbling to the ground. Timothy, however, smirks at the display.

"Shockwave, use Psychic!" he commands. "Give Swampert back, its friend!"

The Gardevoir grins, and its eyes glow blue. Arcanine, who is still taken aback of Odyssey, dodging it panics as it is lifted off the ground and sent flying straight toward Swampert, who is still using Protect. Arcanine rams right into the force field and falls down groaning in pain, and Swampert stops using Protect, shocked that it unintentionally harmed its friend.

"Odyssey, Strength!" Timothy shouts.

Tucker looks at its opponent surprised and looks down to find Odyssey, who is still lying down on the ground, opening its eyes and grinning deviously as it surrounds its body in red aura before quickly standing up, picks up Swampert and tosses it high in the air. The mudfish Pokemon hangs in the air for a moment before it falls right on top of Arcanine. Tucker looks at his downed Pokemon, shocked before he smiles and shakes his head.

"Impressive," he says. "You used Odyssey as a distraction twice. Very risky to have it intentionally ram into Swampert's Protect."

"Actually, it really isn't," Timothy answers in a matter-of-factly tone. "Odyssey has had the misfortune of running into Protect and Reflect and other means of protection when using Extreme speed enough times that it's used to it, so it doesn't have the same effect as it used to."

"What a remarkable feat," Tucker compliments.

"We're not done yet," Timothy states. "Shockwave, lift them up again."

Shockwave's eyes glow, and it lifts Arcanine and Swampert high into the air with Psychic.

"That won't work again, Timothy," Tucker says. "Swampert, Water Pulse and Arcanine, use Fire Blast."

"Not this time!" Timothy declares. "Shockwave, clap your hands!"

Shockwave grins again and starts clapping its hands repeatedly. The gesture causes Swampert and Arcanine to slam into each other in the air multiple times before they can make a move. Tucker and the audience gasp in silence as the Gardevoir stops clapping its hands and lets go of its opponents, causing them to fall toward the ground, barely conscious.

"Arcanine! Swampert! No!" Tucker calls out.

"Odyssey, batter up!" Timothy calls out.

Odyssey creates a green bone of energy and holds it up like a baseball bat. Right as Arcanine and Swampert are about to hit the ground, Odyssey swings its bone right on their faces causing them to crash right into the railing and fall down on the floor with swirly eyes. The referee stares at the display, shocked for a moment before he clears his throat.

"Swampert and Arcanine are unable to battle!" he announces. "Odyssey and Shockwave win, and so the Battle Dome competition goes to Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town!"

The entire dome stays silent after the referee makes his call. Suddenly, Tucker laughs out loud and starts clapping his hands.

"Well done! Well done!" He shouts.

The crowd waits a moment until they start cheering with him. Timothy sighs, glad that the battle is over while Electchu jumps up and down for joy, and Odyssey and Shockwave walk over to his side of the field.

"Nice job, you guys," he says. "I knew you were just the kind of duo to take down those clowns."

"Gar," Shockwave states.

"Luca," Odyssey says.

Tucker returns his Pokemon back into their Pokeballs and giving them words of thanks before putting the Pokeballs away and walks over to Timothy.

"That was a very brutal but effective strategy," he says. "What influenced you to come up with such a combo?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, you did," Timothy states. "You see, it was a mistake for you to tell me that you used your best combo when you did because that meant I knew I had little surprises left from you. So when I created the chance to have Swampert and Arcanine lifted into the air again with Shockwave's Psychic, I knew there was only one combo you could use to try to free them from Shockwave's grasp, which meant all my Pokemon had to do was stop them from trying anything while forming our own combo to take Arcanine and Swampert down."

"Ah, you took my own boasting to your advantage. Sharp thinking," Tucker compliments. "You're a skilled tactician, and it was a blast to have such a match with the likes of someone like you, Timothy."

Timothy smiles and says, "You know what, Tucker? I think I had a little fun as well."

"Really?" Tucker asks, intrigued.

"Yeah," Timothy replies. "Thinking back on it, I am intrigued with your little water-fire fusion combo. Hardly any people have figured out a way to overcome the teamwork I have created with Odyssey and Shockwave, but you found a way around our tactics creatively and unexpectedly. Without that, I would not have come up with a way to do the same to you, and I would not have learned more ways Pokemon can find a way through our defenses. All in all, it was a thrilling yet enlightening experience, and I thank you for that."

Tucker smiles brightly and says, "You are very welcome, Timothy."

The two men shake hands, and the crowd cheer loudly again. Suddenly, Timothy feels an arm wrap around his neck from behind and pulls him back for a noogie.

"Augh! Coovers, cut it out!" He yells.

"No, I won't," Coovers says bitterly. "How dare you break the hearts of all these lovely ladies by beating their hero."

"Coovers, they're cheering for both of us," Timothy rebukes.

"Yeah, only because Tucker applauded first," Coovers counters.

Timothy frees himself from Coovers' grasp just in time for Scott to step in with a smile.

"Timothy, that was quite the battle out there. Good work," he says.

"Thanks, Scott," Timothy says.

"Everyone, give our big winner another huge round of applause!" Tucker calls out.

The crowd cheers again, and Timothy smiles and waves at them, appreciative of the audience being good sports like their idol. Tucker then smiles at Timothy, Electchu, Odyssey, Shockwave, Coovers, and Scott and walks away.

"Uh, Tucker, aren't you forgetting something?" Timothy asks. "Like giving me my symbol?"

Tucker stops walking and turns to Timothy and says, "Look behind Odyssey's left ear."

Timothy looks at him in confusion until he turns to his Lucario and looks at the back of its left ear to find the Tactic Symbol lying there.

"Uh...how did you do that?" Timothy asks, baffled.

But Tucker just smirks and winks at Timothy before walking away. Timothy watches the purple-haired man walk away from his sight before turning to Electchu, Odyssey, and Shockwave. The four of them shrug simultaneously before Timothy puts the Tactic Symbol in his case and turns to Scott.

"Alright, Scott, that's three down, four to go," he says. "Where are we going to next?"

"Next is the Battle Pike," Scott answers. "I had it installed in Coovers' PokeNav while we were on our way down after the battle."

"He sure did," Coovers announced with a smile. "And it's a few miles away from Fuchsia City."

"Fuchsia City? That's quite a distance from here," Timothy comments. "What's our quickest route there?"

"That would be taking the Cycling Road west of Celadon City, which will lead us right to Fuchsia City," Coovers analysis. "From there, we can make our way to this Battle Pike in no time flat."

Timothy frowns and says, "Cycling Road would be a great way to get there with haste, but we would need our bikes to take that road, and I left mine in Pallet Town."

Scott chuckles and says, "You're in luck. They recently have started renting bikes to people who want to travel through Cycling Road."

"Really?" Timothy asks, surprised.

"Yes. Trainers go the long way from Celadon City to Fuchsia City so frequently because they can't afford to own bikes that it made sense for businesses to offer renting bikes to trainers who are just traveling from one side to the other," Scott explains.

"That's perfect," Coovers says happily.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Timothy asks as he returns Odyssey and Shockwave to their Pokeballs. "The day is still young, so let's get a head start."

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts in agreement.

"I'll be waiting for you there," Scott says.

Thus, the three men and Electchu exit the Battle Dome, and Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu say their goodbyes to Scott before making their way to Saffron City, where they will head west to Celadon City and from there to Cycling Road. As they walk, Coovers decides to take a moment to look at his friend with a playful frown.

"You know, I think you broke a lot of hearts by beating Tucker so ruthlessly," he states.

"Mmmm hmmm," Timothy hums uncaringly.

"You know, my soulmate could have been in that crowd, and now we'll never meet because my best friend defeated her hero in battle," Coovers says.

"Sure, sure," Timothy says with a wave of his hand.

Coovers' frown deepens, and he steps in front of Timothy and Electchu.

"Come on, Timothy, why can't you consider the possibility that I could have found my true love in the Battle Dome?" he pouts.

Timothy sighs and puts his hands on Coovers' shoulders, looking at him deeply in the eyes.

"Because, Coovers - and I say this in the most caring way possible as your friend, can you honestly tell me that you would be okay with dating a woman who has a thing for guys with weird hairdos and flamboyant outfits like Tucker?" he challenges.

Coovers opens his mouth to counter before he thinks about it for a moment and lowers his head in defeat.

"No. I guess not," he says.

"Good," Timothy says before giving Coovers as supportive smile. "All teasing aside, though, I'm sure there's a Ms. Right out there for you somewhere."

"You think so?" Coovers asks.

"Hey, if I can start to have fun battling or have a friendly rival for once despite what went down with Trent and me, I'd say anything is possible," Timothy encourages. "But I also stand by what I said this morning that we should focus more on what we have going on now first."

Coovers smiles at his friend and makes a determined face.

"You're right," he says. "We should focus on getting the next three Battle Symbols and find out what Brandon has discovered before Team Rocket does. Then we'll be heroes, and the love of my life will hear of my deeds and will search far and wide to find me, and when she finds me, we will be together forever."

Timothy and Electchu stare at their friend, baffled at what he just said.

"Uh...can we just focus on stopping Team Rocket first for now?" Timothy suggests.

"Er...sure," Coovers says bashfully before the two trainers, and the Raichu continue walking down the dirt path.

Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth continue following Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu with their binoculars once again fixed on the unsuspecting trio.

"I must say, that Timothy guy put on quite a battle," Jessie comments.

"Indeed," James agrees. "It makes me glad we are keeping our distance with him and his friends. Who knows what he would do with that Lucario and Gardevoir if they found us following him?"

"All the more reason to follow da boss' orders not to engage with anybody," Meowth says. "And now he only needs three more of dem symbols, and then he will be able to lead us right to Brandon."

Jessie and James nod in agreement, and the trio continues to watch their targets carefully from their hot air balloon while the cloaked figure continues to follow them from the trees.

"_He already has half the symbols,_" the figure states. "_Now, I just have to follow them to three more locations before I do what needs to be done for the sake of the world._"


	24. Chapter 24

On the second day of traveling after saying goodbye to Sabrina, her parents, Haunter, Dawn, Piplup, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock, have made their way to Celadon City. Ash has been feeling pumped after successfully defeating Sabrina in an official battle without needing Haunter to make Sabrina and Alakazam laugh. He has been leading the group to Celadon City acting even more positive and energetic than before.

"Here we are, Celadon City," he states loudly. "Now I just need a rematch with Erika and then Agatha, and I'll be all set to face Timothy at the Indigo League,"

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

Serena giggles at Ash and Pikachu's enthusiasm.

"I'm glad to see you feel so excited, Ash," she says.

"Yeah, officially defeating a tough opponent like Sabrina has been doing a number on you," Brock states.

"You bet," Ash says. "Battling against Sabrina with her Kadabra as an Alakazam that can mega evolve was so awesome. I really feel like I'm a much stronger trainer after facing her and beating her in a fair battle."

"Don't forget, you couldn't have done it without Serena's advice too," Brock says.

Serena turns to Brock, surprised and he gives her a supportive smile and a wink before Ash turns his head to face his friends.

"Yeah, Brock's right. You were a great help, Serena," he says.

Serena looks at Ash, surprised, and looks away from him shyly.

"Come on, Ash, I just made a suggestion," she says bashfully. "It was your strategy and Gabite learning Dragon Rush that won you the battle."

"But I couldn't think of any new ways to outmaneuver Sabrina and Alakazam until you reminded me of my battle with Timothy," Ash counters. "You just know how to help me whenever I'm in a jam like that, Serena. It makes me glad that I asked you to come with me, Clemont, and Bonnie after defeating Viola and asked to join you on your journey here in the Kanto region."

Serena feels her cheeks heating up even more while Ash turns his head forward and continues walking down the streets ahead of Serena and Brock. The honey blonde girl takes advantage of Ash and Pikachu, looking away from her and moves closer to Brock as they walk.

"You didn't need to do that," she whispers.

"Of course, I did," Brock whispers back. "I said I would help you out however I can, and I intend to follow through with that. Besides, it's clear that he's really fond of you as a companion, right? So we just need to find the right push that will get him into viewing you as someone more."

Serena gives Brock a kind look and says, "I appreciate the support, Brock, but I'm not sure it's going to be that easy. It's not like I can just make a big romantic gesture while in a pretty dress that captivates him."

Brock frowns and nods before realizing something and starts chuckling out loud. Serena looks at him in confusion, and even Ash and Pikachu turn around to look at him.

"What's so funny, Brock?" Ash asks.

"Oh, Serena was just reminding me of when we first came here with Misty, and you snuck into the gym disguised as a girl," Brock says.

"What?!" Serena shouts, shocked.

"Oh...yeah…" Ash says, scratching his cheek. "I did do that, didn't I?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu chortles.

"Ash, why in the world would you do that?" Serena asks.

Ash stops walking and turns around to face Serena nervously.

"You see, on the way to the gym, we came across this perfume shop, and Brock was going gaga over the girls in the store while Misty came in to try out their perfume," he starts. "I got kicked out for saying to the store manager that perfume is a waste of money that turns guys into zombies."

"You really said that?" Serena asks, taken aback.

"Yeah, although in my defense, one would argue that I was partially right the way Brock was acting," Ash says. "Anyway, I left Pikachu, Brock, and Misty there and went to the gym only to be denied entry because they knew about my dislike for perfume. I was frustrated until I came across Team Rocket, who convinced me to let them dress me up as a girl as a means to get me inside the gym."

"But then Pikachu, Misty, and I just happened to be inside the gym partaking in one of their classes, and Pikachu recognized Ash from his disguise and used Thunderbolt to destroy his pretty, blonde wig to call him out," Brock adds. "From there, he abruptly challenged Erika, who just happens to be the store manager, to a battle, and she accepted."

Serena stares at Brock and Ash, dumbfounded to hear that the raven-haired boy she cares for disguised himself as a girl at one point. Ash chuckles nervously and started to scratch the back of his head in response to Serena's frozen state.

"Yeah, I did some pretty crazy things back in the day," he admits.

"But that also wasn't the only time you cross-dressed, now was it?" Brock says teasingly.

Ash grows even more uncomfortable while Serena looks at him uneasily.

"Ash?" she asks.

Ash looks away as if everything else, but Serena is the most interesting thing in the world.

"Uh...uh...hey, I think the perfume shop is right over there," he says, pointing at a store on the other side of the road. "I wonder if Erika is there so I can ask for a rematch."

Ash runs across the road to the store with Pikachu still on his shoulder. Serena keeps staring at him in disbelief until Brock places his hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry about that," he says. "I couldn't help myself with bringing up stuff like that."

"That's...okay…" Serena says slowly while clearly not meaning it.

Brock chuckles again and says, "I know that doesn't sound like the Ash, but he's grown a lot since those days. He was a very boastful and impatient kid when we were traveling through the Kanto region with Misty. But even then, he still had that love for Pokemon that we all admire."

Serena slowly smiles, appreciative of Brock's words before the moment is interrupted by Ash calling over to them.

"Hey, guys, come on over here!" He shouts. "You won't believe who's in the shop!"

Brock and Serena look at each other before they curiously cross the road over to the perfume shop where Ash has opened the door for everyone to come in. The two companions look around, unsure of what Ash could be excited about until Brock spots a familiar face and smiles.

"Hey, Giselle!" He calls out.

Serena winces at the mention of that name before she turns to where Brock is looking to find a girl with long, shiny, brown hair and wearing jeans and an aqua blouse standing between two women who are offering her various bottles of perfume. The girl named Giselle was enjoying the smell of different perfumes until she heard Brock call out to her, and she turned to see the group and smiles.

"Well, if it isn't Ash and Brock," she says, walking over to them. "Long time no see, guys."

"Yeah, it's been a while," Ash says with a friendly smile that makes Serena uneasy. "How have you been? Did you graduate from Pokemon Tech?"

"Yeah, I did," Giselle answers. "But after not even making it past the first round of the preliminaries in the Indigo League, I decided to go on a journey like Joe did and get all eight badges."

"Wait, I'm confused," Serena says. "You competed in the Kanto League before getting all eight badges?"

Giselle turns to Serena and frowns while raising an eyebrow, making the honey blonde girl uncomfortable.

"And who are you?" She asks.

"Oh, excuse me. I'm Serena," Serena answers. "I'm a childhood friend of Ash's."

Giselle keeps her eyebrow raised for a moment until she says, "So I see. Well, to answer your question, I got into the Indigo League without any badges because I graduated from Pokemon Tech."

"Pokemon Tech?" Serena asks.

"Yeah, it's an institution that resides between Cerulean City and Vermillion City," Brock explains. "It's a place where Pokemon trainers who are unwilling or unable to go on a journey and collect gym badges can learn about Pokemon and automatically qualify for the Indigo League if they graduate."

"Right, but like I said, I didn't make it past my first match of the preliminaries," Giselle confesses. "After I was easily defeated by a trainer and his Mr. Mine, I learned the hard way that learning everything Pokemon Tech had to offer wasn't enough to properly compete in the Indigo League, so I went on a journey to get all the badges and become a stronger trainer than before."

Giselle suddenly has a cold look on her face as she turns her hands into balls of fists, looks away from everyone and growls, "And I would have made it past the preliminaries when I competed the second time if it weren't for that cocky trainer with some giant fire type Pokemon who took down my entire rock and ground type Pokemon team even though I had the type advantage!"

Everyone looks at Giselle, feeling uneasy. Ash clears his throat and attempts to break the tension.

"That's almost as far as I got when I entered the league," Ash says with a nervous chuckle. "So, what are you up to now?"

"Oh, I'm training some more for the league this year," Giselle says plainly with a wave of her hand. "But I've also recently decided to try Pokemon contests."

"Awesome," Ash says before turning to Serena. "Serena's competing in Pokemon contests as well. And she already has a contest ribbon."

Giselle turns back to Serena, immediately intrigued.

"Is that so?" She asks.

"Yeah, that's right," Serena says, feeling a little proud from Ash's boasting as she takes out her ribbon case and opens it to show the ribbon she won in Saffron City. Giselle studies the ribbon carefully before giving Serena a half-impressed smirk.

"Not bad," Giselle says half-heartedly. "A pretty basic ribbon to say the least. Almost as painfully basic as the one you have around your collar."

At those words, Serena's face turns red with fury.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" She demands.

"Nothing," Giselle says mockingly as she turns her back on Serena and walks away. "It's just that I've been told that contest ribbons are supposed to be stylish and detailed, not plain and simple like that cheap blue one."

Serena clenches her teeth, furious that this girl just insulted the ribbon she treasures deeply. She begins to storm over to Giselle only to have Brock hold her back.

"My ribbon is not cheap!" Serena barks. "It's a beautiful piece of fabric that was given to me out of pure appreciation by Ash, and I am thankful to have it!"

"Take it easy, Serena," Brock says calmly.

Giselle chuckles cruelly and says, "My, my, did I hit a nerve? Well, no matter. We'll just have to see who is worthy of the contest ribbon here in Celadon City, now, won't we?"

"Fine by me," Serena snarls.

The two girls glare at each other with sparks emerging from their eyes. Suddenly, their moment of enmity is interrupted by a soft voice coming from the back door of the store.

"What is going on here?"

Everyone turned around to see a girl with short blue hair entering. She notices Ash, Brock, and Giselle and smiles.

"Why, Ash, Brock, Giselle. How nice to see all of you," she says.

"Hey, Erika. Nice to see you too," Ash said with a smile.

"Hi, Erika," Gisela says warmly.

Erica gives the trainers a friendly look before turning to Serena.

"And who might you be?" She asks.

"I'm Serena," Serena answers, politely.

Erika gives her a polite nod before she frowns again and asks, "Now what was all the commotion about?"

Serena acts guilty, knowing that she was part of the commotion, but before she could give Erika an answer, one of Erika's employees steps in.

"It was Giselle, ma'am," she says. "She was making fun of Serena, and it led to them arguing."

"Yeah, that's right," Ash says with Brock nodding.

Erika frowns and turns to Giselle, saying, "Now Giselle, I thought you knew better than that after you challenged me."

"Sorry, Erika. Force of habit," Giselle says, actually ashamed.

Serena is secretly glad that Giselle is being called out, but she still felt guilty about her part in the argument.

"It's okay, Giselle. I admit I should have handled things better myself," She says honestly.

Erika nods, pleased with the honey blonde girl's honesty before turning to Ash and Brock.

"Anyway, what brings you two here?" She asks.

"Well, I came in to see you," Ash answers. "You see, I want to have a rematch against you, Erika."

Just like Brock, Misty, and Sabrina before her, Erika looks at the raven-haired boy confused.

"But why?" She asks. "You earned your Rainbow badge by showing your care for Pokemon by rescuing my Gloom from that awful fire."

"I know, but I want to show how much I've grown since then," Ash says. "I'm going to compete in the Indigo League again this year, and I want to show how much stronger I am with my Pokemon since the last time I faced you. So I want to have another battle with you where I beat your fair and square. So will you please have a battle with me, Erika?"

Erika hesitates with Ash's request. In her mind, she feels that another battle is unnecessary because Ash already proved his worth when he saved her beloved partner. But as she thinks about it, she remembers how Ash showed a lack of empathy to his Pokemon when she battled him years ago. After thinking about it, Erika comes up with an idea and gives Ash a small smile.

"On one condition," she says. "You have to show how much you have improved in showing empathy for your Pokemon."

"Huh? Why do I need to do that?" Ash asks.

"You were very skilled in battle, Ash, but you lacked empathy with your Pokemon," Erika explains. "If you are to show how much you've changed, I want you to partake in my class to show you have that kind of care for your Pokemon whether you are battling or not."

"That seems a little unnecessary," Serena says. "I can testify from our journey in Kalos that Ash has nothing but empathy for his Pokemon."

"So can I," Brock says.

"You two may have, but I haven't," Erika points out. "And besides, if what you say is true, then Ash should have no problem taking my class before our battle. Right, Ash?"

Ash struggles with the urge to act impatient. Serena and Brock can see in his eyes that he wants to have a battle right now. After a moment, Ash sighs, accepting that complaining about it will do him no good."

"Right, Erika," he says, defeated.

"Excellent," Erika says pleased. "Giselle, Brock, Serena, you are all welcome to join if you wish. And feel free to take out your Pokemon to join us."

"Thank you, Erika. I did enjoy taking your class last time," Brock says.

"Yeah, thank you," Serena says kindly.

Giselle hesitates, uninterested in taking the class, but a part of her is curious about how much Ash has grown since she saw him at Pokemon Tech. She then realizes that she has a chance to inspect one of her opponents in the Indigo League and the upcoming Pokemon contest, so she smirks and says, "You know what? I think I will do that as well. But I won't have my Pokemon with me because they are all at the Pokemon Center being checked up right now."

"That's alright, Giselle," Erika says with a smile. "Let's head over to my gym, shall we? Jordan, you are in charge of the store."

"Yes, ma'am," one of the employees says obediently as Erika, Giselle, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock exit the store.

As they walk down the street, Ash decides to take a moment and walk close to Serena with Pikachu still on his shoulder.

"Hey, Serena?" He says.

"What, Ash?" Serena asks.

"I just want to say don't worry about what Giselle said," he says. "Giselle may be nicer than she was before, but she can still be a bit of a bully like she was when we met her at Pokemon Tech. Just don't let it get to you, okay? What matters is what you think of your ribbon, and I know you like it."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

Serena smiles, feeling better about what happened.

"Thank you, Ash," she says. "You're right. What matters is how I feel about it."

Ash gives her a toothy grin before the two continue to follow Erika to the gym. As they walk, Serena glances at Ash without him noticing and places her hand on her beloved blue ribbon.

"_What matters is how I feel about it_," she says in her mind. "_And how I feel about you, Ash_."

Once everyone has entered the classroom inside the Celadon City gym, Ash, Serena, and Brock let out all of their Pokemon except for Brock's Steelix because it is too big. Thus, they all began to participate in various activities, ending with the same video about an Omanyte that Erika showed to Brock, Misty, and Pikachu when Ash snuck his way into the gym. Everyone sits down with their legs criss-cross with Pikachu sitting on Ash's lap while Servine, Boldore, Quilava, Gabite, and Oshawott sitting around him, Brock holding Geodude while Chansey stands next to him and Crobat sitting on his head and Poliwag and Absol both sitting on Serena's laps while Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon sit next to them. Giselle, however, pretends to be listening while secretly analyzing Ash and Serena's Pokemon without them noticing.

"And so Omanyte had to say goodbye but was happy. The end." Erika says as the video ends.

"Aww, that was so sweet," Serena coos before turning to her Pokemon. "Did you enjoy that, everyone?"

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol nod yes. Serena smiles before turning to Ash and Brock with their Pokemon only to see Brock tearing up while hugging Geodude tightly and Oshawott crying out loud next to him.

"T-t-that was just as beautiful as the first time!" Brock weeps much to Geodude's annoyance.

"Oshawo-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ooooottt!" Oshawott wails.

"I guess that was a little too emotional for Oshawott," Ash chortles.

"Oh, Oshawott," Serena giggles.

Erika also laughs, amused with how Brock and Oshawott are acting before turning to Ash.

"So Ash, how did you like the video?" She asks.

"It was good," Ash says with a smile. "I can see why it would move people and Pokemon like Misty, Brock, and Oshawott. Right, guys?"

Pikachu, Boldore, Servine, Quilava, Gabite, and Oshawott all make calls of agreement with Oshawott, whimpering out its name with tears still in its eyes.

"I can tell you mean it," Erika says pleased. "You and your Pokemon were watching intently together. It's clear that you have strong bonds with all of them, and you have formed a great team with Pikachu, Oshawott, and your other Pokemon. You really have grown up since our last battle."

"Thanks," Ash says sincerely.

Erika smiles at nods at the raven-haired boy before walking over to Serena.

"I can see that you've developed strong bonds with your Pokemon as well, Serena," she says.

"Thank you, Erika," Serena says while turning to Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon while still holding Poliwag and Absol. "Some of us have been through an awful lot since I left home that has helped us grow closer together."

"I can see that," Erika says. "I also noticed how Poliwag and Absol, in particular, like to be closer to you."

Serena smiles warmly and looks at Poliwag and Absol, who are looking at her back, smiling.

"Yes, they do," Serena says. "I've grown fond of Poliwag ever since I caught it, and even though it hasn't been that long since it hatched, Absol really loves me like a mother."

"Poliwag!" Poliwag says happily.

"Absol," Absol says cheerfully.

Erika nods in agreement before turning back to Ash and says, "Well, since you've passed my test, then I gladly accept your challenge for a rematch, Ash."

"Alright!" Ash shouts enthusiastically with all of his Pokemon cheering with him.

Erika chuckles at the raven-haired boy and says, "Everyone, you're welcome to join us if you wish."

"Thank you, Erika," Serena, Brock, and Giselle say simultaneously.

The group proceeds to the battle arena inside the gym. Brock, Pikachu, Serena, and Giselle stand on the sidelines while Erika and Ash stand on opposite sides of the arena.

"I see you don't want Pikachu to battle with you?" Erika asks.

"Nah, I want my other Pokemon to have a go," Ash answers. "We've been doing some more training while on the way here from Saffron City, and we want to show that it has worked off. Right, buddy?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts happily.

"Very well," Erika says. "So how about a three-round battle? Whoever wins the most rounds wins."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says.

"Alright then," Erika says, taking out a Pokeball. "Tangela, come on out."

Tangela comes out of its ball, looking ready to battle. Ash takes a moment to think about who to choose for his first Pokemon.

"Quilava would be the most obvious choice because it's a fire type, but I don't want to use it right away in the first round," he says to himself. "I think I'll use a grass type to face Tangela just like I did last time with Bulbasaur."

With his decision made, Ash takes out a Pokeball and says, "Servine, I choose you."

Servine comes out of her Pokeball looking ready to face Tangela.

"Ha! Are you kidding? Ash is using a grass type to face another grass type?" Giselle rebukes. "Somehow I doubt he really has learned anything at all."

"Don't be too sure," Serena counters bitterly. "Ash is the kind of person who doesn't always rely on typing to win a battle."

"Serena's right," Brock says. "Ash knows there's much more to Pokemon battling than simply Pokemon typing, and this will be no exception."

"We'll see about that," Giselle scoffs.

"Alright, Servine, use Vine Whip!" Ash orders.

"Ah, just like last time," Erika says. "Tangela, use Constrict!"

Servine tries to attack Tangela with two vines coming from its neck, but Tangela catches the Vine Whip with its own vines and drags Servine over to it until they are meters apart.

"I thought you learned your lesson from last time with your Bulbasaur, Ash," Erika says.

"Don't worry. I did," Ash says, smirking. "Servine, use Attract."

Servine grins and winks at Tangela as several pink hearts appear and hit the Vine Pokemon, causing it to fall in love with its opponent with hearts in its eyes.

"Oh, no, Tangela," Erika says worriedly.

"Alright, now use Leaf Blade to free yourself and then use Leaf Tornado!" Ash calls out.

Servine's tails turn light green and uses it to free itself from Tangela's vines. Servine then jumps and spins its head with its tail, summoning the dark-green tornado with countless glowing light-green leaves. Servine then spins around on its side and catches Tangela inside the tornado. The tornado then moves back an upward position and floats up in the air before crashing into the ground. When the dust and leaves clear, Tangela is found lying on the ground with swirly eyes.

"Tangela is unable to battle!" Brock declares. "Servine wins!"

"Oh no," Erika says sadly before taking out Tangela's Pokeball. "Tangela, return."

"Great job, Servine," Ash says taking out his own Pokeball. "Now get a good rest."

Giselle, on the other hand, stares at Ash, shocked at how quickly he won the round. Serena gives the brunette a proud grin, and says, "See? Ash doesn't need a type advantage to win."

Giselle shakes her shocked states, "Big deal. He just got lucky, just like when his Pikachu defeated my Marowak at Pokemon Tech back when it was just a Cubone."

Both Serena and Pikachu glare at Giselle while Ash and Erika take out different Pokeballs.

"Victreebel, go!' Erika shouts.

"Boldore, let's go!" Ash yells.

Erika's Victreebel and Ash's Boldore come out both ready for battle. Giselle, however, smirks at Ash's second Pokemon.

"A rock Pokemon against a grass Pokemon," she berates. "I may be a girl who loves her rock and ground type Pokemon, but even I know it's not wise to go against a grass type Pokemon."

"It doesn't matter what type it is. Ash will pull through," Serena claims.

"Hmmm, actually, I might have to side with Giselle with this one," Brock says seriously with his arms crossed. "Grass-type moves are very effective against rock-type Pokemon like Boldore. If Ash is going to win this round, he'll have to make sure Boldore stays mostly on defense and use speed to dodge anything Victreebel throws at it, which is something Boldore isn't very good at."

Serena turns to Brock surprised, and before she turns to Pikachu and they both give each other worried looks while Ash looks at Erika excited.

"Is this Victreebel the Weepinbell that went against my Charmander?" He asks.

"It sure is," Erika says gleefully. "The little dear just felt like it reached its limit as a Weepinbell one day and wanted to evolve very badly, and I was all too happy to oblige by giving it a Leaf Stone to evolve. Now it's as happy as can be growing stronger as a Victreebel."

"Yeah? Well, we'll see about that," Ash says determinedly. "Boldore, use Rock Blast!"

"Victreebel, dodge, and use Razor Leaf!" Erika commands.

With great speed, Victreebel dodges the silver energy waves coming from the front of Boldore's body. The flycatcher Pokemon then throws several leaves that hit its enemy.

"Now use Vine Whip," Erika orders.

"Counter with Sandstorm and then use Rock Blast again!" Ash calls out.

Boldore quickly summons a Sandstorm that covers the arena. Victreebel struggles to see its opponent, allowing Boldore to successfully hit it with Rock Blast. Hearing her Pokemon let out a scream of pain from the Rock Blast, Erika frowns seriously.

"Victreebel, fight back with Clear Smog!" She shouts.

Victreebel releases a large steam of white smog with its large mouth. Erika waits patiently for a moment until she hears Boldore groaning in pain from the other side of the Sandstorm. The storm begins to slowly fade away revealing Boldore poisoned, much to Ash's dismay.

"Now, finish it off with Power Whip!" Erika orders.

The two vines on both sides of Victreebel's body glow purple and grow longer. The two purple Vines smack Boldore so hard that it is knocked off its feet and falls down upside down, groaning faintly.

"Boldore!" Ash cries out.

"Boldore is unable to battle. Victreebel wins!" Brock announces.

"Ha! What did I tell you?" Giselle says proudly. "That Boldore never had a chance."

Serena frowns sadly, realizing that Ash and Erika are tied. She places her hand on her blue ribbon as she looks at Ash who is thinking about what to do next.

"Okay, I think I know what Erika's final Pokemon is going to be, so I should use Quilava now," Ash says to himself before he hesitates thoughtfully. "But then again, Erika might have learned from our last battle when it comes to fire Pokemon."

Ash thinks hard about it before he shakes his head.

"It's the best chance I've got," he says, taking out a Pokeball. "Quilava, I choose you!"

The ball opens to reveal Quilava ready for battle and Erika smiles.

"Trying to beat me with a fire Pokemon? I won't let you win so easily just because of typing. I learned my lesson from last time," she says as she tosses a Pokeball. "Gloom, go!"

The Pokeball opens to reveal Erika's Gloom, who immediately smiles at the sight of Ash.

"Gloom, Gloom!" Gloom says cheerfully.

"Hey, Gloom. Long time no see," Ash says with a friendly smile.

"So this is the Gloom that Ash saved to earn his Rainbow Badge?" Serena asks, turning to Brock.

"That's right," Brock says, smiling before he turns serious again. "But it gets me to wonder how Ash is going to fare better than last time."

"Why? Did Gloom wipe out all of his remaining Pokemon?" Giselle asks, earning another glare from Serena.

"No, but Gloom's foul gas was enough to knock out Ash's Charizard back when it was just a Charmander," Brock says. "Even if Ash finds a way to avoid it, he has no idea what other attacks it has thanks to Team Rocket interrupting the battle before Ash could continue with Pikachu."

"Well, I know what attacks it has," Giselle says proudly. "And I'm interested to see how Ash handles them."

Once again, Serena places her hand on her blue ribbon before Erika makes her move.

"Gloom, let him have it," she orders.

Ash's eyes widen, and he immediately shouts, "Quilava, use Flame Wheel to escape from the stench, then flank Gloom!"

Quilava quickly jumps and engulfs its body in a wheel of flame and dodges just in time for Gloom to release its stench toward where it was standing. Quilava circles around its opponent before ramming Gloom from behind, causing Gloom to groan in pain.

"Quick, Gloom, use Stun Spore," Erika calls out determinedly.

Gloom quickly recovers from the hit and shakes its head, causing an orange powder to come out from the flower on its head. The powder hits Quilava, and it falls to the ground with electric sparks appearing all over its body.

"Oh, no! Quilava!" Ash calls out worriedly.

"This is not good. Quilava is paralyzed," Brock says.

Serena frowns worriedly and says, "Come on, Quilava, you can do it!"

"No, it can't," Giselle says plainly. "I've seen that Gloom stun my Pokemon with ease when I faced Erika to get my own Rainbow Badge. Quilava is good and paralyzed."

Hearing this, Ash grinds his teeth angrily and turns to his Pokemon.

"Quilava, can you keep up?" He asks.

Despite the electricity flowing in its body, Quilava manages to get back up on all fours ready to continue.

"Alright, then use Flamethrower," Ash orders.

"Dodge it, Gloom," Erika calls out.

Gloom nods and dodges Quilava's Flamethrower with a high jump.

"Quilava, keep using Flamethrower and study its movements," Ash commands.

Quilava continues to use Flamethrower only for Gloom to constantly dodge the attack. Ash watches Gloom's movements closely, hoping to predict when it will appear next the same way he predicted Alakazam using Teleport with Pikachu.

"Now, use Flamethrower right there!" He shouts, pointing at when Gloom is about to land next.

Quilava turns its head and opens its mouth, preparing to fire another Flamethrower at that direction. But suddenly, the sparks of electricity appear all over its body again, and it winces in pain.

"Quilava!" Ash calls out.

"Sorry, Ash, but Gloom's Stun Spore is too powerful to shake off that easily," Erika says. "Gloom, get ready to use Solarbeam!"

Gloom positions itself and slowly gathers sunlight from the gym's glass ceiling to the flower on the top of its head. Ash grinds his teeth again and desperately turns to Quilava, who is still paralyzed.

"Come on, Quilava, you have to fight back," he says. "You need to use Flamethrower to take down Gloom before it fires that Solarbeam. You can do it! I know you can!"

"Come on, Quilava! Shake off the paralysis!" Brock calls out.

"You can do it, Quilava!" Serena shouts.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts.

"Sorry, but I don't think Quilava is going to make it," Giselle says with a sigh. "It's going to take a miracle to get out of this predicament."

Serena gives the brunette another hard glare before turning to Quilava with a worried look.

"Quilava, listen to me!" She calls out. "You can still win this if you give it your all, so don't give up!"

"Serena's right," Ash says. "You can still win this, Quilava. Don't give up until it's over!"

Quilava continues to struggle moving as it hears Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Serena encourage it. The volcano Pokemon then bites its tongue and slowly gets up on all fours just as Gloom finished collecting all the sunlight it needs.

"Now, Gloom, use Solarbeam!" Erika shouts.

"Quilava, use Flamethrower! Give it everything you've got!" Ash yells.

Gloom fires Solarbeam while Quilava takes a deep breath and fires another Flamethrower. The two attacks collide, creating a standstill as the two Pokemon continue to fire their attacks. Gloom and Quilava try to overpower the other with their attacks still stopping at the center of the arena.

"Come on, Quilava, you can do it!" Ash encourages. "You gotta get stronger! Stronger! STRONGER!"

Serena turns to Ash, realizing he is saying the same words he used to encourage his Greninja when the two of them bonded to become Ash-Greninja. Quilava, meanwhile, takes its trainer's words to heart and slowly stands up on its hind legs while still firing Flamethrower to fight of Gloom's Solarbeam.

"Quilava!" It screams at the top of its lungs.

Suddenly, Quilava starts glowing white. Everyone looks at it in shock as the volcano Pokemon grows taller, and its posture with standing up on its hind legs is stronger while it still uses Flamethrower. When it stops glowing, it is revealed to have evolved into a Typhlosion.

"Typhlooooooooooooo!" It roars as its Flamethrower comes out bigger and stronger. Gloom looks at its opponent in fear as the large Flamethrower overpowers its Solarbeam and engulfs the poor weed Pokemon.

"Gloom!" Erika shouts.

Typhlosion finally stops using Flamethrower and gets down on all fours with sparks appearing all over its body again. The flames die down to reveal Gloom with swirly eyes and burn marks all over its body.

"Gloom is unable to battle!" Brock declares. "Quilav - I mean Typhlosion is the winner, which means the victory goes to Ash!"

"Alright!" Ash shouts happily.

"Way to go, Ash!" Serena cheers.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts with glee.

"Typhlosion!" Typhlosion shouts triumphantly while still paralyzed.

Erika sighs sadly and puts Gloom back in its Pokeball.

"You battled beautifully, my friend. Get a good rest," she says before turning to Ash. "Ash, I'll be right back with a Paralyze Heal for Typhlosion."

"Thanks, Erika," Ash says in appreciation as Erika leaves the arena, and he walks over to pet his Pokemon. "You were awesome, Typhlosion, and now you're fully evolved."

"Typhlo," Typhlosion says with a smile.

"Good job, Ash," Serena compliments as she, Pikachu, Brock, and Giselle walk over to Ash and Typhlosion.

"Thanks, Serena. I appreciate your encouragement," Ash says. "And Brock, Pikachu, thanks for encouraging Typhlosion too."

"Chaaa," Pikachu coos while Ash pets the top of its head.

"No problem. Though that was an unusual choice of words to encourage Quilava before it evolved," Brock says.

"Oh, telling it to get stronger? Yeah, that's something I used to do when I was battling with my Greninja back in the Kalos region," Ash explains. "Whenever the two of us bonded, saying things like that was a good way to help Greninja to grow more powerful when in battle. When Serena was telling Quilava how I told her not to give up until the end, it reminded me of how I used to put that saying into practice during our journey throughout Kalos and so it gave me the idea of encouraging Quilava the same way I did with Greninja."

"Interesting," Brock says, scratching his chin. "Well, it sure looks like it paid off for you this time with Quilava evolving and winning the match."

"It sure does," Ash says.

Erika comes back with a Paralyze Heal and sprays it on Typhlosion. The volcano Pokemon gives the gym leader a thankful look before Erika turns to Ash.

"You really have learned a lot since the day you rescued Gloom, Ash," Erika says. "You proved yourself true to Serena's word that you have lots of empathy for your Pokemon both in and out of battle."

"Thank you, Erika," Ash says. "All of my Pokemon have come a long way, and we're still going to work hard to get even stronger together."

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts in agreement.

"Typhlosion," Typhlosion says with a smirk.

Erika nods in approval and asks, "So are you going to re-challenge any other gym leaders?"

"Yeah, I'm going to face Agatha in Viridian City again," Ash says. "But first, Serena has to get her remaining contest ribbons to win, and I intend to cheer her on until then."

Serena looks at Ash, surprised.

"Ash?" She asks.

Ash turns to the honey blonde girl and smiles in amusement as if she said something odd.

"You didn't think I'd have us part ways just because I have to go all the way back to Viridian City, did you?" He asks. "I told you I'm going to support you on your journey all the way. Agatha isn't going anywhere, and I want to see you win all of your other four ribbons and make your way to the Grand Festival."

"So do I," Brock says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says happily.

Serena looks at them, still surprised until she smiles sweetly.

"Oh Ash, Brock, Pikachu, thank you all," she says before giving her friends a determined look. "Right, I'm going to win all of my ribbons, no doubt starting with my second ribbon here in Celadon City."

"I wouldn't count on it," Giselle says, warningly with a smirk. "I came here to get my first contest ribbon here, and I'm going to do it."

Erika giggles at the determination of the two girls and says, "Well, the contest at Celadon City Hall is four days away, so we'll just have to wait and see who gets the ribbon there."

"Yep, I guess we will," Brock says.

After a while, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Serena, and Giselle all say goodbye to Erika as they leave the gym and make their way to the Celadon City Pokemon Center. As they enter the building, Ash is about to open his mouth to speak to the Nurse Joy standing behind the front desk before Brock suddenly steps in front of his with a blissful look.

"Wow, Nurse Joy!" He shouts enthusiastically as he takes both of Nurse Joy's hands and clasps them together. "I have seen so many beautiful Nurse Joys throughout many regions, but none of them are as beautiful as you! If you're feeling tired from all your work at the Pokemon Center, I'd be happy to assist you as a doctor-in-training. Maybe afterwards we can go get some dinner and - MFPH!"

Serena puts her hand on Brock's mouth, silencing him and gives Nurse Joy an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry, Nurse Joy," she says before dragging Brock away from the front desk like a mother taking her child from something he stubbornly wants.

As she drags him away, Ash and Giselle turn to Nurse Joy with Ash giving Nurse Joy a nervous chuckle.

"Sorry about that," he repeats. "Could you take care of my Pokemon for me? And My friends and I would like to get a room for the next couple of days."

"Certainly, young man," Nurse Joy says with a friendly smile as Ash gives her Pikachu and all of his Pokeballs. She then hands a couple of keycards to Ash before Giselle steps in.

"And can you look at mine as well?" Giselle asks while taking out six Pokeballs from her bag.

"Of course," Nurse Joy says as she takes Giselle's Pokemon.

"Wait a minute," Ash says while Nurse Joy leaves through the backdoor. "I thought you said you already left your Pokemon here."

"Oh, did I?" Giselle asks, pretending to sound innocent.

"Yes, you did," Ash answers. "You said your Pokemon were in the Pokemon Center and that's why you didn't take any of them out for Erika's class."

"Are you sure?" Giselle asks, looking confused. "I think you misheard me when I said that my Pokemon were too tired to come out of their Pokeballs, and they need to go to the Pokemon Center. You were probably too focused on having a rematch with Erika to hear me clearly."

Ash looks at Giselle suspiciously despite a part of him considering that she may be right. Before he could say another word, however, Giselle has already walked away, and he sighs in defeat.


	25. Chapter 25

A couple of days have passed since Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock made it to Celadon City. After Ash defeated Erika, the group has been taking it easy while staying at the Pokemon Center. Ash is spending time training his Pokemon at the courtyard outside of the Pokemon Center, while Brock and Serena have been exploring the city before Serena comes back to the Pokemon Center to practice her performances with her Pokemon. Neither of them, however, have seen Giselle since Ash and Erika's battle despite the fact that she's staying at the Pokemon Center with them.

It is the afternoon on the third day of the group staying in Celadon City, and Serena is at the park in the center of the city with her Pokemon. Braixen is picking some flowers, Poliwag and Absol are playfully chasing each other, and Serena is brushing Sylveon on a park bench with Pancham waiting to be brushed next. Serena is smiling as she grooms her Pokemon and watches other people play and have fun with their Pokemon all over the park.

"Absol, Poliwag, don't run too far," she calls out.

"Absol," Absol calls back obediently.

"Poliwag," Poliwag replies with a smile.

Serena nods with her eyes closed, satisfied with their response as she finishes grooming Sylveon.

"Alright, you're all done, Sylveon," she says.

"Sylveon," Sylveon says cutely before it gets off Serena's lap, and Pancham eagerly hops on her lap to be brushed.

"So, Sylveon, I've decided tomorrow is when you're going to have your contest debut," Serena says as she stays grooming Pancham. "So, after dinner tonight, we'll be working very hard for the appeal stage, okay?"

"Sylveon," Silverton replies happily.

Serena smiles as Sylveon leaves to play with Poliwag and Absol. She looks at the three of them fondly, happy to see Sylveon get along so well with her two new Pokemon.

"Hey, Serena."

Serena turns her head to see Brock sitting down next to her on the bench with a smile.

"Oh, hi, Brock," Serena greets. "What are you doing out here?"

"I decided to go on some errands and refill on supplies so that we're ready to go after your contest," Brock says. "I figured I may as well get ready since we will probably leave right after the contest."

Serena nods in understanding while she finishes brushing Pancham. The little panda-like Pokemon hops off her lap and goes over to Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol to play while the two trainers watch. Serena enjoys watching her Pokemon play until she frowns and turns to Brock.

"Hey, Brock, is it normal for a Pokemon like Absol to take a while to start having any moves?" She asks.

Brock looks at her, taken aback for a moment before he looks at her seriously.

"Not really," he says honestly. "There are a lot of basic attacks that an Absol can learn as soon as it's born. Have you tried to see if it knows any attacks with your Pokedex."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that my Pokedex can do that now," Serena says in realization. "It was one of the new features Professor Oak, and Tracy added into it when Ash and I visited the Professor's lab. I guess I completely forgot about it."

"Yeah, better check it out," Brock says.

Serena nods and takes out her Pokedex. It scans her disaster Pokemon while it's playfully tackling Sylveon, and a list of attacks appear.

"Let's see," she says. "It says Absol knows Scratch, Leer, Feint, and… Perish Song? I think I've seen that before."

"Yeah, Perish Song unleashes terrible sound waves and after about four turns into a Pokemon battle, all of the Pokemon who hear it faint including the one who used it," Brock explains. "In Absol's case, they tend to unleash crimson-colored sound waves toward their opponent."

"That's right. Now I remember," Serena says in realization. "There was a trainer named Magnus whose Absol was using Perish Song when he was battling against Diantha, the Kalos region champion. I remember Diantha using that move to her advantage by having her Gardevoir defeat it with a powerful Moonblast while Magnus' Absol was still using it. Now that I think about it, I guess Diantha probably has the same idea as Timothy does with Shockwave when it comes to having fairy attacks to defend itself against dark Pokemon."

"You're probably right," Brock says with a nod. "In any case, Perish Song is probably not the best move to have when you're having a contest battle."

Serena nods in agreement. Suddenly, something clicks in her mind, and she turns to Absol, who is chasing Poliwag again. She scratches her chin in thought for a moment before she smiles.

"I definitely won't try Perish Song during contest battles…" she begins. "But I could use it for the appeal round. If done right, it could create something beautiful."

"So...beautiful," Brock says in an absent-minded voice.

Serena turns to Brock in confusion only to look at him, shocked. Brock is looking away from her and staring at a tall, beautiful woman with short, pink hair walking down the path with her Ivysaur. Before Serena can say another word, Brock has already jumped into action, standing in front of the woman down on one knee and taking her hand.

"Oh, wow, what is your name?!" He exclaims. "I just have to know what beautiful name you have to go with your even more beautiful fa - AUGH!"

The woman's Ivysaur doesn't waste any time using Vine Whip to swat Brock's hand away from the woman with a loud whipping sound. The woman is still looking at him dumbfounded when Serena steps in between her and her Ivysaur and Brock with an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry about my friend, madam," she says while taking a bow.

The woman just chuckles nervously and walks away with her Ivysaur while Serena grabs Brock by the collar and drags him back to their bench. Then she let's go and looks at him disapprovingly with her hands on her hips like a mother disciplining her child.

"Alright, what is going on with you, Brock?" She rebukes. "Ever since Cerulean City, you've been acting crazy over practically every woman we come across, and from what I can gather from how Misty, May, Max, Dawn, and Ash have been reacting to it, they're basically used to it. Have you always been this way?"

Brock is taken aback by the way Serena is ridiculing him. He has been dragged by the ear or hit with Poison Jab by his Croagunk, but no one has acted so upfront to him about his habit of chasing women. After a moment, Serena sighs and calms down.

"Look, I realize I'm one to talk when it comes to how I sometimes act around Ash, but the way you're acting is immature and uncomfortable for the women you talk to," she says softly. "Are you so desperate to find someone special that you would chase after anyone with a pretty face?"

Brock lowers his head, not responding to Serena. The two of them remain silent while Serena's Pokemon continue to play or smell flowers. After a while, Brock stands up and looks at Serena with a serious but honest look.

"Maybe, now that you mention it," he confesses.

"Maybe?" Serena challenges with a frown. "Don't give me that, Brock. You have a problem, and you know it. Why do you have to be so upfront like that?"

Brock thinks hard about Serena's question. It takes a while before he sits back down and pats on the empty spot on the bench, gesturing Serena to sit down. The honey blonde girl quietly obeys, and Brock takes a moment before he decides to explain.

"I guess like you, I've had some kind of dream for romance since I was young," he confesses. "But where you had such thoughts for one specific person, I just wanted that experience no matter who I share it with."

"But why?" Serena asks.

Brock sighs and says, "I guess it mostly has to do with my mom."

"Your mom?" Serena asks in disbelief. "How would she influence you when both of your parents leave you and your siblings alone at home all the time?"

"Because she's been away from my siblings and me the longest," Brock says. "She used to run the gym, but she kept losing and couldn't handle it, so she left to pursue her own goals. I guess after not having a mother around and having to take care of my siblings by myself, I decided I wanted to find the special woman in my life and have been trying to find her since."

Serena smiles briefly before she asks, "But why do you think just abruptly making a move on a girl would work? I mean no offense, but has there ever been a girl who has had similar feelings for you like that?"

Brock forces out a laugh before looking at the sky while thinking back.

"Well, there's been a couple during my travels with Ash," he says. "There's been Wilhomena, Temacu, Lizabeth, and a couple of younger girls like Autumn and Natalie who had little crushes on me. And then…"

Serena tilts her head in confusion while Brock still starts at the sky.

"And then?" She quarries.

Brock sighs and softly says, "There was Holly."

Serena looks at her friend immediately interested at the way Brock said this person's name differently from the others.

"What was she like?" She asks.

"She was a very determined trainer," Brock answers. "We were partners at the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament. She unhesitatingly shot me down when I tried to make a move on her, but then she started to admire me for the way I was battling. But after we lost the semifinal round to Ash and Paul, she left without saying goodbye. According to the Nurse Joy in the city, she left to train more so she could be a better partner for me. That was the last I ever saw of her."

Serena frowns, sad to hear that.

"I'm sorry," she says. "She sounds like a woman who at least had good intentions for you."

"I guess," Brock says half-heartedly. "I wish she could have talked to me before leaving, though. I could have told her that she didn't need to leave just to train for me. Sure, she needed my help a lot when we were in the competition, but we still made a good team. I mean, we did make it all the way to the semifinals after all."

Serena nods in understanding.

"Well, maybe one day you will see her again, and you can tell her that," she says encouragingly.

"I don't know," Brock says unconvinced. "This was all the way in the Sinnoh region, so I doubt I'm going to see her again any time soon."

"You don't know that," Serena says. "I thought I would never see Ash again after my mother and I moved from Pallet Town, but then there he was on the news saving a Garchomp on top of Lumiose Tower just a day's walk away from where I live."

"Maybe so, but I don't know how we would make it work," Brock says sadly. "It was almost two years ago when all of that happened. She probably has gotten over me by now. And even so, I don't know if she would be interested in staying in a humble place like Pewter City with my family and me. The fact is while I might have to travel every now and then as a doctor, I want to stay at home where I'd like to raise a family that I won't abandon like my parents constantly do. I may not have gotten to know her enough to know what her life goals are, but if she is as quick to leave me for Pokemon training as my parents were, then she isn't someone who I can depend on staying in one spot with me. There just wouldn't be a future worth having if it's true."

Serena frowns at Brock's discouraging words. Her mind starts to think about the idea of staying in one place and getting married and raising a family with Ash. She instantly blushes at the thought before her face turns serious again, thinking about whether or not that can happen.

"Brock?" She begins hesitantly. "Do you think Ash and I will have that problem even if he ever returns my feelings?"

Brock turns to Serena, confused.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

Serena rubs her arm as she struggles to explain her worry.

"Ash loves to go to face new challenges and discover new Pokemon," she says. "He still dreams of becoming a Pokemon Master, and while I've seen how many Pokemon he's captured over the last four years, he still has a long way to go to accomplish his dream. Likewise, I came so close to winning the Master Class, but I still have much to learn. I want to make people and Pokemon smile with my performances, but that might one day mean staying in one place as Kalos Queen one day. So even if Ash learns to like me back, I could never want him to give up on his dream for me, and I know he wouldn't want me to give up on mine for him. I know I shouldn't give up, but now I wonder if it's even possible to make it work in the end."

Brock looks at the honey blonde girl, surprised as she turns her head away from him with a look of dread. He frowns and lowers his head.

"I see," he says seriously. "That does present a serious problem."

Serena winces, feeling discouraged by Brock's response. The two of them remain silent for a few minutes while Serena's Pokemon continue to play with each other. Finally, Brock turns to Serena, places his hand on her shoulder with a smile.

"You know, there's a saying that my mom used to tell me when I was little," he says. "'Don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have enough problems on its own.' That basically means don't worry about what happens in the future and just focus on today. You and Ash are still young, and there's still plenty of time to figure out what the future will be. But for now, you should just enjoy the time you have with him now while you're still on a journey together where you're there for him, and he's there for you."

Serena turns to Brock and smiles at him appreciatively. Brock nods, glad to see her feeling better before giving her an amused smirk.

"Besides, at least we know one good thing about how Ash feels about you," he says.

"Really?" What's that?" Serena asks.

"He really appreciated how you encouraged Typhlosion the other day more than what Pikachu or I did, didn't he?" Brock states.

Serena thinks about it for a moment before she realizes that Brock is right and smiles warmly.

"Yeah, I guess he did," she says.

Brock nods and says, "And in the meantime, I will continue to look for the lady of my dreams."

"Uh, that's great, but maybe you shouldn't be as eager as you usually are," Serena says calmly. "I think while I'm cheering on for Ash, I should also try to be there for you too to help you be...less energetic when coming around every pretty woman you meet."

"What?" Brock asks with a mopey look on his face. "But how will I find the right one for me if I'm not making any moves."

"Brock, I'm not saying you shouldn't make any attempts to find someone, but I think you need to hold back on your approach," Serena explains. "You're here to help me be less shy around Ash, so since you take the opposite approach, you should learn to hold back. Maybe if we help each other, we'll both find that middle ground that will benefit us. And besides, Brock - and I'm saying this as a friend, you're coming off as creepy when you try to hit on women."

Brock becomes uneasy and rubs the back of his head.

"Yeah, I've been told that many times before," he confesses before letting out a sigh. "Alright, if you think that is best, then I accept your help."

"Good," Serena says with a smile.

The two of them smile, satisfied before Brock decides to stand up.

"Well, I better get going," he says. "I still have some errands to run, and I want to be done before dinner tonight."

"Alright, I'll see you then," Serena says as Brock leaves the park, waving to her as he walks.

Once Brock is out of sight, Serena lays her back against the back of the bench and sighs, thinking about what she just discussed with Ash's long-time friend. Suddenly, she feels someone taking off her hat, and she lifts her head in confusion only to find Braixen standing in front of her holding her hat in one hand and placing a crown of flowers on her head with the other.

"Wow, thank you, Braixen, it's so pretty," she says happily.

"Braixen," Braixen replies, happy that its trainer likes the gift.

Serena smiles as she is suddenly surrounded by all five of her Pokemon with Pancham standing next to Braixen, Absol sitting next to her on the left side of the bench, Sylveon sitting on the other side and Poliwag happily hopping onto her lap.

"Did you all have fun playing in the park?" She asks.

All five Pokemon make happy calls simultaneously as a means of saying yes.

"I'm glad," Serena says cheerfully. "Then why don't we head back to the Pokemon Center, and we can practice our performances?"

Once again, her Pokemon let out excited calls before Serena stands up and leads them out of the park.


	26. Chapter 26

The next day, Serena got out of bed feeling refreshed. She got dressed and went downstairs, where Brock, Pikachu, and Ash are already in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria and have started eating breakfast.

"Good morning, everyone," she says cheerfully.

"Good morning, Serena," Ash greets.

"You're looking cheerful," Brock comments. "Are you feeling pumped for the contest?"

"I sure am," Serena replies as she fill a tray with some food. "After all the practice I did with my Pokemon last night, I feel like I can earn that ribbon before my opponents figure out what hit them."

"That's the spirit," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu adds.

"Oh, really? Do you think it will be that easy?" Says a voice behind Serena.

Serena turns around to find Giselle standing behind her with a cocky look on her face. Serena frowns and glares at her rival disapprovingly.

"Where have you been?" She asks bitterly. "We haven't seen you since Ash's rematch."

"I was hanging out the outskirts of the city training my Pokemon," Giselle says plainly. " I need to keep my Pokemon in shape for when they earn me my ribbon."

"It's not your ribbon yet," Serena counters.

"And it's not yours either," Giselle says in a matter-of-factly tone. "But the fact is I am prepared for you and any other competitor int the contest."

"We will see about that," Serena says.

"Oh, I suppose you will," Giselle says uncaringly as she walks away.

Serena glares at the brunette girl bitterly as she walks out of sight. Then she takes a deep breath to calm herself down before sitting next to Ash and starts eating her breakfast.

"You better take it easy, Serena," Brock says. "You know Giselle is just trying to get under your skin."

"I know," Serena says. "I guess I get frustrated easily when I come across an opponent like her. It feels like I have another Miette mocking me with every chance she gets."

"Miette?" Brock asks, confused.

"Miette is a friend of ours from the Kalos region who was Serena's rival during Pokemon showcases," Ash explains before turning to Serena. "Even so, Serena, you know the way you're acting is just what Giselle wants. Just focus on your own performance and have fun."

Serena sighs again before giving Ash a sincere smile.

"You're right, Ash," she says. "For all I know, I won't even have to face Giselle during the battling round. I just need to focus on giving the best performance I can."

"There you go," Ash says encouragingly.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Good afternoon, Celadon City!" Lilian calls out from the stage inside Celadon City Hall. "Welcome to this year's Celadon City Pokemon contest!"

The audience cheers loudly in response. Brock, however, stands up and stares at Lilian with a lovestruck look.

"Wow! Lillian is looking prettier by the day!" He says before Ash forces him to sit down.

"Calm down, Brock, seriously," the raven-haired boy says. "You always say things like that whenever we see Lilian on stage."

"And now, let's start off with the winner of the Saffron City contest, Serena!" Lilian announces.

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu all stand up and cheer for Serena as loudly as possible. Serena enters the stage waving at the crowd with a bright smile before taking out her Pokeball.

"Sylveon, come on out and use Double Team," she commands.

Sylveon comes out or its Pokeball, and with a cute smile, it uses Double Team, creating a dozen copies of the fairy Pokemon.

"Now project yourself into the air using Fairy Wind," Serena says.

The group of Sylveon all jump into the air doing twists and flips before they pull their feelers together, and the air around them starts to glow blue. Then right as they about to land on the ground face first, they spread their feelers wide open causing a strong gust of wind that propels them higher into the air. The crowd gasps in awe as the combination of Fairy Wind creates several pink, sparkling dust all over the stage.

"Now use Swift," Serena says.

The Sylveon fires multiple golden stares at the center of the stage. The stars explode on impact creating golden fireworks. The judges and the audience gasp in amazement as the fireworks disappear to reveal only one Sylveon making a pose with Serena.

"Ta-da! All done!" Serena says.

The crowd applauds, and Serena's heart feels warm at the sight of so many people happy with her performance. She turns to Sylveon and kneels down to hug her Pokemon. Sylveon hugs her back with its feelers before the two exit the stage.

"Wow, that performance was so awesome," Ash says.

"Yeah, Serena really worked hard on it with Sylveon," Brock agrees.

The performances go on for twenty minutes, with many other coordinators performing with their Pokemon. Most of them give entertaining performances while a few of them awkwardly messed up on their routine. Finally, Lilian comes up to announce the final competitor.

"Last but not least, making her debut right here in Celadon City, give it up for Giselle!" She says.

The audience gives Giselle a respectable applause as she enters the stage waving at them with a proud smile. Even Ash and Brock clap modestly as she tosses a Pokeball into the air.

"Marowak, go!" she shouts.

The open to reveal a Marowak appears looking more ready for battle than performing.

"Hey, is that Marowak the Cubone Pikachu and I battled against when we were at Pokemon Tech?" Ash asks.

"I think it is," Brock says. "She did mention that she has a Marowak at Erika's store. Guess she got to keep some of the Pokemon she used at that school."

"Marowak, use Boomerang!" Giselle commands.

Marowak throws its bone into the air, and it spins high up above the audience before it loops around and heads back to its owner.

"Now hit it with Fire Punch," Giselle says.

"What?!" Ash and Brock shout simultaneously.

Marowak makes a fist, and its hand catches fire before it punches it bone right as it was about to come back to it. The impact causes the bone to catch fire and spin above the audience again before it comes back to Marowak, who repeats the process. The crowd watches the fiery bone fly above their heads, amazed by the spectacle. Marowak continues to hit its bone with Fire Punch until Giselle speaks again.

"Now catch your bone and then use Fire Blast!" She shouts.

"Fire Blast?!" Ash and Brock exclaim.

Marowak catches its bone and starts spinning it up into the air until a large Fire Blast comes out. The Fire Blast flies high to the ceiling until it explodes into several tiny balls of fire. The audience and the judges stare at the display until they suddenly roar with applause. Giselle smirks proudly before she and her Marowak take a bow and leave.

"I hate to admit it for Serena's sake, but that was a good performance," Brock says.

"Yeah, I didn't know Marowak could know Fire Punch and Fire Blast?" Ash asks.

"Alright, the judges have made their choices, so look at the screen to see who will be moving on to the next round," she says.

Ash, Brock, Pikachu, and the rest of the audience watch the screen intently. Giselle's picture is the first to appear, followed by several others. Ash, Brock, and Pikachu start to worry about Serena until her picture appears third to last. They sigh in relief before cheering for the honey blonde girl as the audience applauds for everyone who is moving on.

"Alright, now we'll randomly decide who will compete against each other in the battle stage," Lilian announces.

The pictures on the screen get mixed together and move around until a bracket appears to show Giselle battling someone first and Serena's picture appearing on the other side.

"Okay, first up for battle is Giselle and George," Lilian announces.

The crowd applauds again, and Giselle enters the stage proudly while a younger boy with orange hair appearing on the other side of the field.

"Golem, time for battle," Giselle announces as she tosses her ball, and it opens to reveal a Golem.

"Hey, I think that Golem is the same Graveler she used against Misty's Starmie," Ash says.

"That's a safe bet, Ash," Brock says.

"Doduo, let's go," the orange-haired boy named George says.

"Alright, five minutes are on the clock, so let's battle," Lilian says.

The clock on the screen starts to count down from five minutes, and Giselle and George make their battle poses.

"Doduo, use Drill Peck," George calls out."

"Oh please," Giselle says with a boastful smirk. "Golem, use Defense Curl."

Golem pulls its arms and legs into its shell and hides its head just before Doduo jumps into the air and lands right on Golem's shell, beaks first. The two-headed bird Pokemon backs away in pain while Giselle grins.

"Golem, use Earthquake," she commands.

Golem jumps high into the air and crashes into the ground feet first causing a large earthquake. George's Doduo gets hit and is flown into the air, and the poor boy grows nervous, has his points bar lowers slightly.

"Doduo, use Quick Attack," he says desperately.

"Golem, use Defense Curl again," Giselle says with an uncaring sigh.

Golem hides its arms, legs, and head again as Doduo charges at it with rapid speed. The bird Pokemon rams into Golem only for it to back away in pain.

"Now use Stone Edge," Giselle says.

Golem raises its hands, and large borders appear and fly toward Doduo. The Twin Bird Pokemon is too distracted from hurting itself to dodge, and so the boulders slam on top of it. The impact creates a cloud of dust that slowly disappears to reveal Doduo on the ground with swirly eyes. George looks at his poor Pokemon devastated while the judges press their buzzards.

"Looks like Doduo was no match for Golem, so Giselle wins this round," Lilian announces.

The crowd applauds, and Giselle and her Golem wave at them before the brunette returns her Pokemon back into her Pokeball and leaves.

"That wasn't much of a performance battle," Ash comments.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says in agreement.

"You're right," Brock says. "I think Giselle is treating this less like a performance and more like a normal Pokemon battle. Though George wasn't very well prepared for facing a Pokemon like Golem, whether this is a contest battle or not."

Ash nods as the three of them continue watching the next several battle performances until it is finally time for Serena's first match.

"And now, for our next battle, it's Martin and Serena," Lilian announces.

Ash, Pikachu, and Brock cheer with the rest of the crowd as Serena appears on one side of the field, and a tall, confident-looking man with ruby-red hair walks over from the other side.

"Venomoth, showtime," the man named Martin says plainly as he throws a Pokeball and a Venomoth appears.

"Huh? What is that Pokemon?" Serena asks herself as she takes out her Pokedex.

"_Venomoth, the poison moth Pokemon and the evolved form of Venonat,"_ her Pokedex says. "_Tiny scales on its wings disperse various spores when they are flapped._"

"The poison moth Pokemon, huh?" Serena says. "Then it looks like I need to be careful since it probably knows poisonous attacks."

The honey blonde girl reaches out for her Pokeballs but hesitates with which Pokemon to take out.

"_Braixen would probably do the most damage since it's a fire type, but I might have to face Giselle and her Golem, which is resistant against fire attacks,_" Serena thinks to herself, growing nervous. "_I can only use one Pokemon throughout the entire battle stage, so I have to make it count._"

She rattles her brain while Martin, Lilian, and the judges are all waiting on her. She shuts her eyes and whimpers as she tries to make up her mind.

"It's probably the best option I have," she says to herself as she takes out a Pokeball. "Poliwag, I choose you!"

She throws the ball, and it opens to reveal Poliwag happily bouncing up and down.

"Alright, battle begin," Lilian announces as the clock on the screen starts counting down from five minutes again.

"Poliwag, use Bubble Beam!" Serena calls out.

Poliwag takes a deep breath and fires several bubbles at Venomoth.

"Counter with Psybeam," Martin says plainly.

Venomoth fires a multicolored beam from its eyes, and the beam collides with Poliwag's Bubble Beam, causing a multicolored explosion that amazes the audience and causes Serena to lose points.

"Quick, use Bubble Beam again,"

"Use Disable," Martin commands.

Venomoth's eyes glow light blue, and Poliwag becomes outlined in light blue for a moment before it opens its mouth only for no bubbles to come out.

"Oh, not again," Serena says worriedly.

"Now use Confusion," Martin orders.

Venomoth's eyes glow blue again, and Poliwag is lifted up from the ground and thrown toward the wall behind Serena.

"Oh, what do I do?" Serena thinks herself worriedly before her face turns serious. "Think, Serena. Think. Think."

Her eyes widen as she gets an idea.

"Poliwag, move your feet toward the wall and jump!" She shouts. "Then use Double Slap!"

Poliwag stops panicking as it flies toward the wall and flips its body to land on the wall feet first. Then it jumps toward Venomoth and tackles it head-on before slapping it twice with its tail.

"What?" Martin says, surprised as he loses points on the screen.

"Now, use Double Slap multiple times!" Serena calls out confidently.

Still in the air, Poliwag starts slapping Venomoth multiple times with its tail. Serena's confidence grows as Martin's points go down rapidly. The man with ruby-red hair grinds his teeth angrily, the honey blonde girl's Pokemon.

"Venomoth, use Confusion again!" Martin shouts.

Venomoth eyes glow blue, and Poliwag is lifted up into the air again.

"We're still not helpless," Serena says. "Poliwag, use Water Gun! Give it everything you've got!"

Poliwag takes another deep breath and shoots a large spiral of water from its mouth. The attack hits Venomoth, which frees the tadpole Pokemon from its psychic grasp and send its opponent crashing into the wall behind Martin. Martin stares in shock as his Pokemon falls to the ground with swirly eyes, and the judges hit their buzzards.

"Venomoth is unable to continue, so Poliwag wins!" Lilian declares.

"Alright!" Serena says happily as Poliwag runs over to her and hops onto her arms. "Great job, Poliwag. Now let's keep it up."

"Poliwag," Poliwag says happily.

For the next hour and a half, the battle round continues with Giselle continuing to simply crush her opponents with Golem rather than focusing on wowing the judges while Serena successfully bests her opponents by amazing the judges or beating her opponents by their own game. Finally, both girls make it to the final round with Giselle defeating a poor girl's Happiny and Serena outsmarting a woman with her Clefable.

"Alright, now comes the moment of truth," Lilian says. "Who will win? Giselle or Serena? Let's find out!"

The audience cheers excited for the last battle while Giselle and Serena enter the arena.

"Giselle, I'm impressed that you made this far on your debut, but that ribbon is going to be mine," Serena says confidently.

"We'll see about that," Giselle says without a care. "Go, Golem!"

"Poliwag, I choose you!" Serena shouts.

The two balls open and Golem and Poliwag come out ready for battle.

"Let the final match begin!" Lilian shouts as the timer starts again.

"Poliwag, use Bubble Beam!" Serena shouts.

"Golem, Defense Curl," Giselle says plainly.

Poliwag fires a bunch of bubbles, and Golem hides its arms, legs, and face, protecting itself from the water attack.

"Now use Rock Slide," Giselle commands.

Serena becomes uneasy with the large rocks appearing ready to attack her little Pokemon until she gets an idea.

"Poliwag, start jumping up on the rocks," she says.

Poliwag smiles and starts jumping up on each rock heading towards it.

"What?" Giselle exclaims, surprised. "Keep using Rock Slide until you hit it!"

Golem summons more giant rocks and throws it at Poliwag only for the tadpole Pokemon to jump on every single one easily with great speed. It gets higher and higher until it jumps so high from the last rock that its above Golem.

"Now use Bubble Beam once more," Serena calls out.

Poliwag looks down and fires Bubble Beam right on top of Golem. The megaton Pokemon howls in pain, greatly affected by the water attack. Giselle grinds her teeth as Poliwag lands on the ground perfectly.

"That's it, no more Ms. Nice Girl," she snarls. "Golem, use Thunder Punch!"

"What?!" Serena, Ash, and Brock as simultaneously in shock while they watch Golem race toward Poliwag with electricity appearing on its fist and punches Poliwag hard on the stomach. Poliwag squeals as it is sent crashing in front of Serena's feet.

"Poliwag!" She screams worriedly.

"Now, use Thunder Punch again!" Giselle orders.

Electricity appears on Golem's fist again, and it charges at Poliwag, who is still lying on the ground.

"Poliwag, please get up," Serena begs.

Poliwag whimpers in pain before it slowly opens its eyes to see Serena's pleading face. It then groans as it slowly gets up and makes it's best fighting stance.

"Impressive, but it won't stop Golem from hitting it again," Giselle taunts.

Serena scratches her chin in thought, thinking about what to do next until she gets another idea.

"Poliwag, use Water Gun on the floor in front of Golem," she says.

Giselle and the judges look at her in confusion while Poliwag fires a stream of water in front of the charging Golem. Golem runs through the water only to suddenly slip and fall down on its back. Serena and Poliwag both smile, pleased to see their opponent incapacitated.

"Oh, no!" Giselle yells in shock. "Golem, get up!"

But it is no use. No matter how hard Golem tries, the water on the floor is too slippery to get itself back up. Then Serena smirks and gets another amusing idea.

"Poliwag, get on top of Golem and start rolling it around," she says.

Poliwag smiles excitedly, understanding its trainer's command. It hops on top of Golem's shell and starts rolling it around with its feet. The judges and the crowd smile and laugh amused at Poliwag rolling Golem around the wet floor like it's balancing on a ball. Giselle's face turns deep red in frustration as she helplessly watches her Pokemon be treated like a prop.

Suddenly, a loud ding is heard, and everyone looks up on the screen to find that Giselle's point bar is completely out.

"Looks like Giselle has lost all of her points," Lilian says. "That means the winner of this year's Celadon City contest is Serena!"

"Alright!" Serena shouts happily as Poliwag hops off of Golem and jumps into Serena's arms again. "Great job, Poliwag, we did it!"

"Poliwag!" Poliwag shouts joyously as its trainer spins it around while holding it tightly in her arms.

"Yay, Serena!" Ash calls out.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"Way to go, Serena!" Brock shouts.

Giselle frowns bitterly as she returns Golem back into its Pokeball and leaves. Meanwhile, Serena and Poliwag meet on stage with Mr. Contesta walking over to them, carrying a ribbon.

"Congratulations, Serena," he says. "Here is your Celadon City ribbon."

"Thank you very much," Serena says before she presents her ribbon, shouting, "Alright! I got my second contest ribbon!"

"Poli, Poliwag!" Poliwag shouts happily while bouncing up and down next to Serena.

The crowd applauds even louder and Serena's smile grows at the sight of so many people happy with her performance. Even if she wanted to humiliate Giselle, it still warms her heart to see so many people happy from her and Poliwag performing together.

Ten minutes later, Serena meets up with Ash, Pikachu, and Brock outside of Celadon City Hall. Serena is smiling proudly as she opens her ribbon case to present her new contest ribbon laying next to her first one.

"Great job, Serena," Ash compliments.

"Now you only need three more," Brock says.

"Yep, I'm on a roll," Serena says cheerfully.

"Well, lucky you," says a voice coming from behind her.

Serena jumps and turns around to see Giselle standing with her hands on her hips and a bitter look on her face.

"I just want you to know that you got lucky," she says coldly. "Your Poliwag should have been beaten to a pulp with another Thunder Punch. I don't know what the judges were thinking of taking all of my points just because Poliwag was just using Golem as a ball to do tricks on."

"Giselle, performing is part of the battling stage," Brock says. "It's not about just knocking out your opponent's Pokemon, it's about making creative spectacles and outwitting your opponent and having fun."

"You're just defending her because she is your friend," Giselle accuses.

Serena frowns and stands in front of Giselle, rubbing her arm with a guilty look.

"No, it's true," she explains. "I admit that I got the idea partly because I wanted to humiliate you after what you said to me at the perfume shop, and I'm sorry about that. But I also did it because I want to create performances that are fun, not just for myself and my Pokemon, but for all the people and Pokemon watching to smile and be happy. That dream is why I decided to compete in Pokemon contests, and that's what is expected of coordinators during the battle round who want to win ribbons and compete in the Grand Festival, not just simply defeating your opponent's Pokemon like a normal battle. That is why you lost."

Giselle keeps looking at Serena skeptically for a moment before she sighs in defeat.

"Guess it's clear that I still have much to learn about things like this with my Pokemon," she admits before giving Serena a warning glare. "Still, though, I made it pretty far on my debut, and I still caught you and your Poliwag off guard with that Thunder Punch. So you better be ready, Serena, because next time we face each other, I'll be better prepared."

Serena smiles, satisfied with her rival's response.

"I'm looking forward to it," she says.

Giselle nods and turns to Ash with a confident smirk.

"And Ash, while some of your battling ideas are sloppy, I admit that you have matured a lot as a trainer since we first met," she says. "I expect you to put your all into getting your business in order with the Viridian City gym because I'm going to enter the Indigo League stronger than ever, and I expect you to do the same."

"Right, it's a deal," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Giselle chuckles with her mouth closed in amusement before turning around and saying, "Well, I better be off. You're two ribbons ahead of me, and I have much work to do to catch up."

"Alright, see you later then, Giselle," Brock says.

"Yeah, take care," Serena says.

"Bye, everyone!" Giselle says, not looking back at them as she walks away with everyone waving at her until she is out of sight.

"Alright," Ash says before turning to Serena. "Where to for your next contest?"

Serena's smiles at Ash's sincerity of following her all the way till she gets her remaining ribbons before she nods and takes out her tablet.

"The closest one that is going to start next is all the way in Fuchsia City," she says. "By the look of things, we will have to take a detour past Cycling Road to get there since none of us have bikes."

"Sounds good," Ash says. "It is a long walk, but we've taken that path before to help Celebi. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says happily.

"Huh? You met a Celebi there?" Serena asks, shocked.

"Oh yeah, we did," Brock says, remembering. "Didn't Ash tell you about that?"

"I think this is another story I have yet to tell her," Ash admits before looking at Serena apologetically. "Sorry, Serena.'

"Oh, it's okay, Ash," Serena says sincerely. "You can tell me all about it along the way."

"Good idea," Ash says as the three of them and Pikachu start walking. "Let's see, I think we were on our way to -"

Suddenly, Ash stops speaking when he hears the sounds of loud footsteps. The group looks at each other in confusion until they turn around to find a Primeape running towards them. It looks enraged as it is running towards them with its eyes dead sent on Ash. Everyone becomes uneasy and ready to run until Ash's look of worry turns into one of confusion.

"Hey, wait a minute," he says. "Is that -?"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Primeape tackles Ash to the ground and begins crushing his body with its arms.

"ASH!" Serena screams.


	27. Chapter 27

Serena's heart freezes in place, and her eyes widen in fear at the sight of Ash's screaming at the top of his lungs as the unknown Pokémon on top of him squeezes the life out of him. Whatever this angry Pokemon wants with Ash, it's clear to Serena that it wants to cause the poor boy she cares for pain. She reaches into her backpack, takes out Braixen's Pokeball, and gets ready to throw it when Brock suddenly grabs her arm, stopping her.

"What are you doing?" she asks. "That thing is hurting Ash!"

"No, it's not," Brock says calmly. "Can't you see it's hugging him, and Ash is happy to see Primeape?"

Serena tilts her head in confusion and turns her head and gasps to see that Brock is right. The strange ape-looking Pokemon stands up and cheerfully hops from one foot to the other while Ash laughs and wraps his arms around it.

"Hey, Primeape, good to see you," Ash giggles.

"Prime...ape?" Serena asks as she takes out her Pokedex.

"_Primeape, the pig monkey Pokemon,_" it says. "_If you make eye contact with this evolved form of Mankey, it will chase you forever_."

"Chase you forever? Is that why it came after Ash?" Serena asks.

"No, Serena, this Primeape is mine," Ash answers.

"What? This Pokemon is yours?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Hey, Primeape, wait up!"

Everyone turns around to see a tall, muscular man and a young woman running over to them. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock smile, immediately recognizing them.

"Hey, Anthony, Rebecca!" Ash calls out.

"Wow!" Brock shouts with hearts in his eyes. "Rebecca is even cuter than I remember!"

Brock begins to run over to the girl only to have two arms wrap around him from behind. He turns around to see Serena holding him back with a sympathetic look.

"Brock, remember when we talked about you acting creepy?" She asks. "I'm afraid this is one of those times. Please take a deep breath and greet her calmly but nicely."

Brock whimpers quietly, wanting to run after the woman out of habit, but he sighs in defeat and takes a deep breath before turning to Rebecca, who just caught up with Primeape with Anthony and greets her with a friendly smile.

"Rebecca, long time no see," he says with Serena smiling satisfied with her friend's changed demeanor. "How has it been with you and your father?"

"Oh, it's been going great," Rebecca answers happily. "Ever since Ash won the P1 Grand Prix with Primeape, Daddy has been at home with our family all the time now, and we couldn't be happier. My mother and I can't thank you two enough."

Brock blushes bashfully and looks away, scratching his nose in an attempt to play cool.

"Oh, well, you know, we did our best," he says, chuckling nervously.

Meanwhile, the tall, muscular man walks over to Ash and his Primeape with a hearty smile.

"Well, what do you know?" He says. "Long time no see, Ash. It's good to see ya."

"Good to see you too, Anthony," Ash says as he and Primeape break their hug to face the man. "Have you been training Primeape hard?"

"You bet," Anthony says with a toothy grin. "With the help of my Hitmonchan and me, Primeape has gotten stronger than ever. Though it's clear as day that it misses you more than it's ready for the P1 Grand Prix again."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Ash chuckles as Primeape starts to hug him tightly again.

Serena, meanwhile, looks down and sighs worriedly.

"Why do so many of Ash's Pokemon like to inflict some kind of pain on him to display their affection?" She groans to herself before turning to Anthony. "Excuse me, but what is this about a P1 Grand Prix?"

Anthony, Rebecca, and Primeape all turn to the honey blonde girl, realizing they haven't noticed her.

"And who might you be, young lady?" Anthony asks.

"I'm Serena," Serena introduces.

"Nice to meet you," Rebecca says kindly. "I'm Rebecca, and this is my father."

"Anthony's the name," Anthony says proudly. "And to answer your question, Serena, I'm talking about the Pokemon Number One Grand Prix that takes place right here in Celadon City. It's a competition where each trainer can compete with only one fighting Pokemon that happens every year."

"That's right, and four years ago, I won the competition against Team Rocket with Primeape," Ash adds. "Then, I left it with Anthony so he can train it to become a true champion."

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts proudly.

"Wow, that's incredible, Ash," Serena says, impressed with Ash's accomplishment before turning to Anthony. "So what are you all doing here?"

"This year's P1 Grand Prix is tomorrow, and Daddy is going to compete with Primeape," Rebecca answers.

"You are?!" Ash shouts excitedly.

"That's right, I've taught Primeape everything it needs to know to be a true champion," Anthony says. "So tomorrow, I'm going to enter the competition so that Primeape can help me finally achieve my dream by winning the tournament at last."

"Primeape!" Primeape says proudly again.

"That's great," Brock says. "Looks like we are just in time to see you compete."

"Yeah," Ash says enthusiastically until he realizes something and frowns sadly. "But we are actually on our way to leave for Fuchsia City. Serena has a contest there, and we don't want to miss it."

Primeape looks at Ash devastated while Anthony and Rebecca look down on the floor, disappointed.

"Aw, that's a shame," Anthony says.

Serena looks at everyone, feeling hurt that they are sad because of her. She quickly takes out her tablet and looks at the ad for the contest in Fuchsia City and smiles.

"Actually, we don't need to leave right away," she says.

"Are you sure, Serena?" Ash asks.

"Positive," Serena says. "According to my tablet, we would be arriving two days early if we left now. Besides, Primeape is your Pokemon, and I don't want you to miss something so important to it. So let's support Primeape together."

Ash looks at Serena, surprised for a moment before he smiles thankfully.

"Thank you, Serena," he says before turning to everyone else. "Alright, then we'll be there to cheer for you, Primeape!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"Primeape!" Primeape yells joyfully as it starts crushing Ash in a tight hug.

"That's great," Anthony says. "So what's say we all get rooms at the Pokemon Center and catch up on things?"

"Sure, I'm sure Nurse Joy would be able to give us our room back for one more night," Brock says.

"Then let's go, team!" Anthony shouts proudly as he, Rebecca, Primeape, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Serena all head back to the Pokemon Center with Serena walking behind everyone feeling happy to see Ash and Primeape laugh and talk along the way like the old friends they are.

No one notices, however, that Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers are walking past them on the other side of the road.

Through the next few hours, Ash, Serena, and Brock talk non-stop with Anthony and Rebecca while Pikachu and Primeape play with all of Ash, Brock, and Serena's Pokemon, exuding Steelix. Anthony talks about how he was training Primeape hard with his Hitmonchan, and Rebecca talks about how her father was spending much more time with their family, and Ash started telling stories about his travels since he gave his Pokemon to Anthony. Serena was shocked yet amused with how things started so rocky for Ash and Primeape when he found it as a Mankey, mentally reminding herself that he had a lot to learn about treating Pokemon back then.

Eventually, the group had dinner while still telling stories and afterward decided to go separate places with Anthony finding a place to train Primeape before the P1 Grand Prix while Ash trains his Pokemon on the other side of the courtyard, Serena practices her performances not to far from Ash while Brock and Rebecca continue to talk inside the Pokemon Center.

"Okay, Absol," Serena begins with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag standing next to her. "Since we're delaying our trip to Fuchsia City, I think now would be a perfect time for you to practice your moves. If we can work fast enough, I can put you in on the appeal stage for my next contest."

"Absol!" Absol cheers, clearly excited to be a part of the Pokemon contest with its trainer and the rest of her Pokemon. Serena, Braixen, Pancham, and Poliwag all smile warmly at its enthusiasm before Serena takes out her Pokedex.

"Okay, so according to my Pokedex, you currently know Leer, Feint, Scratch, and Perish Song," she says. "So let's practice some of those moves, okay?"

"Absol," Absol replies nodding.

"Okay," Serena says before she looks around and finds a weak branch on a tree. "Use Scratch on that tree branch."

Absol's front claws turn white, and it runs over and slices the branch off the tree like it was made of cloth.

"Great," Serena says before looking around and finding a soda can on the floor. "Now use Feint on that can."

Absol disappears for a moment and reappears right in front of the soda can and swipes at it, tearing it into pieces.

"Wonderful," Serena says cheerfully. "Now aim at the sky and use Perish Song."

Absol nods and aims at the sky. It takes a deep breath and fires crimson sound waves from its mouth.

"Excellent," Serena says with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag cheering in agreement. "I'm not sure how we can practice Leer since that lowers a Pokemon's defense, and I'd rather not use Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, or Poliwag as guinea pigs."

Serena scratches her chin in thought before she takes out her Pokedex and looks through the information about Absol again. Absol walks over to its trainer curiously as Serena searches.

"Hmmm, it says here that you can learn Double Team," Serena says intrigued. "Maybe if I can train you to learn it, we could make a really beautiful spectacle with a Double Team and Perish Song combo, Absol."

"Absol!" Absol says, enthusiastic of Serena's idea.

"What do you all think?" Serena asks, turning to the rest of her Pokemon.

"Pancham!" Pancham says, giving a thumbs up.

"Braix," Braixen says with a simple nod.

"Sylveon," Sylveon says cutely.

"Poli, Poli," Poliwag says, bouncing.

"Great," Serena says happily. "Now, I just need to think of a way to teach you the move. Perhaps he could -"

Suddenly, Serena's thoughts are interrupted when she hears an explosion coming from behind her. The honey blonde girl and her Pokemon turn around and see from a distance that Ash is training with Gabite and Boldore. The two Pokemon are standing on opposite sides of the field while Ash and Pikachu are standing on the sidelines.

"Boldore, use Rock Smash!" Ash orders.

One of Boldore's front legs glow red-orange, and it charges at Gabite.

"Gabite, fend Boldore off with your own Rock Smash!" Ash commands.

Gabite's arm glows white, and it charges back at Boldore. The two attacks clash, and Gabite and Boldore lock arm and leg, trying to overpower the other. After a few seconds, the two Pokemon back away, accepting they are at an impasse.

"Now, Boldore, use Flash Cannon and Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" Ash shouts.

The two Pokemon prepare their respective attacks before they fire at the same time, causing the two moves to explode on impact.

"Alright, now for something tricky," Ash says confidently. "Gabite, use Draco Meteor and Boldore, use Rock Blast to defend yourself against the spheres."

Serena and her Pokemon look at Ash, confused as Gabite prepares to use Draco Meteor. The cave Pokemon fires its attack, and the sphere flies high into the sky before it explodes into several spheres heading straight for Boldore. Boldore looks up to the best of its ability and starts firing several stones at the meteors. Unfortunately, one lands right behind it, and it explodes, sending Boldore off its feet and landing upside down. The ore Pokemon starts kicking its legs into the air in panic, struggling to get up.

"Oh no," Ash says, running to Boldore's side. "Gabite, help me get Boldore up."

Gabite nods and starts helping Ash turn Boldore over, but the poor Pokemon is still panicking. Serena realizes that their strength isn't enough and turns to her Pokemon.

"Braixen, Pancham, let's help too," she says.

Braixen and Pancham nod and follow Serena with Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol following behind. The honey blonde girl kneels in front of Boldore while her Pokemon take positions beside Ash and Gabite.

"It's okay, Boldore," she says softly while petting Boldore's head. "We're gonna get you standing up again. Just please calm down and stand still so we can help you."

Ash turns his head, noticing what Serena is doing. To his amazement, Boldore is slowly calming down and slowly starting to stop kicking its legs in the air. Serena smiles warmly and turns to Ash.

"Let's lift on the count of three," she says.

Ash smirks and nods back at Serena.

"Right, together on three," he says with Gabite, Braixen, and Pancham nodding in agreement. "One...two...three!"

Together, the two teenagers and the three Pokemon try to lift Boldore with all their might. Even Pikachu, Poliwag, Sylveon, and Absol come in and try to help. It takes a moment before they manage to lift Boldore up to its side and push it to its stomach. The ore Pokemon gets up on all three legs and cheers happily before walking over to Serena and climbs on top of her affectionately.

"Looks like Boldore wants to say thank you," Ash says with a smile.

"Oh, you're very welcome, Boldore," Serena says, flattered.

"Bol, Boldore," Boldore says gleefully before getting off of Serena.

Ash walks over to his Pokemon and kneels down to pet it.

"Sorry about that, Boldore," he says. "I guess that was a little too tricky for you."

"Boldore," Boldore groans sadly.

Ash frowns as Boldore walks away from him and finds a spot to lie down on the grass. He stands up and looks at his Pokemon sympathetically before turning to Gabite.

"Let's take a break," he says.

Gabite nods in understanding and finds a spot to relax. Serena notices Ash looking worried for Boldore and turns to her Pokemon.

"Everyone, why don't you go play for a little while," she suggests.

Her Pokemon nod and run off to play while Serena turns back to Ash. She walks over to him while Pikachu hops on his shoulder with the same worried look.

"Ash, what's wrong?" She asks.

Ash stays silent for a moment before he says, "Boldore has been acting pretty down lately. It's been acting hard on itself whenever it messes up on a move when training. It's been like this since its battle with Erika's Victreebel."

Serena turns to Boldore with a sad look, seeing the ore Pokemon looking down.

"Is it sad that it lost quickly to Victreebel?" She asks.

"Yeah, and probably Sabrina's Alakazam too," Ash says. "I think it feels discouraged how it hasn't done a whole lot in battle since we left Pallet Town. I've noticed it particularly looking down when it learned that Quilava evolved into a Typhlosion. I think it thinks that if it evolved like Typhlosion, Gabite, and Servine, it would feel better."

"Really?" Serena asks. "Can it evolve?"

"Well, yeah. A Boldore can evolve into this large rock Pokemon called Gigalith," Ash answers.

"Gigalith?" Serena asks curiously before opening her Pokedex and typing in the name.

"_Gigalith, the compressed Pokemon,_" her Pokedex says. "_Gigalith's attacks, using compressed energy from its core, are powerful enough to destroy a mountain._"

"Powerful enough to destroy a mountain? That's incredible," Serena says, amazed.

"Yeah, it sounds pretty awesome," Ash says with his eyes still fixed on Boldore. "The thing is I don't think it wants to wait until it's powerful enough to evolve. I guess after a couple of losses, it wants to just gain that kind of power right off the bat. I'm trying to get it to be patient, but it doesn't want to wait."

Serena frowns sadly and turns to Boldore and says, "I can't imagine what that's like."

"I can," Ash says. "I remember wanting to evolve Pikachu into a Raichu to win a badge."

"Really?" Serena asks, shocked.

"Yeah," Ash answers while turning to Pikachu, who is still on his shoulder. "It was when I was trying to get my badge at Vermillion City. Remember, buddy?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, nodding.

"Isn't Vermillion city the place May and Max were going so that Max could win a badge there?" Serena asks.

"Yup," Ash says, smirking. "And I hope he and his Pokemon do a better job facing Lieutenant Surge and his Raichu than we did."

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Why? What happened when you face him?" Serena asks.

Ash runs the back of his head and says, "His Raichu beat Pikachu pretty badly. We didn't stand a chance."

Serena looks at Ash, surprised as he continues his story.

"Back then, I only had the two badges that I got from Brock and Misty's sisters without winning a battle, so I still didn't earn a badge the right way before by this point in my journey," he says. "The Nurse Joy who was treating Pikachu, offered me a Thunder Stone so that Pikachu could evolve into a Raichu. I offered it to Pikachu, but it knocked it away with its tail stating that it wants to face Raichu just the way it is. I honored its wishes, and so we faced Lieutenant Surge again and won. It turned out that as powerful as his Raichu was, he evolved it too early, so it didn't have the speed it would have gained if he waited until his Pikachu was at a higher level before evolving it into a Raichu. Because Pikachu is smaller and faster, it had the upper hand, so we used it to beat Raichu and win the match."

Serena smiles, hearing about Ash winning the badge.

"Over time, I learned how evolving didn't always matter for a Pokemon, not just with Pikachu," Ash says. "Bulbasaur, for example, had a chance to evolve into an Ivysaur, but it didn't want to because it was happy the way it is. So from then on, I took a different approach to work on making my Pokemon as strong as they can possibly be whether they evolve or not. If they do, then that's great, and if not that's great too."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Serena nods in agreement before turning to Boldore.

"So, you're okay with Boldore wanting to evolve?" She asks.

"Absolutely," Ash answers. "If that's what Boldore wants, then I'm willing to help it all the way. I just wish it wasn't so down over losing those battles and my other Pokemon evolving. Becoming strong can take a long while for a Pokemon. That's why I gave Primeape to Anthony so that it could become a better champion."

Serena hums in thought and asks, "Do you know how Boldore can evolve into a Gigalith?"

Ash's eyes widen, and he scratched under his nose.

"I haven't a clue," he answered. "It could be through training like I'm trying to do right now, or it could be something like needing a specific stone or getting stronger at a certain area. Maybe Boldore is one of those Pokemon that evolves through trading like Jessie's Gourgeist. I just don't know. Right now, all I can do is keep training so that it'll get better in battle."

Serena nods before turning to Boldore with a sympathetic look. She then smiles and walks over to Boldore, who turns to her curiously as she kneels down beside it.

"Don't worry, Boldore. You'll get better," she says. "Take it from me. It takes a lot of practice to get as good as you want to be, but you won't get better if you keep being down about yourself."

"Boldore," Boldore sighs.

"You know, Quilava may have evolved into a Typhlosion, but it wasn't easy for it to do that even when it had the type advantage," she says. "It almost lost to Gloom until we started cheering for it, telling Quilava not to give up until it's over. That's a saying Ash told me when we were little, and he forgot about it until we met again in the Kalos region. I took it to heart since that day, and I started to put it into practice when I became a performer. But making it to the Master Class and facing Aria took a lot of time. The first time I lost hurt me real bad, but after being comforted by Fennekin and Pancham, I kept going. So just give it time and don't give up. You'll evolve someday. Just trust Ash and don't give up until the very end."

Boldore still looks down for a few seconds. Finally, it stands up and turns to Ash with a firm stance.

"Does that mean you're ready to keep going?" Ash asks.

"Boldore," Boldore replies happily.

"Alright, then let's try that move one more time," Ash says excitedly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheers from Ash's shoulder.

"Boldore!" Boldore shouts while Gabite runs over to join them.

Serena smiles satisfies and turns around to head back to her Pokemon until she hears Ash's voice.

"Thanks, Serena," he says. "You're the best."

Serena stops walking and turns her head only to see that Ash has already looked away from her and has gone back to training with his Pokemon. She smiles and blushes lightly, before going back to walking over to her Pokemon.

"Make his Pokemon as strong as they can be, huh?" She says to herself. "I wonder how much stronger Primeape will turn out to be in his eyes tomorrow."

The next day, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Serena went back to Celadon City Hall with Anthony, Rebecca, and Primeape early in the afternoon. Already dozens of people are coming inside and taking their seats while Ash and his friends with Anthony and Primeape luck.

"This is it, Primeape," Anthony says proudly. "This time, we're going to win. I can feel it."

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts, sharing Anthony's enthusiasm.

"Good luck, Daddy," Rebecca says, giving her father a kiss on the cheek.

"So you and Primeape have competed in the last couple of Grand Prix?" Brock asks.

"Sure have," Anthony says. "But every time someone gets the better of us during the last round and takes the belt. But we've learned from our mistakes, haven't we?"

"Prime," Primeape growls, sounding pumped.

"Are you sure, Daddy?" Rebecca asks. "I heard there's a new competitor from Kalos that is pretty tough."

"Ah, tough, smough," Anthony says with a wave of his hand. "Whatever this person's Pokemon has in store, we can take them. Right, Ash?"

"Right," Ash says nothing before turning to Primeape. "Now Primeape, I don't know how much you've learned since I left you in Anthony's care, but if there's anything I want you to take from me before you go it is don't be afraid to dodge or study your opponent's fighting pattern, but more importantly to never give up until the very end."

Serena smiles, fondly at Ash for taking her example with his own advice before she steps in and says, "And don't forget to have fun."

"Yeah, Serena's right. Don't forget to have fun," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"Primeape," Primeape says, nodding and banging its fists together.

"_All contestants, please proceed to the backstage,_" a voice says from the speakers.

"Well, it's showtime," Anthony says. "Come on, Primeape, let's win us a belt."

"Prime," Primeape snarls eagerly as it follow the tall, muscular man to the backstage.

"Alright, gang, let's find our seats," Brock says.

Everyone nods in agreement as they walk over to find a spot in the front seat of the hall where the stage has already been changed into a large fighting platform. They wait for about ten minutes before the lights turn off and they hear an announcer coming from the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this year's P1 Grand Prix tournament," he says.

The crowd roars with thunderous applause before the announcer continues.

"We have a great competition for you today," he says. "Now, without further ado, let's start with our first match of the day with Joseph and his Machoke versus Anthony and Primeape."

"Yeah! Go, Primeape!" Ash shouts.

"Good luck, Primeape!" Serena calls out.

"You can do it!" Brock yells.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts.

"Go get 'em, Daddy," Rebecca calls out.

Primeape enters the platform with Anthony staying behind in the corner while a tall teenage boy with short, black hair throw stand on the other side of the corner with a Machoke. The two sides wait until the bell rings, and a referee shouts, "Fight!"

"Machoke, use Low Kick!" Joseph shouts.

"Primeape, use Mega Kick," Anthony says.

Machoke runs over to Primeape and attempts to trip Primeape only for the pig monkey Pokemon to jump high into the air and land on Machome's head foot first.

"Machoke, get up and use Brick Break," Joseph shouts with an uneasy look on his face.

Machoke gets up, and its hands turn white before attempting to punch Primeape only for it to dodge each punch.

"That's it, Primeape," Anthony encourages with a grin. "Stay on defense. Wait for him to tire out before finishing him off."

Primeape continues to dodge Machoke's every attack. Finally, as Anthony predicted, Machoke's attacks start to grow weaker and slower, and Primeape takes advantage of it by charging at its opponent and starts pounding and kicking it repeatedly.

"There Primeape goes with that Thrash attack," Ash says.

"Yeah, and it looks much stronger than before," Brock adds.

Primeape stops using Thrash, and Machoke gets down on one knee. Then Primeape's right boxing glove turns white, and it lifts its arms high into the air before thrusting it hard on Machoke's head.

"Whoa, Primeape knows Karate Chop too?!" Ash exclaims with stars in his eyes.

"Yeah, it learned to do that a couple years ago," Rebecca chortles.

"That is so awesome!" Ash shouts excitedly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts in agreement.

Serena giggles at Ash's excitement before turning to the fight just in time to see Machoke fall flat on its face with swirly eyes. The bell rings and the referee steps in.

"Machoke is down for the count! Primeape wins!" He declares.

The crowd cheers while Primeape does a victory dance, and Joseph helps his poor Machoke out of the ring. Ash and Pikachu cheer as loud as their lungs are capable of before the announcer introduces the next match.

"Wow, Primeape has gotten so much better," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Yeah, that Machoke didn't stand a chance," Serena says as the next match starts.

"True, but there's still one more round after this before the final round," Brock says.

"I know," Rebecca says worriedly. "And I'm still concerned about the new competitor that I heard about."

"Don't worry about it," Ash says confidently. "Primeape and Anthony are going to win this, no doubt."

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts as the match ends with a Hitmonchan taking down a Hitmonlee.

"And now, our next match is Jimmy with his Machamp against Stan with his Gallade!" The announcer says.

"Gallade?!" Ash and Serena both shout surprised.

"But I thought Gallade is only a Psychic-type Pokemon," Ash says.

"Yeah, but it's a fighting type too," Brock says. "This one probably only knows fighting moves, so it counts."

Ash and Serena stare at the Gallade on the platform looking ready to fight. Behind it at the corner is an old man with balding gray hair and a cocky grin on his face. Rebecca looks at the man worriedly as the bell dings to start the fight.

"Machamp, let's start things up with Brick Break," the teenager named Jimmy says.

All four of Machamp's fists turn white, and it charges at Gallade. The superpower Pokemon throws several punches at its opponent at quick speed only for Gallade to dodge every single one of them just by moving the top half of its body. Eventually, the blade Pokemon makes one wrong move, and one of the bottom fists lands a hit on its stomach. Jimmy smiles excitedly only to look in confusion to find Gallade barely looking like it was hurt at all.

"I see. So this is why you were worried about Stan and his Gallade, Rebecca," Brock says, crossing his arms.

"Yes, it's just as I feared," Rebecca says.

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"Gallade has an advantage against Machamp," Brock explains. "Because it's part Psychic-type, the fighting attacks will only cause half of the damage it would have caused if it was used against a pure fighting type like Machamp or Primeape."

Stan grins from his corner and looks at his Gallade, saying, "You know what to do."

Gallade grins and with great speed zooms over to Machamp until they're close to each other and starts attacking it fiercely, causing Machamp to back up to a corner and get down on one knee. With its opponent nearly beaten, Gallade gives Machamp a firm kick that sends its opponent hitting its back against the corner hard before finally dropping its head with swirly eyes.

"Machamp is down for the count! Gallade wins!" The referee declares while ringing the bell.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Brock, and Rebecca stare in shock while the rest of the audience applauds excitedly.

"Wow, that Gallade is so powerful," Ash says.

"No kidding," Brock says with a nod. "That Close Combat, Brick Break, and Low Kick combo was flawlessly executed. Machamp barely hurt it while Gallade took it down like it was nothing."

"Oh no, then Primeape and the other competitors might not stand a chance against Gallade," Serena says worriedly.

"Oh, I knew Daddy should have been concerned about this Stan guy," Rebecca says fearfully.

"Don't count Anthony and Primeape out yet," Ash says optimistically. "They're going to win this tournament no matter the challenge. I know they will."

The first round ends with a young woman's Hitmontop beating a boy's Tyrogue. Thus the next round started with Primeape against Hitmonchan in the first match and Gallade against Hitmontop in the second match. Fortunately for Primeape, it was able to put its training with Anthony's Hitmonchan to beat the boy's Hitmonchan and win the match. Unfortunately, Gallade overpowered Hitmontop as easily as its first opponent. Thus, Brock, Rebecca, and Serena's worry started to grow while Ash and Pikachu choose to stay confident.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the moment you've been waiting for!" The announcer says energetically. "It's come to the final match between Anthony and Primeape, the P1 Grand Prix veterans, against the newcomers, Stan and Gallade. Who will win?"

The crowd roars in excitement as Anthony and Primeape appear from one side of the stage, and Stan and Gallade appear from the other.

"Go, Primeape! Show them what you're made of!" Ash shouts.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu exclaims.

Serena looks at Ash, concerned that he might be acting too confident about his Pokemon's chances as the two fighting Pokemon enter the ring.

"Let's get this fight started!" The announcer says, and the bell dings.

Primeape charges at Gallade and starts throwing several punches at its opponent. Gallade evades most attacks with ease, but Primeape manages to land a few hits against the blade Pokemon, which causes little harm against it.

"Come on, Primeape, don't hold back," Anthony calls out. "Stay on the offensive."

Primeape doesn't hesitate to obey Anthony as it throws as many punches as possible. Meanwhile, Stan gives an amused smirk as he watches the pig monkey Pokemon try to hit his Pokemon with little success or affect. Finally, he sees Primeape begin to tire and grins.

"Gallade, now," he calls out.

Gallade stops dodging and suddenly catches one of Primeape's fists with its hands. Primeape and Anthony stare in shock for a moment before Gallade starts punching its opponent fiercely. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Rebecca, and Anthony look in shock as the blade Pokemon beats Primeape with vigorous speed.

"Primeape!" Ash calls out.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu shouts.

"Come on, Primeape, don't let up!" Serena shouts.

"You can do it!" Brock yells.

"Come on, Primeape, don't let this chump get the best of you," Anthony calls out.

But Primeape can barely focus on what is going on at the rate that Gallade is hitting it repeatedly with great force. Finally, Gallade kicks Primeape in the stomach, and the pig monkey Pokemon is sent flying off its feet and hitting the post. It falls down in a sitting position, struggling to stay conscious.

"Well, I must say Primeape put up a decent fight," Stan says. "Unfortunately, it's time to finish this. Gallade, Low Kick."

Ash's heart sinks as Gallade prepares to kick his Pokemon.

"Come on, Primeape, don't give up!" He shouts. "Remember what I said; don't give up until the very end! You're not down yet, so fight back with everything you've got!"

"Yeah, Primeape, Ash is right," Anthony calls out. "Remember we've been training to show Ash how you've gotten so strong over the last four years. So come on now, don't give up. This is your chance. Show us what a true champion you are!"

Primeape groans in pain as Gallade charges after it. The pig monkey Pokemon starts shaking its body as a means to snap out of its daze.

"Primeape, dodge now!" Ash screams.

The raven-haired boy's words ring in the fighting Pokemon's ear, and its eyes snap open. It sees Gallade's foot just a couple feet away from its face, and it quickly moves its body away causing Gallade to hit the post. The blade Pokemon winces in pain and lumps away with its foot swollen.

"Oh no, Gallade!" Stan shouts in realization.

Anthony grins and shouts, "Way to go, now get back on the offensive!"

Primeape bangs its fists together before ferociously hitting Gallade with several punches and kicks. The psychic and fighting type Pokemon tries to dodge them, but its stance has become weak and sloppy with its injured foot. With a force uppercut, Primeape knocks Gallade off its feet, sending it falling down on the ground. Stan watches in horror as Primeape grabs Gallade by the foot and head, carries it to the top of one of the posts, jumps up, and throws it into the ground, knocking it out.

"It's over!" The referee declares. "Gallade is down for the count! Primeape is the winner!"

The bell rings for one final time, and Anthony gets on the platform and starts celebrating with Primeape. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Rebecca, and the rest of the audience roar with thunderous applause as the referee puts the golden belt around Primeape. Rebecca sighs with happy tears in her eyes to see her father looking so thrilled to have accomplished his dream. Primeape turns to where Ash and Pikachu are seated and makes a victory pose to its trainer. The raven-haired boy and his Pikachu cheer for Primeape at the top of their lungs, and Serena secretly glance at him, so glad to see the boy she cares for being so happy for his Pokemon.

Eventually, the cheering dies down, and people leave the hall just like at the end of Celadon City's Pokemon contest. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, and Rebecca meet up with Anthony and Primeape outside of the building with Rebecca running to her father for a tight hug.

"Oh, Daddy, I'm so happy for you!" She exclaims.

Anthony chuckles with his mouth closed and says, "Thanks, Rebecca. It really feels great to have finally accomplished my dream."

"Yeah, what are you going to do now that your dream is fulfilled?" Brock asks.

Anthony chuckles nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Good question. I have no idea," he admits. "I guess I could train Hitmonchan some more so that it could win the Grand Prix next year, but as far as a new real goal, I have no idea."

"Well, I hope you find that new dream soon," Serena says.

"Yeah, meanwhile, I'll keep pursuing my own dream to become a Pokemon Master," Ash says confidently.

"Atta boy, Ash," Anthony says. "In fact, since you're aiming to compete in the Indigo League again, why don't I give Primeape back to you? I betcha you'll win a lot of battles with a true champion in your team."

Ash's eyes light up, and he turns to Primeape, asking, "Would you like to come back with me, Primeape?"

"Primeape!" Primeape responds gleefully.

"Awesome!" Ash says before scratching his chin in thought. "Since Typhlosion has fully evolved, how about I switch it with you so that you can be a part of our journey?"

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts joyously.

So, the group heads back to the Pokemon Center, where Ash has Typhlosion's Pokeball sent back to Professor Oak's laboratory while Anthony gives Ash Primeape's Pokeball. Then Anthony turns to Primeape and gives it a sad smile.

"Well, Primeape, it's been a blast," he says. "Thank you for all your hard work and for making my dream come true. I'll tell Hitmonchan that you said goodbye."

"Goodbye, Primeape. We'll miss you," Rebecca says while hugging the Pokemon.

"Prime," Primeape says sadly while it hugs Rebecca back.

When the two part, Primeape turns to Ash, who smiles at it with its Pokeball ready.

"Alright, Primeape, welcome back to the group," he says.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily says from Ash's shoulder.

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts happily before it is sent back into its Pokeball.

Ash looks at the Pokeball, and his smile grows before turning to Anthony and Rebecca.

"Anthony, Rebecca, I want to thank you for taking care of Primeape," he says.

"Don't mention it, Ash. It was our pleasure," Anthony says with a grin. "Be sure to give it your all at the Indigo League with Primeape."

"Yeah, win the league for us," Rebecca says.

"I will," Ash says.

"And Anthony, good luck with finding a new dream," Serena says.

"Thanks, Serena," Anthony replies.

"Well, we better get going," Brock says. "We don't want to miss Serena's contest at Fuschia City."

"Understood," Anthony says with a nod. "Take care, everyone."

"Goodbye," Ash, Serena, and Brock say together as they start to leave while waving to Anthony and Rebecca. When the coach and his daughter are out of sight, the three trainers and Pikachu turned their heads and begin leaving the city.

"Well, as much as I enjoyed staying at the city, it's good to be back on the road again," Ash says cheerfully.

"You said it, Ash," Brock agrees. "Are you ready for your next contest, Serena?"

"I hope so," Serena says. "I still have a lot of practicing to do with Absol, and I hope we will be ready in time."

"Don't worry. You'll be ready before you know it," Ash says encouragingly.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says from Ash's shoulder.

Serena smiles and Ash sweetly, happy to see him in bliss with his old Pokemon back. As the group head their way to Cycling Road, Ash looks up in the sky and imagines all the battles he's going to have with his long-time friend.


	28. Chapter 28

It is almost noon, and Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu decided to camp out last night before they went to rent bikes at the bike shop near Cycling Road. As soon as they enter the shop, a clerk turns to them and gives them a friendly smile.

"Hi, how can I help you?" she asks.

"That depends," Timothy answers before he gives the clerk a hopeful look. "Do you really offer to rent bikes to get through Cycling Road now?"

The clerk smiles and said, "We sure do. I assume you are renting two bikes?"

"You are correct," Coovers said with a friendly smile.

"Alright, I'll go get some bikes for you at the back," the clerk says before going into the back room.

When the clerk is gone, Timothy suddenly shakes his fists into the air and starts jumping up and down excitedly like a child. Coovers looks at him worriedly while Electchu sighs.

"Are you okay, Timothy?" Coovers asks.

Timothy realizes how he's acting in front of his companions and smiles sheepishly.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just that I've never been able to ride a bike through Cycling Road so I could get from Celadon City to Fuchsia City or vice versa. It's just so much faster, and I always hated taking the long way."

Coovers looks at his friend, unconvinced, and says, "Still, I don't think that's a good reason to act that silly."

Timothy rolled his eyes and said, "Dude, when your experience with traveling between the two cities exceeds mine, then you can criticize me about how I act."

"Raichu," Electchu sighs again at its partner's response.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the glass door to the bicycle store, and the two men and Electchu turn around to see Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Brock entering the store with friendly smiles.

"Hey, you guys," Brock says.

"Hey, everyone," Coover's greets before giving a confused look. "Where's Dawn?"

"She decided to part ways to get more contest ribbons after I defeated her at Saffron City for my first ribbon," Serena answers.

"Hey, you guys going to Fuchsia City too?" Brock asks. "We're going there so that Serena can enter the Pokemon contest there."

"Yes, we are," Timothy says. "We're renting bikes to get to Fuchsia City."

"Huh? I thought you can only buy bikes here," Ash says.

"So did we," Coovers says. "It turns out because the bicycle stores on both sides of Cycling Road were making so little money because of how much it costs to buy a bike, they figure it makes sense to give travelers an option to rent bikes."

"Really? That's great," Ash says.

Coovers smiles and nods before he gets an idea.

"Hey, why don't you guys rent some bikes too and we can all ride to Fuchsia City together?" He suggests.

Serena frowns and rubs her arm before she, replies, "I don't know. Getting to Fuchsia City turnt away would be great, but we were planning to take the long way where Ash and Brock are going to show me where they rescued a Celebi."

"Wait, they rescued a what?!" Timothy and Coovers shout at the same time.

Ash turns to Serena and gives her a smile.

"Don't worry, we can still show you that from Cycling Road," he says.

"Really?" Serena asks, hopefully.

"Yeah, I remember we saved it someplace just a few yards from the road," Brock says. "I'm sure we can spot the location from Cycling Road."

Serena smiles excitedly while Timothy sighs in relief.

"Okay," the honey blonde girl says. "Then, I'm all for riding together with you guys."

"Yeah, me too," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Awesome," Coovers says.

"Good deal," Timothy agrees.

Unbeknownst to all of them, however, Jessie, James, Wobbufett, and Meowth have been listening to them the whole time from outside the building using their spying equipment.

"Oh joy," James sarcastically says with a sigh. "Looks like our target will be hanging out with the twerps again, and we still can't use an opportunity like this to catch Pikachu."

"Will you knock it off with that?!" Jessie rebukes. "What part of top-secret mission that will lead us to promotions and fortune do you not understand?"

"Yeah, James, lay off already," Meowth says before sighing too. "Although, even I have to admit it's crazy how this makes two opportunities to nab Pikachu by following our target and we can't do a thing about it. Fate's acting pretty cruel lately."

"More so than usual?" James challenges.

Jesse gives both of her friends a deadly glare before she lets out her own sigh.

"Admittedly, I can think of a dozen ways that we could steal Pikachu right from under their noses, and they would be none the wiser," she says. "But there's still the risk of failing miserably like we always do."

"Ah, look at it this way, guys," Meowth suggests. "No interfering with da twerps means that Timothy chump will get to his destination sooner. And da sooner he does that, da sooner he leads us to Brandon and then it's promotions for all of us."

"That's true," James says.

"So let's let them have their little bike ride and make their way to the Battle Pike stat," Jessie says with a grin.

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet agrees with a salute.

Thus, the five trainers each get a bike to ride on and start riding down Cycling Road together with Pikachu and Electchu on Ash and Timothy's bikes respectfully. Ash and Timothy ride ahead while Coovers, Serena, and Brock ride behind. After a few minutes of riding, Ash turns to Timothy and decides to strike a conversation.

"So, Timothy, How did it go with your battle with Tucker?" Ash answers.

"It went well," Timothy replies. "Tucker wasn't too hard to beat, but his strategies were clever. Honestly, it was a fun battle."

"Yeah, that sounds like him, alright," Ash says with a chuckle. "Did he use that fire and water fusion combo?"

"Yes, he did," Timothy says. "A creative combo, to say the least."

"Yeah, he hurt my Tallow and Corphish pretty good with that," Ash admits. "It was fun to battle him, though."

"Yeah, he spoke of you a couple of times during our battle," Timothy says. "In fact, it was because we are rivals that he decided for our match to be a double battle."

"Really? That's cool," Ash says. "How did you beat him?"

Timothy smirks at the raven-haired teenager and playfully says, "I'm not going to tell you."

"What? Why not?" Ash asks.

"Because if I do, then you'll know one of my own combos, and I don't want you to know that before I crush you at the Indigo League," Timothy answers teasingly before riding ahead with Electchu sticking its tongue at Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey, come back here!" Ash shouts, grinning as he tries to catch up.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu calls out.

Serena giggles cutely at Ash and Timothy's behavior as she rides alongside Coovers and Brock. The older man from Unova smirks as he watches the two rivals at a distance before turning to Serena.

"Look at those two. They're acting like twins," he says.

"Yeah, they're getting along pretty quick since they last saw each other," Brock agrees.

"Well, that is Ash, for you," Serena says while smiling fondly. "He's always looking to be friends with anyone, people and Pokemon alike."

"You said it, Serena," Brock says.

Coovers smile falters as he watches Timothy continue to tease Ash with Electchu.

"I only wish it didn't take so long to see Timothy like this," he says.

Brock and Serena stop smiling and turn to Coovers, who rides his bike with a frown.

"Was he really that hard to be open to people?" Brock asks.

"For as long as I've known him, yes," Coovers answers.

"How did the two of you meet if you don't mind my asking?" Serena asks politely.

Coovers stays silent for a moment before turning to the honey blonde girl with a soft smile.

"No, I don't mind you asking at all," he says before turning back to look at Timothy while looking back. "I was probably about fifteen when I met him. I wasn't a Pokemon trainer back then because my mother needed me to look after my sister, Laura, since she was often gone on business trips. We stayed in a humble town in Unova, and the only Pokemon we had in the house was Laura's Snubbull."

"A Snubbull?" Brock asks, surprised. "I didn't know Snubbull live in Unova."

"They don't," Coovers confirms. "It was a gift for Laura from our father back when she was eight. He found this purple-grey Snubbull and caught it for her while he was at a business conference in the Johto region for work. Laura loves that Snubbull like you wouldn't believe. Even though I wanted to travel and be a Pokemon trainer, I knew I had to stay and look after Laura and consequently Snubbull to make sure they were both safe."

Coovers pauses for a moment, and his frown deepens before he continues.

"Then one day Snubbull went too far walking through the woods behind our house," he says. "Laura and I looked all over the woods to find it. But by the time we found it, it was already in a cage in the back of a truck that belonged to a Pokemon poacher."

Serena and both gasp softly at the information.

"We reported to the police, but the trail was too cold for Officer Jenny to track the culprit down by the time she got there," Coovers says. "Laura was brokenhearted, to say the very least. She was crying her heart out, worried about Snubbull."

"That's horrible," Serena says. "I've seen a poacher try to capture a group of wild Pokemon, but to have one stolen from its owner is about as low as Team Rocket."

"Well, it later turned out that this poacher had his eye on Snubbull for a while since they are never seen in Unova," Coovers says before giving the honey blonde girl a smile. "Though it's funny you should mention Team Rocket because that's where Timothy came in."

"Really? How?" Brock asks.

"Well, word got around about the poacher kidnapping Snubbull as well as stealing other Pokemon that are rare in the region and soon native companies started asking for trainers to volunteer to look for the thief. Even our mom got permission to be a representative of her company so she could come home and ask trainers for help with us," Coovers says. "It soon caught the attention of a thirteen-year-old trainer with short brown hair wearing a grey shirt that said 'H.A.K.' in three different colors. He just started his journey with already three Unova gym badges to his name and happened to be passing by our town when he heard the news. Laura and I were at the town center asking around for help with our mom when the trainer came to us, asking about what happened. After my mom told him what happened, Laura went down on her knees, begging this boy to help. I will never forget how serious he looked when he told her that he will get her Snubbull back. He looked like someone that wanted to seriously hurt the poacher as if Snubbull was his Pokemon."

"I see," Brock says with a frown. "I guess he wanted to help out of bitter experience from having Electchu and Poliwhril and his other Pokemon stolen from him by Trent and Team Rocket."

"Indeed," Coovers answers. "At that moment, I was concerned about what he was thinking when he had that look in his eyes. I didn't know why, but it felt like I needed to be there to stop him if he was going to try anything foolish or harmful if he ever found the poacher. So I took a stance and told him that Laura and I had to come with him. He immediately refused, but I pointed out that he has no idea what Snubbull looks like or what its personality is to know that it was my sister's Pokemon. He still refused, saying that we'd hold him back since we don't have any Pokemon. Thankfully, that's when our mom got the idea that I should get a Pokemon and some Pokeballs and suggested that the trainer teaches me how to be a trainer myself. She figured that way, I could aid him and protect Snubbull and my sister if anything like the poacher happened to us again. The trainer was very reluctant, clearly wanting to handle the search on his own, but he ultimately accepted that what my mom said made sense. So she contacted Professor Juniper, and like any new trainer from Unova, I had the option of choosing either a Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott and I chose my Oshawott."

Serena smiles and says, "And that's how you finally became a trainer."

"Well, it's not how I planned to be one as you can imagine, but I admit both Laura and I were happy when Oshawott's Pokeball was transferred to our town. We became friends with it the moment it came out of its Pokeball for the very first time," Coovers says with a soft smile. "Anyway, after the trainer introduced himself as Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town, we gathered some supplies from home, kissed our mom goodbye, and began searching for Snubbull together with Timothy."

"By the way, you're talking about Timothy back then; I'm guessing he didn't enjoy you being around him back then," Brock says with a frown.

"You're not wrong, Brock," Coovers says sadly. "While Timothy never yelled at us or acted annoyed with us for asking questions or help in any way, you can tell that he still felt frustrated that he couldn't find the poacher on his own. Still, he was patient enough to teach me the basics and even some of his own special tricks to catching and training Pokemon. Thanks to that, Oshawott evolved into a Dewott, and I caught myself a Sandile, Litwick, Zorua, Klink - and both Timothy and I caught ourselves a pair of Rufflet. Each time I trained, caught, or evolved a Pokemon felt exciting for both me and Laura. I felt like I was growing strong enough to catch the poacher and protect my sister by the day. Even Timothy was presently impressed with how I was improving with my Pokemon, though he tried to hide it back then."

Brock and Serena both smile before Serena frowns and asks, "But did you ever find the poacher?"

Coovers frowns back and says, "Barely."

"Barley?" Brock asks.

"Yes," Coovers answers plainly. "By the time we found his hideout, he was getting ready to sell Snubbull and all the Pokemon he apparently spent months trying to capture to the highest bidder. Any longer and he would have sent them all away to whoever bought them. I suggested to contact the nearest police station right away, but just like with rescuing his own Pokemon, Timothy wasn't willing to wait. He convinced me to have both of us attack the poacher while Laura secretly freed all the Pokemon. So together, the two of us charged at him with my Dewott and Timothy's Pignite nicknamed Titus, and the poacher quickly responded with his Eelektross and Ferrothorn. He was a difficult opponent with his Pokemon, but we managed to defeat Eelektross and Ferrothorn together. The poacher was so shocked that he tried to escape, but Timothy wasn't satisfied that we simply took down the man's Pokemon. He ordered Titus to attack him with Flamethrower, and the Pignite was hesitant but compliant to do so. Laura and I couldn't believe what was happening. Timothy had a look of anger and hate and a desire for vengeance in his eyes. It was in that moment when he looked at the poacher groaning from getting hit in the back with the Flamethrower that my fears where true."

Brock and Serena look at Coovers, shocked while the three of them are still riding their bikes.

"What did you do?" Brock asks.

"Well, what else could I have done but stop him?" Coovers asks. "He was about to tell Titus to attack the helpless man again, but that's when I told Dewott to use Hydro Pump on his Pokemon. Being a fire type, Titus was knocked out instantly by Hydro Pump, which made Timothy angrier. He started running towards the poacher to attack him, but I grabbed him from behind. Finally, he started screaming at the poacher, rebuking him for stealing helpless Pokemon from their owners or their homes in the wild for money. After a while, he started tearing up and running out of words to say. He finally broke down and got down on his knees like he was Laura's age. After I figured he wasn't going to try to attack the man again, I found a phone and called the police. Before long, the poacher was arrested, the wild Pokemon were sent to their homes and Laura, and I were finally reunited with Snubbull. The two of us were relieved to be reunited with it, but Timothy just had an emotionless face the whole time."

Coovers stayed silent for a moment while riding his bike until he lifts his head to look at Timothy who is still chatting with Ash.

"That night, the three of us and Snubbull got rooms at the nearest Pokemon Center and started getting ready for sleep," he says. "Before we did, however, Timothy came into my and Laura's room with a broken face and apologized for his actions. After that, he thanked me for stopping him and decided to tell us why he acted that way."

"So that's when he told you everything about Trent and Team Rocket?" Serena asks.

"Yes," Coovers says. "After that, the way he acted made sense. Laura and I took pity on him and decided to stay with him on his journey through the region. He gratefully accepted, and so with our mom's permission, the two of us and Snubbull followed Timothy through the rest of his journey in getting the last five gym badges. As time went on, Timothy learned to be more friendly around us. We started to become good friends and with his help all six of my Pokemon fully evolved. At the Unova League, Timothy only made it to the top 8 and so he decided to go back to Kanto and try again. Our mom didn't want us to leave the region, so we sadly went our separate ways while keeping in touch as Timothy continued his journey. He has visited us a few times whenever he wanted to give the Unova League another go."

"So was that when he started to become a little more open to people besides his family?" Brock asks curiously.

Coovers thinks about Brock's question and says, "In a way. It was clear he had a caring side when it came to his family or his Pokemon, but he's always had trouble being open to other people after spending his early years growing up with a bully like Trent. Laura and I the only true friends he has, but I hope he will open up to your guys more overtime."

Serena nods in understanding and asks, "So does your sister still live in Unova."

"Yes, she does," Coovers says with a smile. "Laura's become a little bit of a businesswoman herself, but she still loves to play with Snubbull in her spare time."

Serena smiles warmly, glad to hear it, and turns her head to keep her eyes on the road until Coovers speaks again.

"Oh, that reminds me, Serena," he says. "How's that little Absol doing?"

Serena's eyes light up, and she turns to the Unova man with a cheerful look.

"Oh, it's doing great," she says. "Absol is a sweetheart. In fact, I'm hoping to have its debut at the Pokemon contest at Fuchsia City."

"Oh, that sounds exciting," Coovers comments. "Do you think it's ready for that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Serena answers, nervously. "Most of its attacks are good, but I'm training it to create a good combo that would work for the appeal stage. In fact, I'm hoping to find a way where it can learn Double Team."

"Double Team, eh?" Coovers asks, intrigued. "Well, if you're after teaching that move to Absol, then I would suggest giving it special training that involves it running very fast. Why don't you try it now since we're on our bikes."

Serena looks away from Coovers and thinks about it. She remembers how Ash's Greninja learned to use Double Team back when it was a Froakie with the help of Sanpei and his then-Frogadier. She smiles at the idea of using the same concept as Ash did and turns back to Coovers.

"Alright, I think that's a great idea," she says as she takes out Absol's Pokeball and tosses it into the air. "Come on out, Absol."

Absol comes out of its ball, and Serena, Brock, and Coovers stop their bikes so that the honey blonde girl can talk to her Pokemon.

"Absol, we're going to do some special training," she says with a smile. "While we're on our bikes, I want you to run to work on improving your speed. But don't run too far from the group, okay?"

"Absol," Absol says, nodding obediently.

"Alright, then start running," Serena says as she starts moving on her bike again.

Absol smiles excitedly and starts running to catch up next to Serena, Coovers, and Brock. The disaster Pokemon struggles to be at the same speed as the bikes for a couple of minutes before it slowly runs faster and faster. Serena smiles happily, as Absol begins to run ahead of her.

"That's it, Absol. Keep going," she says encouragingly.

Absol keeps running as fast as its four legs can carry it. Eventually, it starts to run ahead of Ash and Timothy's bikes and takes the lead in front of the group. The two rivals and Pikachu and Electchu are taken aback that an Absol is running past them for a moment until Ash realizes that it's Serena's and turns his head to look at her.

"Hey, Serena, did you take Absol out to run while we're on our bikes?" he asks.

"Yeah, I'm using this as a practical training for Absol so it can learn Double Team," Serena calls out.

"Ah, not a bad idea to do that," Timothy says with a smirk. "Personally, I am not big on moves like Double Team, but I know for some people it -"

Suddenly, Timothy's voice dies in his throat as he catches his eye on a tree standing next to the road. On one of the highest branches of the tree, he sees two figures with one carrying what looks like a missile launcher aimed at Absol. Timothy's pupils shrink as he turns to the unaware happy Pokemon.

"ABSOL, WATCH OUT!" he screams.

Everyone looks at Timothy, confused until one of the figures fires the launcher and a large net heads straight toward Absol. Luckily, the disaster Pokemon sees the net and dodges it just in the nick of time. Everyone stops their bikes while Absol runs over to Serena's side, and the two figures jump out of the tree and land on the road perfectly, and glare at the group with evil looks on their faces. Timothy and Electchu glare menacingly while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Coovers frown seriously, and Serena gets off her bike and hugs Absol defensively as they all look at a man and a woman wearing Team Rocket uniforms.

"Looks like we were found out," the woman snarls.

"Nothing that we can't fix ourselves though," the man growls in a raspy voice.

"Team Rocket," Timothy grumbles menacingly.

"Not just Team Rocket, it's Mitch and Cassidy," Brock says.

"It's Butch!" The man shouts. "Have you seriously still forgotten my name?"

"Ash, do you know these members of Team Rocket?" Serena asks.

"Unfortunately," Ash says as he gets off his bike. "We've come across these guys a few times before. What do you guys want?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts while making a defensive stance in front of Ash.

Butch and Cassidy both smirk evilly and make poses as they respond.

"Prepare for trouble," Cassidy says.

"Make it double," Butch says with a grin.

"Here's our mission, so you better listen," they say simultaneously.

"To infect the world with devastation," Cassidy says.

"To bought all people in every nation," Butch says.

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"Butch!"

"We're Team Rocket and circling Earth all day and all night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you will surely lose the fight!"

When they finish, Butch and Cassidy smile proudly for their performance. But their triumphant poses weaken, then they see Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Serena glaring at them while Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers stare at them dumbfounded as silence fills the air.

"What in the world was that?" Coovers asks.

Butch and Cassidy look at each other in confusion before Butch answers, "That's our motto."

The two men and the Raichu look at each other even more dumbfounded before turning back to face their foes.

"In what universe is it a bright idea to do a motto in the middle of trying to steal other people's Pokemon?" Timothy rebukes. "No one in their right minds should do something so redundant."

"Redundant?!" Butch and Cassidy shout at the same time.

"Actually, Timothy, this is kind of normal for us," Brock says with a sigh. "Whether it's these two or the Team Rocket group that usually follows us, they always introduce themselves with a motto."

"Seriously?" Coovers says in disbelief. "You mean to tell me that you get a motto like this whenever you get attacked by Team Rocket?"

"Every. Single. Time," Ash says with an unamused look while Pikachu and Serena nod in agreement.

"Why you meddling punks. We'll force you to love our motto after we help ourselves to that Absol," Cassidy barks.

"You're not laying a hand on my Absol!" Serena barks back as she tightens her defensive hug on Absol.

"Sol!" Absol growls.

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that, little missy," Butch says with a cocky grin as he takes out an orange ball and throws it into the air. The ball explodes into a large cloud of smoke that immediately covers the area.

"Blitzwing, clear the smoke away!" Timothy says, quickly throwing a Pokeball into the air before the smoke reaches his lungs.

"You too, Braviary!" Coovers shouts.

The two balls open to reveal the two Braviary who rapidly flap their wings and clear the smoke away. Just as they finish, however, a large net flies into the air and catches both bird Pokemon, causing them to fall into the ground trapped.

"Blitzwing!" Timothy shouts.

"Braviary!" Coovers cries out.

"Ha! What a catch!" Butch says proudly. "We don't see these two Pokemon very often in the Kanto region, so I imagine the boss might give us a raise if we brought them before him along with Absol."

"You're not going anywhere with my Pokemon," Timothy growls. "And you'll be imagining what your leader thinks all you want in prison, Benny."

"It's Butch!" Butch whines.

"I don't care," Timothy says as he throws the Pokeball. "Poliwrath, come on out. Electchu, join in."

Poliwrath comes out of its Pokeball while Electchu stands next to it, both of them looking ready to fight.

"Ash, do you want a piece?" Timothy asks.

"Thought you'd never ask," Ash says with a smirk as he takes out a Pokeball. "Boldore, I choose you! Pikachu, let's go!"

Boldore comes out of its Pokeball, and Pikachu runs over to stand next to the ore Pokemon.

"Well, if you're both using two Pokemon, then I guess we'll have to fight fire with fire," Cassidy says as the takes out two Pokemon. "Radicate, Sableye, let's go!"

"Hitmontop, Mightyena, time to fight!" Butch shouts.

Radicate, Sableye, Hitmontop, and Mightyena all come out ready for battle. Meanwhile, as Ash and Timothy start the battle against Butch and Cassidy, Coovers walks over to Brock and Serena and talks quietly.

"Do either of you have any flying Pokemon with you?" He asked.

"Well, I do have my Crobat.," Brock says.

Coovers smiles and says, "That's perfect. Let's write a note, attach it to your Crobat and have it sent to the nearest police station."

Serena takes out her tablet as she looks at where they are before she says, "The closest police station is back where we came."

"Alright, then we better hurry and get Crobat to deliver the message. The sooner we get these Team Rocket guys behind bars the better," Coovers says.

"Right," Brock says in understanding as he takes out Crobat's Pokeball, and Coovers looks for a piece of parchment in his backpack while Ash and Timothy keep Butch and Cassidy's Pokemon at bay with ease.

"Hitmontop, use Rapid Spin! Mightyena, use Bite!" Butch says.

"Radicate, use Skull Bash, and Sableye, use Fury Swipes," Cassidy says.

"Heh, charging with all four of your Pokemon at once? And I thought this was going to be a challenge," Timothy says mockingly with a smirk. "Poliwrath, use Surf on Mightyena and Electchu, trip Hitmontop with Iron Tail!"

"Boldore, use Rock Blast on Radicate, and Pikachu, hit Sableye with Thunderbolt!" Ash says.

Poliwrath summons a large wave of water that it rides on and crashes on top of Mightyena. Hitmontop does a headstand and spins toward Electchu only for the Raichu's to use Iron Tail to hit the spike on top of Hitmontop's head. The move causes Hitmontop to fall down flat on its face before Electchu hits it again on the head, slamming its face to the ground. Boldore fires several silver energy waves that hit Radicate on the head right as it's about to ram into the ore Pokemon. Finally, Pikachu fires a powerful Thunderbolt that hits Sableye hard. As a result, all of Team Rocket's Pokemon are out cold, leaving Butch and Cassidy in shock.

"Wow, that Surf and Iron Tail were pretty powerful, Timothy," Ash compliments.

"Thanks, Ash. That wasn't a bad use of Rock Blast and Thunderbolt either," Timothy says with a smirk before turning to the two Team Rocket members. "If you guys want to switch Pokemon, I know mine would appreciate the exercise."

"Yeah, same with mine," Ash says.

Butch and Cassidy grind their teeth and return their Pokemon before taking our different Pokeballs.

"Houndour, Granbull, get going!" Cassidy shouts.

"Primeape, Shuckle, crush them!" Butch barks.

Ash and Timothy keep their confident smirks as Butch and Cassidy's next Pokemon come out.

"Pikachu, come on back," Ash takes as he takes out a Pokeball and throws it into the air. "Why don't we see how Primeape does against another Primeape?"

"Pika," Pikachu says in understanding as Ash's Primeape comes out of its Pokeball.

"Granbull, use Fire Fang on the Raichu, and Houndour, use Ember on that Boldore," Cassidy commands.

"Shuckle, Sludge Bomb on that Poliwrath, Primeape, use Thrash on that puny Primeape," Butch orders.

"Primeape is anything but puny," Ash rebukes with a grin. "Boldore, counter with Flash Cannon, and Primeape show them why you're a true champion!"

"Electchu, Poliwrath, dodge those attacks and counter with Iron Tail and Dynamic Punch!" Timothy calls out.

Boldore fires a Flash Cannon, which collides with Ember, causing an explosion that covers the area with smoke. Ash's Primeape uses the smoke to charge at Butch's Primeape and attack it without warming. Timothy's Pokemon dodge Fire Fang and Sludge Bomb with great speed before Electchu wacks Granbull in the face with another Iron Tail, and Poliwrath's fists turns white before it runs over to Shuckle. Unexpectedly, however, Shuckle fires another Sludge Bomb right on Poliwrath's eyes, and it tries to get it off before Shuckle tackles it. The muscular tadpole Pokemon takes steps back, groaning in pain. It accidently bumps into Electchu, which distracts the Raichu long enough to get hit by another Fire Fang from Granbull. Butch and Cassidy both grin to see both of Timothy's Pokemon disoriented.

"Granbull, finish off that Raichu with Bite," Cassidy says. "And Houndour, use Flamethrower on Boldore."

"Shuckle, use Rollout," Butch orders.

"Boldore, use Flash Cannon again and this time give it everything you've got," Ash says.

Shuckle gets inside its shell and starts rolling toward Poliwrath while Granbull charges at Electchu with its mouth wide open. Meanwhile, as the two Primeape are fighting each other, Houndour fires Flamethrower at Boldore, who fires back again with Flash Cannon, causing a standstill between both attacks. Butch and Cassidy, both grin, thinking they are about to take down both of Timothy's Pokemon only to stare in shock as Electchu spins around and wraps Granbull around its neck with its long tail and Poliwrath catches Shackle with both hands despite still blinded by the Sludge Bomb.

"What?!" Butch and Cassidy shout simultaneously in shock.

"You guys were very smart to try to catch my Pokemon by surprise like that, but we're smarter," Timothy says in a matter-of-factly tone. "Electchu, Poliwrath, finish it however you see fit."

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Serena all look at Timothy, confused while Coovers smirks. Electchu grins mischievously, and Poliwrath chuckles evilly as it gets the sludge off its eyes. Without warning, Electchu uses its tail to slam Granbull to the ground repeatedly while Poliwrath finds one of the holes in Shuckle's shell and starts firing Hydro Pump right into it. Butch and Cassidy watch helplessly as the Raichu fires a powerful Thunder before letting go of Granbull and Poliwrath slams Shuckle to the ground where it's head comes out of its shell to show it has fainted. The two Team Rocket members stare at their two fainted Pokemon until they hear their other two Pokemon screaming in pain. They turn around to find Ash's Primeape victoriously standing on top of Butch's Primeape that looks beaten to a pulp, and Boldore's Flash Cannon appears to have overpowered Houndour's Flamethrower and hits the fire Pokemon.

"Boldore, finish it off with Rock Blast once more!" Ash days quickly.

Boldore fires another Rock Blast that instantly hits Houndour, knocking it out cold. The ore Pokemon cheers triumphantly, happy to have taken down two opponents so quickly, making Ash smile. Butch and Cassidy, on the other hand, are livid that their Pokemon are beaten.

"How dare you!" Cassidy screams as she and Butch return their Pokemon and then reach for more Pokeballs.

"I don't think so," Timothy says as he quickly throws another Pokeball. "Shockwave, use Psychic on both of them!"

Shockwave comes out of its Pokeball with its eyes immediately turning blue. Butch and Cassidy instantly start panicking as a blue outline surrounds them, and they are lifted high into the air.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Butch yells.

"You should have thought of that before you tried to steal Serena's Absol and my and Coovers' Braviary," Timothy says with a wave of his hand before turning to Coovers. "We should send a message to the police that we caught two Team Rocket grunts."

"It's already done, Timothy," Coovers says with a grin. "We sent Brock's Crobat to the nearest station with a note while you guys were battling. Officer Jenny should be here any moment now."

"And I just had Absol use Scratch to free your Braviary," Serena says proudly while petting Absol's head.

"Sol!" Absol says, happy to make Serena proud of it.

"Braviary!" Blitzwing and Coovers' Braviary shout simultaneously.

"Excellent," Timothy says with a smirk.

"Great job, Serena," Ash says with a toothy grin, making Serena blush.

As they are talking, however, Butch and Cassidy try in vain to move their bodies. Suddenly, Butch notices a Meowth hot-air balloon floating several yards away behind the trainers. Inside the basket, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet stare back at Butch awkwardly before moving their hands, gesturing Butch to not alert their presence. But their rival glares at them, determined to take the four of them down with him and Cassidy.

"Don't celebrate yet you fools!" He calls out while still hanging in the air. "More members of the mighty Team Rocket are coming right behind you!"

The trio and Wobbuffet freeze in place, afraid that their cover has been blown. Fortunately, before anyone can turn to their direction, Timothy loudly scoffs unamused.

"Oh, please," he rebukes. "Trying to make us turn around and look? What are you, eight?"

Cassidy, however, looks and sees their rivals quickly lowering their balloon so that they can hide from the trainers.

"No, it's true," she protests, pointing at the trio. "Those two losers and that talking Meowth and Wobbuffet are right behind you on their tacky hot-air balloon."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock quickly turn around, immediately concerned that Cassidy is telling the truth. But by the time they do, the Team Rocket trio have already moved their balloon so that it's covered by the trees. The four of them frown before turning back to Butch and Cassidy.

"There's no one over there," Serena says. "They were just trying to trick us."

"Just as I figured," Timothy scoffs before turning to his Gardevoir. "Shockwave, clap your hands and silence these punks, please."

Shockwave smiles and claps its hands, causing Butch and Cassidy to ram into each other in the air, knocking them both out before it gently lays them to the ground. Timothy pats his Pokemon on the back while Ash walks over to him, impressed.

"Wow, Timothy, that was an interesting way to knock out your foes using Psychic," he says.

"I'll say," Brock says. "I'm also surprised with how you left your Pokemon to decide how to take out Granbull and Shuckle. Do you have a deep enough bond where you trust your Pokemon to take down their opponents on their own?"

"More or less," Timothy says with a shrug. "Honestly, it varies on the battle. Even then, I usually only give that kind of trust to Pokemon like Electchu and Poliwhirl who I've spent enough time battling with that every now and then I'll tell them to finish their opponent on their own if I feel like they don't need any instructions to do it."

"So you only did that with Electchu and Poliwrath because you believed they could take down Granbull and Shuckle on their own?" Serena asks.

"Pretty much," Timothy says. "It's like I said with those goons, they were good, but I knew we are much stronger."

"Raichu," Electchu says with a boastful pose.

"Wrath," Poliwrath growls while flexing its muscles.

Before long, Officer Jenny and a couple policemen come in a policetruck and handcuff Butch and Cassidy, who are still knocked out. After the police leave with their prisoners, Timothy, Coovers, Ash, Serena, and Brock return their Pokemon apart from Pikachu and Electchu and start riding their bikes again. The group rides quietly for a while until Coovers decides to speak up.

"Well, that was an unexpected surprise," he says with a small chuckle. "I didn't think we would have to fight a couple of Team Rocket members. But you seem to be used to it by the way you handled yourselves, Ash, Serena, and Brock. Didn't you say that there is a group of Team Rocket members that tend to follow you around?"

"All the time, I'm afraid," Ash says with a sigh. "They always try to kidnap Pikachu or other Pokemon before we ultimately stop them. They've been following me since my first day of becoming a Pokemon trainer."

"Pikachu," Pikachu groans, agreeing with Ash.

"So, they always try to kidnap Pikachu?" Timothy asks.

"It is pretty rare that we would ever go through a day without them trying to do something," Brock says.

"Yep, that sums up how it was when Ash and I were on our journey through Kalos with our friends, Clemont and Bonnie," Serena says.

"So have you encountered them since you guys started your journey right now?" Coovers asks.

Ash looks at Coovers for a moment before he looks down and thinks while he's riding his bike.

"Now that you've mentioned it, we haven't," he says. "In fact, the reason we turned around to where Butch and Cassidy were pointing was because, at this point, it is a possibility for us to have encounter Jessie, James, and Meowth again."

"Well, I'm glad they aren't because I don't think I can take dealing with Team Rocket that frequently," Timothy says. "How can you deal with people like that so frequently is amazing to me, Ash."

"Well, it isn't always that bad," Ash says. "Sometimes dealing with them has worked out for the best. Every now and then, me, Brock, Serena, or some of my other friends and their Pokemon learn something important, and it leads to us getting closer or even some of our Pokemon evolving."

"Yeah, and there have been times where we have ended up working together with Jessie, James, and Meowth," Brock says.

Timothy and Coovers both stop their bikes and stare at Brock in shock as if he said the weirdest and most random thing imaginable.

"You ended up working together with members of Team Rocket?" Coovers asks in disbelief.

"Well...yeah," Ash answers for his friend. "I know it sounds weird, but Team Rocket has also been there when we needed help saving lives or even the world."

"Yeah, they even helped me when I was sneaking into Team Flare's headquarters when I was trying to help our friend, Mairin rescue her Chespin, Chespie," Serena adds.

Timothy blinks, while Coovers continues to stare dumbfounded.

"Are you sure you're talking about people from the same crime organization as the ones we just defeated and sent to prison?" Timothy asks.

Ash, Brock, and Serena chuckle lightly, understanding their friend's reaction.

"It does sound strange, especially when you consider how they've done more bad things than good," Ash admits. "But I guess in the end, it's proof that there's still some good in people, even from an evil group like Team Rocket."

Timothy frowns skeptically and looks away from Ash and his friends with his eyes closed. His thoughts are interrupted, however, when he hears Ash speak again with an excited tone in his voice.

"Hey, we're here," he says.

Timothy opens his eyes and turns to Ash in confusion only to find that the raven-haired boy has already gotten off his bike and run over to the edge of the bridge with Pikachu, where he sees a small spot of open land in the woods. Brock, Serena, and Coovers get off their bike and run over to where he is before Timothy and Electchu eventually do the same.

"What is it, Ash?" Coovers asks.

But instead of looking at Coovers, Ash turns intently to Serena with a smile on his face.

"That right there," he says, pointing at the spot of open land. "That's where we found and rescued Celebi."

Serena smiles brightly, happy to finally see the place where the boy she cares for saw a rare Pokemon.

"Yeah, that's the spot," Brock says with a nod. "That takes me back."

"So you guys really rescued a Celebi in this exact spot in the woods?" Coovers asks.

"We sure did," Ash says before scratching the back of his head. "Well, us and our friends May, Max, and a Pokemon Ranger named Solana."

"Ah, Solana," Brock says with a gaga look on his face before Serena shakes his shoulder to snap out of his state.

"So, what happened?" Timothy asks, sharing Coovers' curiosity.

Ash turns to the two men and then turns back to Serena before he says, "Well, Brock, May, Max, and I were on our way to the Battle Pike and were about to cross Cycling Road when Officer Jenny told us to take the long way because water was flooding the road. Suddenly, Pikachu sensed something and ran into the woods, and we chased after it. That's when we met Solana, who was investigating strange vines that were growing in the forest, and she allowed us to help her with Pikachu navigating us through the vines. Eventually, we found out that the source was none other than Celebi who was really weak and tired, and Team Rocket was also there trapped in the vines. Solana freed Jessie, James, and Meowth, and they ran away, promising to leave the area."

"That doesn't sound smart to trust members of Team Rocket that they would simply leave for good when a rare Pokemon like Celebi is there," Coovers comments.

"I guess you're right because they did come back and try to capture it," Ash admits. "We managed to earn Celebi's trust and try to bring it back to health, but then the next day, Team Rocket came back with another giant machine and captured Celebi. Solana freed it, which lead to Brock and me battling Jessie and James until their Pokemon were defeated, and Pikachu sent them blasting off with Volt Tackle. But then their machine exploded and set the forest on fire. Luckily, Celebi was in good enough health to summon more vines and used them to put out the flames. After that, we said goodbye to Celebi as it flew away, and then we parted ways with Solana."

Serena has her hands clasped together the whole time Ash was telling the story. She looks at him amazed with the kind of luck he has to come across such a rare and legendary Pokemon. Her mind comes back to the time that the two of them encountered legendary Pokemon with Clemont and Bonnie in Kalos, such as Diancie, Xerneas, Yveltal, Hoopa, Volcanion, Magerena, and Squishy and its friend. Deep down she's thankful that she has a chance to hear about Ash's other adventures like his encounter with Celebi.

At the same time, Brock is also smiling, remembering that day fondly while Coovers looks at Ash, intrigued with his tale. With Timothy, however, his mind is still on the part of Ash's story that involves Team Rocket.

"Interesting story, Ash, but it seems unbelievable that you can talk about some good deeds that this Jessie, James, and Meowth have done before telling us a time when they broke a promise to leave a Pokemon like Celebi alone," he says.

Ash turns the man in the "H.A.K" shirt with a frown.

"Yeah, I understand why you feel that way, Timothy," he says. "Most days, I see them as nothing more than awful crooks after everything they've done to me, my friends and especially the Pokemon they've harmed or tried to kidnap. But I guess since I never experienced them successfully kidnapping my Pokemon or any other foul deed, I don't have the complete loathing you do for the organization even though I do hate what they represent."

"Then I envy you, Ash," Timothy says with a frown. "For the sake of myself and my Pokemon, I would do anything to have the kind of experiences you have with facing an organization as horrible as Team Rocket without the harm that it can do for people and Pokemon less fortunate than you and your friends."

Everyone looks at Timothy, sadly, and Electchu tugs its trainer's jeans and snuggles its head against his side. Timothy turns to his Raichu and gives it a sad smile before petting its head as thanks for trying to cheer him up. Coovers puts his hand on Timothy's shoulder, and they both share a sad look before Timothy turns to Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock apologetically.

"Sorry, everybody," he says. "I guess I dampened the mood."

"It's alright, Timothy. We understand," Brock says kindly. "But you shouldn't let what happened to you get you down all the time."

"Yeah, and I know your Grandma Judy wouldn't want you dwelling on the past like that," Serena says. "She would want you to keep moving forward with a positive attitude."

Timothy chuckles lightly at the way Serena talks about his beloved, late grandmother.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Timothy says. "In any case, I should aim to do so by heading to the Battle Pike."

"Right, then let's head to Fuchsia City already," Ash says energetically. "You got a battle with Lucy to win."

"Oh, Lucy! Now there's a beauty I can't wait to see again!" Brock shouts gleefully.

"Brock, calm yourself down already," Serena says with a sigh before shaking her head and smiling. "Anyway, Ash is right. Let's get to Fuschia City, where I am also going to win my third contest ribbon."

"Right," Ash, Brock, Timothy, and Coovers say at the same time while Pikachu and Electchu nod while saying "Pika," and "Rai," respectively.

Thus the five trainers get back on their bikes and continue peddling down the road with Pikachu and Electchu. Meanwhile, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet are still following them on their hot air balloon.

"Finally, they're back on their bikes," Jessie grumbles. "They've been held back long enough with Butch and Cassidy trying to take their Pokemon right in front of us and almost blowing our cover."

"At least they're locked up and hopefully won't bother us again for another long time," Meowth says optimistically. "And now we can continue our operation of following those two dopes all the way to Brandon."

"For sure," James agrees.

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet says.

Unknown to them still, the cloaked figure is secretly flying behind them and stops for a moment to look at the spot where Ash and Brock saved Celebi.

"_So after all these years, Ash has continued to be so caring for Pokemon_," it says warmly. "_It is a shame that this Timothy has such a foul experience with Team Rocket, but that's why it's all the more dire that he and his companions lead me to the Gieldanstone_."


	29. Chapter 29

By the time Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers finish riding through Cycling Road and return their rented bikes to the bike store on the other side, it started to get dark, so they decide to camp in the woods for the night. The next day, they go back to traveling until they make their way to Fuchsia City. The five trainers and Pikachu and Electchu head to the city's Pokemon Center, and Ash, Serena, and Brock order a room while Timothy and Ash have Nurse Joy check their Pokemon.

"So how far is the Battle Pike from here?" Timothy asks.

"Not far. It's about an hour's walk from the city," Coovers says. "We could rent a room here for after your battle there."

"Nah, I would like to get a head start going to the next place after I defeat this Lucy," Timothy says. "After all, there's only two more Frontier Brains to challenge after this, so no sense in wasting any time."

"Two Frontier Brains?" Ash asks, overhearing the two men as he waits for Nurse Joy to come back with his Pokemon. "Don't you mean three?"

"Yeah, after Lucy, you should have Spencer, Anabel, and then Brandon left," Brock says.

Timothy realizes what he said out loud and chuckles nervously. In his mind, he only counted the two Frontier Brains that come before Brandon since he is the target for Coovers' mission.

"Uh, yes, I meant two Brains left to challenge left after Lucy before facing Brandon," he lies. "Sorry for the confusion there, Ash."

"Oh, no problem," Ash says with a toothy grin before he and Brock go back to waiting.

Timothy quietly sighs in relief before Coovers leans into his ear.

"Nice job, almost blowing our cover, you nincompoop," he mutters.

"I hardly call sounding like I was off by one Frontier Brain by accident, almost blowing our cover," Timothy whispers back. "Besides, we're not going to come across any Team Rocket members here in a Pokemon Center."

"Don't be too sure, Timothy," Coovers whispers seriously. "Remember, we don't know how many people Giovanni has under his command from here to Kanto."

Timothy frowns and nods, seeing his friend's point. Meanwhile, Serena comes back inside the Pokemon Center with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Hey, Serena. Did you sign up for the Pokemon contest?" Brock asks.

"Sure did," Serena says proudly. "I'm all set to participate the day after tomorrow. And I bumped into someone along the way."

Ash, Brock, Timothy, and Coovers look at her curiously until a familiar face enters the building with a smirk.

"Hello, everyone," Scott greets.

Ash, Brock, and Coovers smile and simultaneously say, "Hey, Scott."

"I was wondering when we were going to bump into you," Timothy says with a smirk.

"I'm sure you were," Scott says. "As a matter of fact, I was waiting to meet you here. I must have missed you because I didn't know you were in the city until I bumped into Serena."

"Yeah, Scott was just walking down the street when I was heading back from registration," Serena explains.

"Well, how about that," Ash says.

"So, you were waiting to escort us to the Battle Pike?" Coovers asks.

"Yes, I was," Scott answers before turning to Ash and his friends. "Would you like to join us? I know Lucy would love to see you guys again."

"Lucy would love to see me again? This must be fate declaring that we're meant to be!" Brock squeals.

"Brock, calm down. He didn't mean it like that," Serena rebukes before giving Scott a sad smile. "But anyway, I'm afraid you'll have to count me out, Scott."

'Huh? Why's that, Serena? Don't you want to see Timothy battle Lucy?" Ash asks.

"Sure I do," Serena answers. "But I still have a lot of practicing to do with Absol and I would rather I use the time I have between now and before the contest to work on our routine until it's perfect with or without Double Team. I hope that doesn't bother you, Timothy."

"Not at all," Timothy says politely. "If you need to practice, then, by all means, don't stop yourself on my account. You only have two days, after all, right?"

"Right. Thank you, Timothy," Serena says with a nod.

"Don't mention it," Timothy says. "Although, if you're going to try to teach Absol Double Team, I'd recommend having it run as fast as it can at one of the parks here in the city."

"Okay, then I'll do that," Serena says with a smile.

"Well, then if that's settled, I'm all for driving the rest of you to the Battle Pike," Scott says.

"Awesome," Ash says with a smile. "Then let's go as soon as my and Timothy's Pokemon are checked up."

Before long, Nurse Joy came back with Pikachu, Electchu, and the rest of Ash and Timothy's Pokemon, and so the two of them and Pikachu, Electchu, Brock and Coovers get in Scott's car, and the fat man began driving to the Battle Pike. The ride is mostly silent apart from Brock giggling excitedly with a goofy grin, making Timothy uneasy.

"Uh...Brock, are you okay?" He asks awkwardly.

"Of course, I'm okay," Brock says in a daze. "I'm going to see Lucy again. She's one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen in my life!"

"Is she really that beautiful?" Coovers asks curiously.

"Coovers, don't start getting gaga on me again," Timothy warns.

But Brock turns to Coovers, ignoring Timothy and says, "Beautiful? My good man, there are no words for how beautiful she is. In a perfect world, she would be the one for me, no doubt, and we would face the adventure called life together."

Coovers listens intently, growing excited at the way Brock advertises the Frontier Brain.

"She sounds wonderful," he says in a daze. "I'd give anything to find the perfect woman."

Brock looks at Coovers, shocked, and says, "Me too!"

The two men stare at each other before they suddenly burst into tears and hug each.

"YOU UNDERSTAND!" They bawl out hysterically.

"Oh great," Timothy grumbles before turning to Ash, who is sitting in the front seat of the car with Pikachu. "How in the world can you stand this?"

"I guess I've gotten used to Brock acting like this with just about every woman he meets," Ash chuckles.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu sighs.

"Oh, to be young and to wish for that kind of special companionship," Scott snickers.

"How do you mean special kind?" Ash asks, confused. "I've heard my mom try to explain something like that once before, but I don't know what she meant."

Brock sighs while Coovers, Timothy, and Scott look at the raven-haired boy dumbfounded.

"Wait a minute, you mean you don't know what it means to be interested in a girl romantically or to date and get married or even kiss?" Timothy asks.

Ash hesitates and says, "Well, I was kissed on the cheek by two girls a long time ago, but even then, I don't understand the significance of that."

"You're joking, right?" Timothy asks, dumbfounded. "Come on, Ash, you should know things like that long before you enter your teens. Heck, I knew about romance and stuff before I was old enough to become a Pokemon trainer."

"Raichu," Electchu comments.

"You'd think that, but things like romance pass through Ash's head like the wind," Brock says.

"Aw, poor guy," Coovers says, giving Ash a look of pity.

"Is that really a problem?" Ash asks, confused before turning to Timothy. "Have you ever wanted something like that?"

Timothy hesitates and says, "Not really. I guess I've been so focused on my own goals as a Pokemon trainer that I just don't consider looking for something like that."

Ash contemplates what Timothy said and says, "I guess I'm the same way. I don't really have a reason to want something like that even if I understood it since I'm so focused on my goal to be a Pokemon Master."

"Oh, hey now, that only shows what you know, Ash," Coovers says. "Becoming a Pokemon Master would be a great accomplishment, but nothing makes anyone happier than being with the one person they want to spend the rest of their life with. Heck, I imagine that if someone kissed you on the lips instead of a cheek, you'd understand better."

"Is it really that special when people kiss on the lips?" Ash asks.

"Oh, you have no idea how beautiful it is to experience something so special," Coovers says.

"And neither do you," Timothy says with a teasing smirk.

Coovers gives Timothy a hard glare while Electchu snickers. Scott chuckles before turning to Ash while he's still driving.

"Look, Ash, it's okay if you don't understand something like romance," he says. "If you never understand it, you'll never understand it. But I think Coovers is right about one thing, if you do find something so special as romantic companionship, it may well be one of the best things that will happen and your life. Maybe even more valuable than catching every single Pokemon that's ever existed and winning every single Pokemon League in the world. And if you do, I hope you'll pursue it to the end."

"Really? It could be that important?" Ash asks.

Scott simply nods before going back to facing the road. Ash looks down at the floor, confused yet intrigued with his friend's words.

"I wonder if that's what Mom is hoping I do with Serena," he says to himself out loud.

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asks, looking at its trainer.

Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu both look at each other, confused before looking at Brock, who sighs.

"Serena has it bad for him," he explains quietly so that Ash, Pikachu, and Scott can't hear. "She's liked him ever since they were little."

The two older men and the Raichu make oval shapes in their mouths a way of silently saying, "Oh."

The rest of the drive remained silent until Scott parks in front of a large gymnasium in the middle of the forest. Everyone gets out of the car just in time for the front doors of the building that looks like a Seviper to reveal three women greeting them with serious faces.

"Which one of you is Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town?" The woman with blonde hair demands.

Timothy opens his mouth to answer, but before he can, Coovers steps in front of him and grabs both of the woman's hands with a goofy grin on his face.

"Forget about Timothy, focus on me," he says with a flirtatious look, "I'm Coovers from Unova, and in all my travels, I have never - UMPH!"

The woman kicks him in the stomach, and Coovers gets down on his knees, holding his gut while the woman and her companions give him a deathly glare.

"How dare you try to be fresh with a sister of Queen Lucy!" She rebukes. "I oughta slug you all the way to the Hoenn region for your arrogance."

Suddenly, a rose projectile in the pattern of a Serviper's skin lands on the ground between the women and Coovers. Everyone turns around to see another woman exiting the building with a serious look on her face.

"Barbara, how many times must I tell you not to treat my guests this way?" She rebukes.

"Queen Lucy!" The woman named Barbara says, taken aback.

"Ah! Lucy!" Brock exclaims as he runs over to Lucy, gets down on one knee and takes her hands. "It has been far too long since I've laid eyes on you. I think we should take some time to catch up and - AUGH!"

Brock is suddenly interrupted by Barbara, who grabs him by the ear and drags him away from Lucy.

"How dare you approach our queen in such a presumptuous manner!" she ridicules.

But unknown to anyone else, Lucy's cheeks are turning red. She lowers her head and smiles softly while clasping her hands together as if Brock's hands are still there. The moment is short-lived, however, as she shakes her head and turns to Timothy with a serious look.

"I take it you are my challenger?" She asks.

Timothy nods, yes.

"I see. Then welcome to the Battle Pike," she says as she walks over to him. "I must apologize for my sister. She tends to get carried away."

"No apologies are necessary," Timothy says politely. "But I must apologize for the demeanor of my friends. Had I known they would act this way, I wouldn't have brought them here with me."

Coovers and Brock childishly glare at Timothy's remark.

"I'm glad you did," Lucy says with a small smile.

Timothy looks at Lucy in confusion while she turns to Ash.

"Ash, how are you?" She greets. "I know this is late, but congratulations on making the Battle Frontier Hall of Fame."

"Thanks," Ash says. "I hope we didn't come just for the Battle Pike to be closed like last time."

Lucy chuckles lightly with her mouth closed.

"I'm happy to say that the Bate Pike is open today," she says. "And even so, if you are friends with Timothy and his comrade, then I see no reason to make another exception. Any good friend of yours and Brock's is a good friend of mine."

"Uh, thanks," Timothy says, taken aback at Lucy's declaration.

"Oh, Lucy, your gentle soul is as sweet and kind as ever!" Brock praises while standing between Lucy and Timothy.

Lucy starts at Brock with her cheeks heating up again before Barbara grabs the man by the ear again.

"Keep your hands off Queen Lucy. Of course, she is sweet and kind," Barbara rebukes as she drags him away.

Timothy mentally rolls his eyes at Brock's approach while Lucy secretly wishes Barbara didn't yank him away. Her cheeks heat up again before she shakes her head, and her face turns serious again.

"Come, let us begin," she says as she turns around to enter the Battle Pike. "I am most intrigued to see what a trainer that has defeated a regional champion can do against me."

"You heard about Timothy doing that?" Ash asks as he, Coovers, Timothy, Brock, Barbara, and Lucy's other two sisters follow the Pike Queen.

"Yes, I have," Lucy answers plainly. "Scott told me in an attempt to excite me about our match."

"Ah, so you told Lucy about that, didn't you, Scott?" Coovers asks.

"Why, of course," Scott says without hesitating. "Given how there has hardly been a worthy challenger since Ash faced the Battle Frontier, it only made sense to excite Lucy on such a rare opportunity as facing someone who has defeated a regional champion."

"That makes sense," Timothy admits.

After a couple of minutes, the group makes their way to the battlefield where Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Coovers, sit on one side of the bleachers, and Barbara and the rest of Lucy's sisters sit on the other side. Lucy walks over to the platform on the far side of the battlefield while Timothy and Electchu stand on the other side. Once everyone is in place, one of Lucy's sisters with blue hair stands on a platform on the sidelines of the field and raises both of her hands.

"Now the Frontier battle between Timothy of Pallet Town and Pike Queen Lucy is about to begin!" she announces. "Each participant may use two Pokemon! The battle will be over when both Pokemon from either side aren't able to continue! Furthermore, no substitutions are allowed!"

"Two Pokemon, eh?" Timothy says with a smirk before turning to Electchu. "Sounds like a perfect opportunity for you and Poliwrath to take part in the Battle Frontier as promised, buddy."

"Rai!" Electchu shouts excitedly as sparks come out of his yellow cheeks to show it's ready to finally battle.

"Now, choose your Pokemon!" the blue-haired woman calls out.

Lucy turns serious as she takes out a Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Seviper, I choose you!"

The ball opens to reveal a Seviper looking ready to crush whatever opponent comes its way.

"All the way, Lucy! You got this!" Barabara and the other woman cheer out.

"A Seviper, eh?" Timothy says before turning to Electchu. "That probably means that her second Pokemon is likely a water type, so let's have Poliwrath go first. Sound good?"

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

"Very well, then," Timothy says, taking out a Pokeball. "Poliwrath, I choose you!"

The ball opens, and Poliwrath comes out, banging its fists together, showing that it's pumped.

"Begin the battle!" the light-blue haired woman shouts.

"Alright, Poliwrath, let's test our opponent with Dynamic Punch!" Timothy commands.

Lucy closes her eyes, looking unamused, and says, "Use Poison Tail."

Poliwrath's fists turn light blue while Seviper's tail turns light purple. They charge at each other and attack only for Poliwrath's fist and Seviper's tail to hit each other, causing the two moves to be locked together until Poliwrath uses its other fist to knock Seviper's tail away and punch Seviper in the face with the other.

"Oh, no!" Barbara and the other women shout simultaneously.

Timothy grins and shouts, "Now use Bubble Beam!"

"Dodge and use Poison Tail again," Lucy calls out.

Poliwrath fires countless bubbles at Seviper, but the large snake Pokemon slithers away from them at a quick speed and successfully hits its opponent with its poisonous tail. The tadpole Pokemon steps back several spaces and gets down on one knee with several dark purple bubbles appearing around it.

"Oh no! Poliwrath is poisoned," Ash says worriedly.

"Yeah! Way to go, Lucy!" Brock shouts.

"Hey, whose side are you on?!" Timothy shouts.

Brock hesitates and struggles to answer before he shouts, "I'm rooting for both sides!"

Lucy turns to Brock, taken aback, and hides a small blush.

"You can't just root for both sides. You're either siding for Timothy or Lucy," Coovers rebukes.

"It's alright, Coovers. He was like this when I was facing Lucy, too," Ash says with a sigh.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says with its ears hanging low.

Meanwhile, Timothy and Electchu frown seriously at Poliwrath's condition.

"We have to finish this quick before Poliwrath faints," Timothy says. "Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump!"

"Seviper, counter with Flamethrower," Lucy says.

A large stream of water comes out of the swirl in Poliwrath's belly while Seviper shoots out fire from its mouth. The two attacks collide, causing steam to fill the battle area.

"Now use Bite," Lucy orders.

Timothy raises an eyebrow and says, "Wait patiently before using Dynamic Punch again."

Poliwrath closes its eyes and waits for Seviper to charge at it. The tadpole Pokemon stands still until it hears slithering and a vicious hiss coming right at it, and it snaps its eyes open before throwing a powerful punch. The punch once again successfully hits its target, and Seviper is sent flying into the air and crashing right underneath Lucy's platform.

"Now, use Hydro Pump straight ahead!" Timothy shouts.

Without a moment of hesitation, Poliwrath fires another powerful Hydro Pump, and it directly hits Seviper. The fang snake Pokemon cries out in pain until it slowly loses consciousness. When the steam finally clears, everyone sees Seviper lying on the ground with swirly eyes in front of Lucy. The light-blue haired woman stares at it for a moment before she reluctantly raises her left hand.

"Seviper is unable to battle! Poliwrath wins!" she announces.

Barbara and Lucy's other sisters look at the fallen Pokemon sadly while Ash, Coovers, and Pikachu cheer, and Brock struggles on whether or not to cheer or be sad. Lucy, on the other hand, just sighs in a mild-mannered way before putting Seviper back in its Pokeball."

"You battled well, dear," she says softly to the Pokemon inside the ball before turning to Timothy. "How did you figure out where Seviper was?"

"I'm afraid you're not the only person who has used something like creating steam with a combination of fire and water moves in an attempt to get the better of Poliwrath and me," Timothy says plainly. "It's taken some rather difficult training, but by now, we know how to use the cover of or stram or smoke to our advantage."

"Wow, that's amazing," Ash comments.

Brock nods in agreement and says, "I hate to admit it for Lucy's sake, but that is smart of Timothy to give his Pokemon that kind of training. But I'm not sure how long Poliwrath is going to last after getting poisoned."

Timothy frowns, knowing Brock is right. He and Electchu can see from their platform that the tadpole Pokemon is struggling to stay standing as the poison slowly drains its energy. Electchu looks at its friend worriedly while their trainer sighs in acceptance.

"Poliwrath," he calls out, catching his Pokemon's attention. "Understand that if I were able to substitute or use any of my antidote, I would do it. But since I can't, I need you to be strong for me and face the next Pokemon with everything you got. We need to learn what tricks Lucy has up her sleeve as best as possible before I use Electchu. So please be strong and trust that if you faint, Electchu and I will finish the battle. Okay?"

Poliwrath listens to its trainer seriously and takes a deep breath before it strengthens its stance, showing that it's ready to keep fighting. Timothy and Electchu give it a thankful smile while Lucy takes out another Pokeball.

"Alright, then. Milotic, I choose you," she says.

She throws the ball, and a Milotic comes out and lands on the water.

"A Milotic, huh? That's a rare Pokemon," Timothy observes. "Let's see what its made of. Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump!"

"Use Hydro Pump as well," Lucy says.

Both Poliwrath and Milotic use Hydro Pump, and the two streams of water collide. The two Pokemon continue to use the attacks to best the other, but they are evenly matched.

"Alright, then use Surf followed by Dynamic Punch," Timothy orders.

Poliwrath summons a giant wave of water with it standing on top of it, and it charges at is opponent Lucy and Milotic don't move a muscle which confuses Timothy until she finally makes a move.

"Use Twister then Iron Tail," she commands bluntly.

An orb of wind appears at the end of Milotic's tail, creating a tornado. The tornado hits straight through Poliwrath's Surf causing it to fall off the giant wave and land into the water. Milotic quickly swims over to where Poliwrath fell with its tail turned into solid metal and swings at the spot only for Poliwrath to emerge from the water and punch at Milotic's tail with a glowing fist, stopping the tail. Poliwrath gets ready to punch at the tender Pokemon with its other fist, but halfway through the second punch, the tadpole Pokemon suddenly feels its body growing weaker from the poison and misses its target, giving Milotic the opening to hit Poliwrath in the stomach with Iron Tail.

"Now use Facade," Lucy orders.

Milotic becomes surrounded in an orange aura that makes its body shine. Then it tackles Poliwrath, which sends it flying out of the water and crashing into a large rock.

"Oh, no!" Timothy exclaims. "Poliwrath, are you alright?"

Poliwrath slowly gets up and turns to its trainer to give it a thumbs up. But suddenly, the purple bubbles appear one last time, and the tadpole Pokemon wobbles back and forth until it falls limp.

"Poliwrath can no longer continue! Milotic wins!" The light-blue hair woman announces.

"Yay, Queen Lucy!" Barbara and the other girls cheer.

"Well done, my Queen Lucy," Brock also cheers, making Lucy blush again.

Timothy frowns sadly and returns Poliwrath back into its Pokeball.

"Well done, Poliwrath. You did everything you could," he says to the Pokemon inside the ball before turning to his Raichu. "Alright, Electchu, it's all down to you. Let's win this for Poliwrath."

"Raichu!" Electchu says excitedly as it hops off the platform and lands on the battlefield with sparks emerging from its cheeks again.

"Timothy's already down one Pokemon. I wonder how much longer that fight would have lasted if Poliwrath wasn't poisoned," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"So do I," Scott says with a smile. "But Timothy and Electchu potentially have the upper hand since Electchu is an electric type, and thanks to Poliwrath, they know all of Milotic's moves. Though as you remember, Ash, Lucy, and Milotic won't go down easily, so let's see who will triumph."

Ash nods in agreement as Timothy gets ready to continue the battle.

"Electchu, use Electro Ball!" Timothy calls out.

Electchu jumps in the air and flings a ball of electricity with its tail. The tender Pokemon allows the attack to hit it, and it whimpers in pain while Lucy stands still with her eyes closed. Timothy looks at the Pokemon and trainer in confusion until Lucy's eyes snap open.

"Use Hydro Pump!" she commands.

Miltoic stops whimpering and shakes of Electchu's attack before firing another Hydro Pump. The attack hits the Raichu and sends it flying into a rock.

Timothy frowns, determined to fight back, and shouts, "Use Iron Tail on the double!"

"Milotic, Iron Tail as well!" Lucy commands.

Electchu and Milotic charge at each other with their tails turned into iron. The two of them swing their tails, and the two attacks are locked on to each other for a moment before Milotic pushes back, sending Electchu flying into a wall.

"I hate to say it, but that's a creative way to use Iron Tail," Coovers comments. "Using it as both a defensive and offensive is rather cunning."

"That's Lucy for you," Scott says. "She never teaches her Pokemon defensive moves."

"And it's still so brilliant!" Brock declares gleefully. "Just as I remember her, attacking is one of her principles in attacking and in love. We are really meant to be!"

"Shut up, you!" Barbara shouts from her side of the bleachers. "Don't make me come over there and pummel you into a pulp for making claims like that in Queen Lucy's presence."

But as Barbara rebukes Brock, Lucy blushes again with a soft smile on her face as if she feels at peace from hearing the young man's declaration. Her moment is short-lived, however, when she hears Timothy chuckle in amusement.

"So you're the kind of trainer who prefers to teach her Pokemon nothing but offense moves, eh? So am I," he states. "Truth be told, I think defensive moves have their place, but they're not much compared to having nothing but attacks. Electchu, use Iron Tail again!"

Electchu gets up with a few scratches on its body and charges at Milotic again. Lucy frowns at the display both for disturbing her private moment and because she sees little value in her challenger's move.

"Use Twister," she says bluntly.

Milotic fires another Twister from its tail, but Timothy smirks.

"Use your Iron Tail to cut through that Twister," he says.

Lucy looks at Timothy in confusion until Electchu moves its tail in front of its face and spins it. The tornado hits the spinning tail of iron, but it fails to affect the mouse Pokemon or stop it from running towards its opponent. Milotic keeps using Twister, hoping to push Electchu back only for the Raichu to make it way all the way to its target and hit Milotic hard in the face.

"Nice one, Electchu!" Timothy compliments.

"Milotic, use Facade now!" Lucy says, suddenly.

Timothy's confidence falters as he watches Milotic quickly summon an orange aura around its body again and rams into Electchu. His partner squeals in pain as it is sent flying into the air and crashing into the ground just a few feet away from Milotic.

"Go, Lucy! Go, go, Queen Lucy!" Barbara and Lucy's other sisters chant excitedly.

"Way to go, Lucy!" Brock praises. "Such a quick response after getting hit by Iron Tail!"

"Brock, will you knock it off already?!" Coovers shouts, annoyed. "I thought you said you are rooting for both sides."

"Hey, yeah. Coovers' right," Ash says. "Cheer for Timothy, too, why don't you?"

Brock hesitates and struggles to make another response again.

"I...I...I can't help it! I want to cheer for Lucy!" He exclaims.

Lucy's cheeks turn red again, and she smiles while putting her hand on her heart. She can feel it fluttering at the sound of Brock's words as he openly chooses to root for her over his friend and it makes her feel happy inside. Timothy, however, looks at Brock with an unamused glare.

"Nice to know who I can count on to support me during important battles," he snarls sarcastically. "Electchu, use Electro Ball!"

Once again, Lucy is snapped out of her precious moment, and she glares at the man in the "H.A.K." shirt with an intent to bring him down.

"Milotic, use Hydro Pump!" She orders.

Milotic fires Hydro Pump right as Electchu throws another ball of electricity. The two moves collide, causing them to explode and cancel each other out.

"Use Electro Ball again!" Timothy says determinedly.

"Use Twister," Lucy says seriously.

Once again, the two moves collide and cancel each other out. Timothy grows frustrated with his Raichu's electric moves not landing another hit.

"You can try to use an electric attack like that all day, but it won't work," Barbara taunts boastfully. "Lucy is prepared to counter whatever electric moves come her way."

Timothy's frown deepens as he considers that Barbara is right.

"How am I going to land an effective hit?" He asks himself. "Even though Eletchu hit Milotic with Electro Ball the first time, it was able to swat it away and counter with Hydro Pump. It looks like they have covered their bases to make sure we don't hit them like that again."

"Raichu,"

Timothy turns his eyes to Electchu, who looks at him with a confident smirk.

"What do you mean, Electchu?" He asks.

Electchu answers by saying several "Rai" and "Raichu's."Timothy listens intently while scratching his chin in thought. Then, he realizes what his Pokemon is getting at and grins.

"Excellent point, pal," he says. "Let's use it to our advantage."

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts excitedly.

"Wow, he can understand what Electchu is saying just like that? That's incredible," Ash says, amazed.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, agreeing with Ash.

Timothy smirks and points at Milotic, shouting, "Alright, use Thunder!"

"Ha! What a waste of time," Barbara mocks. "Milotic is going to counter that with ease."

"I did not say to use it on Milotic," Timothy counters.

Everyone looks at Timothy in confusion. Lucy turns to Electchu, who is preparing for its attack, trying to figure out what the Raichu and its trainer are up to. She suddenly turns to the water Milotic is swimming in and gasps.

"Milotic, get out of the water!" She shouts.

But her call was made too late. Electchu fires his Thunder straight at the water, instantly shocking Milotic before it can move. It howls in pain until Electchu finishes its attack leaving the tender Pokemon whimpering while sparks appear all over its body.

"Oh, no!" Barbara shouts.

"Oh yes," Timothy says excitedly. "Now, use Thunder again."

"Milotic, get out of the water!" Lucy shouts again.

Milotic fights through the pain, and it swims to ground as fast as it can right as Electchu fires on the water again.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

Milotic only has a moment to realize what is happening when it turns its head to see Electchu hitting it in the face again with another Iron Tail.

"Use Hydro Pump!" Lucy shouts desperately.

Milotic opens its mouth to shoot a large stream of water again. But suddenly, the sparks appear all over its body again, and it stops in mid-preparation, causing Lucy's heart to sink.

"Now or never, Electchu! Use Thunder again and give it everything you've got!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu's body becomes surrounded in electricity and it fires a massive beam of electricity. Milotic screams at the top of its lungs as the electricity hits it hard all over its body. Brock, Lucy, Barbara, and Lucy's other sisters can do nothing but watch in shock as the tender Pokemon falls to the ground unconscious.

The light-blue haired girl sighs sadly baffled she raises her left arm and says in a softer voice, "Milotic is unable to battle. Electchu wins, which means the victory goes to Timothy, the challenger."

"Alright! Way to go, Timothy!" Ash cheers.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu also cheers.

"Well done," Scott says with a smirk.

"Atta boys, Timothy and Electchu!" Coovers calls out.

Timothy lets out a sigh of relief and gives his friends a nod before turning to his Raichu, who hops back onto his platoon, and he goes down on one knee to hug it.

"Nice job, pal," he says.

"Raichu," Electchu says pleased.

Meanwhile, Lucy, her sisters, and Brock stare at her fallen Pokemon sadly before the Frontier Brain returns it back into its Pokeball.

"You battled well, dear. Thank you," she whispers before walking over to Timothy and Electchu on the other side of the battlefield and says, "That was an interesting way to use the water in the area to your advantage. I can't say I've seen someone use an electric attack like that before."

"Well, credit goes to Electchu, who figured it out and told me," Timothy says honestly. "Although the two of us wouldn't have been looking for a loophole as much if Barbara wasn't boasting so much about your counter moves."

"Yes, I suppose her pride has led to my downfall this time," Lucy admits before taking a symbol out of her pocket. "Still, your Pokemon were very powerful, and to have your bond with your Raichu be so strong that you can understand it and use that bond in battle is remarkable. Therefore, it is my pleasure to present to you the Luck Symbol."

"Thank you, Lucy," Timothy says politely as he takes the symbol and turns back to Electchu with a friendly smirk. "Just two more until we get to Brandon."

"Raichu," Electchu says happily.

Lucy smiles, pleased to see her challenger be so eager while Scott, Ash, Pikachu, Coovers, Brock, and Lucy's sisters walk over from the bleachers to meet them.

"That was a great battle, Timothy," Ash compliments.

"Thanks, Ash," Timothy says.

"I knew you and Electchu were going to pull through no problem," Coovers states confidently.

Brock, however, turns to Lucy and takes both her hands, making her cheeks heat up again.

"Dear Lucy, even though you lost, you're still the best to me," he states in an over-the-top manner.

Lucy stares at him bashfully. In her mind, she is trying to force herself to say something, but she feels a sudden sense of shyness from being so close to Brock, who is encouraging her with such a kind and warm look in his squinting eyes. Unfortunately, she only manages to open her mouth halfway when a hand grabs poor Brock firmly by the ear.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from Queen Lucy?!" Barbara growls as he yanks him away. "I oughta drag you all the way outside and tie you to a tree."

Timothy, Coovers, Ash, and Scott chuckle at Barbara, dragging Brock toward the exit while Lucy lowers her head in disappointment.

"That's what you get for not supporting your friend," Timothy rebukes before turning to the others. "We probably should be going anyway. Coovers and I will want a head start to the next Frontier Brain."

Lucy winces at Timothy's words. Her heart slowly sinks at the thought of watching Brock leave so soon again.

"I'm afraid you'll have to wait a while, Timothy," Scott says. "Your next destination is the Battle Palace in the Seafoam Islands, and the next ship heading there from Fuchsia City won't be leaving until late in the day after tomorrow."

Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers frown, eager to get a move on for their mission. Ash notices this and gives the two men an encouraging smile.

"Hey, don't worry about waiting so long," he says. "Look at it this way, you at least get to stay in Fuchsia City for Serena's contest."

Timothy keeps his displeased look for a moment before he thinks about it and gives Ash a weak smile.

"That's true," he admits. "I suppose Serena would be happy if we stay to see her compete."

"No doubt about it," Ash says confidently. "In fact, I bet she and Absol have Double Team already figured out by the time we get back to Fuchsia City."

"Well, if they haven't, then we can at least be there to help them out," Coovers says, also trying to hide his own disappointment.

"Then let's be on our way," Scott suggests as the three men and Ash and Pikachu turn around to leave.

"Yes, and please take your friend with you," Barbara snarls as she continues to hold Brock by the ear. "I don't ever want him near Queen Lucy for as long as I -"

"Hold it!"

Everyone stops what they are doing and turns to Lucy. The Pike Queen suddenly feels a sense of embarrassment and nervousness as her cheeks turn red again, with her eyes fixed on Brock. She can feel everyone's eyes on her looking at her in confusion, wondering what she has to say.

"I...if you four aren't doing anything else while you're staying in Fuchsia City...then why don't you come over to my place tomorrow for...dinner?" She suggests, struggling to fight through her shyness.

"Dinner?" Ash, Timothy, and Coovers asks at the same time.

"Dinner?!" Brock asks excitedly despite Barbara keeping a painful hold on his ear.

"Dinner with them?" Barbara asks in disbelief.

"Yes," Lucy answers with her voice sounding more confident. "It's been too long since I've had good friends over at my house, and I wish to show my courtesy to Ash and Timothy for giving me two extraordinary battles I will never forget."

"Awesome. Is it okay if we bring Serena too?" Ash asks.

"Of course," Lucy says with a friendly smile. "As I said, any good friend of yours and Brock's is a good friend of mine."

"Wow, you lucky guys," Barbara says, suddenly smiling while letting go of Brock's ear.

"Then we would be happy to come," Ash says.

Coovers and Timothy look at each other hesitantly before Coovers shrugs, and Timothy says, "Alright, dinner it is."

"Wonderful," Lucy says with a soft smile. "My cabin is a couple of miles northwest from here. You can't miss it. I look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night."

"I'll be counting the moments," Brock says joyfully as he walks over to Lucy only for Timothy to stop him by grabbing him by the collar.

"Come on, Casanova. You can't start counting if you don't leave," he says as he pulls Brock away.

Lucy and her sisters walk Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Scott, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers to Scott's car and wave goodbye as the seven of them drive off back to Fuchsia City. Once they are out of sight, Barbara turns to Lucy with a confused look.

"Queen Lucy, with all due respect, are you really going to make dinner for them because of your battles with Ash and Timothy?" She asks.

Lucy puts her hand on her heart, and she smiles and looks at the sky while blushing again.

"Never you mind, Barbara," she answers. "Never you mind."


	30. Chapter 30

It's the day after Timothy's match with Lucy and Scott is driving Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Serena over to Lucy's house. When they came back to Fuchsia City the day before, Serena had just finished some hard training with Absol and was more than happy to join the group with going to Lucy's place for dinner. The group spent most of the next day with Serena practicing her routines with her Pokemon, Timothy, and Ash training in separate spots in the city, and Coovers and Brock runningp errands for supplies. Everyone agreed to meet Scott back at the Pokemon Center late in the afternoon so that they can ride together back to the forest.

"I can't believe I'm going to be having dinner at Lucy's place!" Brock squeals. "Fate must be bringing us together!"

"Brock, please calm down already," Serena says calmly yet firmly. "Honestly, at the rate you're behaving, I almost regret not coming with you guys yesterday."

"So do I," Timothy says overhearing Serena. "It would have been nice to have more people than just me and Barbara putting Brock and Coovers in their place."

"Hey, I can't help it if Barbara is a cutie!" Coovers barks. "You know I have a thing for blondes!"

"That's funny because a while back, you implied ladies with brown eyes and shiny black hair are your type," Timothy teases, earning a snicker from Electchu.

Coovers' face turns red, and he stutters before saying, "It...it doesn't matter what I said. All that matters is whether or not a lady will steal my heart and will give me her heart in return!"

"Preach it, Coovers!" Brock exclaims.

Timothy lets out an annoyed sigh and turns to Serena, who has a defeated look on her face.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say they are brothers with different mothers," he mutters.

Serena covers her mouth to and giggles at Timothy's comment while Ash looks at all of them from the front passenger seat, wondering what they are talking about.

"There they go talking about wanting that special companionship again, Pikachu," he says. "I wish I could understand why they're saying."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, sighing at its partner's density.

Scott secretly chuckles, having overheard the raven-haired boy as he drives. The group continues to talk along the way until they make their way to a small cabin. Brock's excitement grows at the sight of Lucy's home until he smells something odd.

"Hey, do you guys smell something?" He asks.

Everyone turns to him in confusion as Scott parks his car before they sniff the air.

"Now that you mention it, something smells off," Coovers says.

Ash's face turns serious and says, "It smells like…"

"...smoke," Timothy finishes.

Upon hearing the word smoke, everyone's eyes widen, and they turn to the cabin to see smoke appearing through the windows. Without a word, everyone jumps out of the car and runs to the front door with Ash, Serena, and Timothy taking Oshawott, Poliwag, and Poliwrath, respectively, out their Pokeballs. Brock makes it the door first and swings it opens before coming in.

"Lucy, are you alright?!" He screams.

No one hears anything but several voices coughing from the other side of the cabin. Brock races over there with Ash, Serena, and Timothy not far behind with their water Pokemon. When they make it to the next room they stare in surprise to find out they are in the kitchen and the smoke is coming from the oven. Lucy, Barbara, and their sisters ae coughing violently while Lucy is holding a pan that has a mysterious black block on it. One of the sisters finally runs to a window and forces it open to get the smoke out.

"Lucy!" Brock cries out again in worry.

Lucy's eyes snap open, and her pupils shrink as she and her sisters turn to find Brock, Ash, Serena, Timothy, Oshawott, Poliwag, and Poliwrath standing by the kitchen doorway with Scott, Coovers, Pikachu, and Electchu coming in. Her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she looks at Brock.

"Are you guys, alright?" Ash asks.

"We saw smoke coming from inside, so we came in thinking you were in danger," Serena says.

Timothy sighs and says, "I'm glad to see you just burned something instead of there being an actual fire."

"Hey, how dare you imply that Queen Lucy burns her cooking," Barbara snarls. "I'll have you know -"

"Barbara, don't ridicule my guests," Lucy says firmly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Brock realizes what Timothy figured out and asks, "Did you have trouble cooking dinner?"

Barbara gives Brock another hard glare before Lucy raises her hand for silence. All eyes turn to Lucy as she pauses for a moment with her eyes closed and her blush still on her cheeks.

"You see, we were trying to cook a flambe and some sweets for you, but the thing is neither of us have much experience in cooking," she confesses. "We usually eat smaller meals like sandwiches or fruit that grow all over the forest, but since I invited you to dinner, I wanted to make something special for you all, but unfortunately…"

Ash, Serena, Brock, Timothy, Coovers, and Scott all nod in understanding. Lucy's sisters rub the back of their heads nervously, silently confirming Lucy's confession. After a moment, Ash gives the five women a warm smile.

"No problem," he says. "If you guys need help, I'm sure we can all find a way to pitch in."

"Are you sure?" Barbara asks.

"Absolutely," Serena says, smiling. "Brock is an excellent cook, and I can pitch in with making macarons and cookies for dessert."

"Oshawott!" Oshawott exclaims excitedly at the idea of cookies and macarons.

"Poli, poli!" Poliwag squeals happily.

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Ash says suddenly excited. "You'll never taste macarons or cookies that taste as great as when Serena makes them."

Serena turns to Ash and blushes without him noticing. Lucy, meanwhile, feels her heart leap at the mention of Brock being a great cook before she frowns.

"I appreciate the offer, but you shouldn't have to do that when you are my guests," she says, humbly with her eyes closed.

Suddenly, she feels two warm hands take hers, and she opens her eyes, and her face turns redder at the sight of Bock standing close to her with a happy grin on his face.

"Lucy, no need to be so modest," he says. "I insist you let me help you. Just say the word, and I'll make you a meal that you will never forget."

Serena sighs, making a mental note to lecture Brock on toning down his appetite for romance again before she brings back her friendly smile and says, "Yes, please let us help. It will be no trouble at all. I promise."

Lucy stays frozen in her bashful state for a moment before she gives everyone a small smile.

"Very well," she says. "If you insist, then I'll gladly accept your help."

"Yes!" Brock shouts triumphantly. "I'll get started right away."

"Alright. Let's go, Poliwag," Serena says.

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag says happily.

"Can we help in any way?" Coovers asks.

"Sure, we can divide into groups to help Brock and me," Serena says. "Ash, would you like to help me with the treats?"

"Sure, no problem," Ash says happily. "Pikachu and Oshawott can help too.

"Pika!" Pikachu says.

"Oshawott!" Oshawott says excitedly.

Serena smiles at Ash and Pikachu's enthusiasm before turning to Scott, Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, and Coovers.

"How about the rest of you?" She asks.

"Well, I can be pretty handy in the kitchen thanks to taking care of my sister, so I'll help Brock," Coovers says.

"I'll do the same," Scott announces before he and Coovers walk over to help Brock.

Timothy sighs and says, "Well, I hardly have any experience with cooking at all, so if you need some very basic help, Electchu, Poliwrath, and I will do our best, Serena."

"Great. You three can help with mixing the cookie dough and decorating," Serena says cheerfully.

"Uh...yay?" Timothy says nervously.

"Raichu," Electchu says, sharing its trainer's feelings.

"Wrath," Poliwrath mumbles, feeling the same way.

For the next hour and a half, the group works together in making dinner with Brock, Coovers, and Scott making a meat stew with rice and vegetables and Ash, Timothy, Pikachu, Electchu, Oshawott, and Poliwrath helping Serena and Poliwag make macarons and cookies as best as they can. Every now and then, Serena has to swat Ash or Oshawott's hands for trying to take a bite of the cookie dough while Timothy, Electchu, and Poliwrath struggle to decorate the treats the way Serena showed them.

While they are working, Lucy, Barbara, and their sisters wait patiently in the living room couches on the other side. Barbara and the other women wait eagerly for dinner to be ready, but Lucy is staring at Brock, intently watching him make the meal while giving orders to Scott and Coovers. Her cheeks stayed beet red the entire time, and she's secretly thankful that her sisters are too focused on food to notice her.

Finally, Brock makes one last taste test before smiling and turns to everyone, saying, "Alright, everyone. Dinner is ready."

Lucy, Barbara, and the other women smile excitedly as they get up and walk over to the dining table where Serena and Ash are placing silverware and Timothy puts away the treats in the refrigerator.

"Let's not forget some food for the Pokemon," Scott suggests.

"Of course not," Brock says. "I always keep some of my personal Pokemon food with me."

Lucy's eyes widen, and she gasps softly in realization.

"That's right. My Pokemon are still playing outside. They are probably starving by now," she says before turning to Barbara and her other sisters. "Let's get their bowls quickly."

"Right," all the other women say at the same time.

The six of them walk out of the room and head back, carrying Pokemon food bowls. Ash, Serena, and Coovers notice that one of the bowls is very large and so look in confusion as Lucy and her sisters fill the bowls up. After the bowls are filled, Lucy gives a satisfied smile before she opens the large, sliding glass, back door.

"Sweethearts, dinner," she calls out.

Everyone waits for a moment before they hear several footsteps heading their way. The next thing they know, a Snorlax, Abra, Cyndaquil, Makuhita, Skitty, and Swinub, all happily enter the cabin.

"Darlings, did you have fun playing outside?" Lucy asks sweetly.

All six Pokemon let out happy calls that makes Lucy smile.

"I'm glad," she says.

"Wow, look at all those Pokemon," Ash says.

"I know," Serena says while taking out her Pokedex. "Snorlax, Abra, Makuhita, Skitty, and Swinub, but who is that Pokemon?"

She opens her Pokedex, and it scans Cyndaquil before saying, "_Cyndaquil, the fire mouse Pokemon. Normally mild and even-tempered, Cyndaquil will shoot a scorching flame out of its back when upset._"

"You know, Typhlosion was a Cyndaquil before it evolved into a Quilava," Ash says.

"Aww, really?" Serena coos. "It looks so adorable!"

"Yes, Cyndaquil and all of my Pokemon here are very adorable and very precious to me," Lucy says as she pets Cyndaquil and Skitty lovingly. "I love each and every one of my Pokemon. It's always so nice just to look at their beautiful eyes."

Lucy's Pokemon call happily while her sisters, Ash, Coovers, Timothy, and Serena smile at the display of her interacting with her Pokemon. Even Brock gives her another gaga look.

"Look at her so sweet and so loving to her Pokemon," he says. "This is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen."

Lucy hears his praise, and a blush emerges from her face again. She turns to her Pokemon again to hide her blush, but her mind is still on the young man as she gazes into the eyes of Cyndaquil and Skitty. Fortunately, everyone suddenly hears a loud grumble and turns to Ash who chuckles nervously.

"Sorry, everyone," he says. "Guess that means I'm ready to eat."

Serena smiles and shakes her head before she says, "Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's eat."

"Right!" Everyone says excitedly.

Thus, Ash, Serena, Coovers, Brock, Scott, Timothy, and Lucy, Barbara, and Lucy's other sisters begin to devour their meals excitedly. Before long, they all stop for a moment as their eyes widen and they smile brightly.

"Wow, I never knew a stew could taste this good!" Timothy exclaims.

"Me neither, and I helped make it!" Coovers squeaks in a high-pitched voice.

"Brock, you are a wizard," Scott compliments. "How you can conjure up a meal like this is beyond me even though I also helped you make it."

"Thanks," Brock says.

Suddenly, Barbara lets out a high-pitched squeal.

"I never tasted something so good in all my life!" She shouts with stars in her eyes.

The other sisters let out happy sighs in agreement before turning to Lucy with looks of confusion.

"Lucy, are you alright?" One of them asks.

Everyone suddenly turns to Lucy, who is standing still with her pupils shrunk and her spoon still in her mouth. Everyone starts to worry if something is wrong before she suddenly starts eating the stew vigorously until her bowl is completely empty. She turns to see everyone's looks of worry turn into looks of shock. She blushes in embarrassment as she clears her throat, wipes some bits of stew off her face with her napkin, and awkwardly offers her bowl to Brock without looking at him.

"May I have more, please?" She asks quietly.

Immediately, Brock giggles happily and declares, "Of course there is, my dear Lucy! Have as much as you want!"

"Brrrooooccckkkk," Serena says, warningly like a mother telling her child not to do something wrong.

Brock winces at Serena and clears his throat before he calmly says, "Yes, there's more than enough for seconds and thirds for everyone."

Lucy smiles as Brock takes her bowl and fills it up. As she eats her second bowl of soup, she glances at Serena, who smiles content with Brock's sudden change of attitude. The black-and-red-haired woman starts to figure out that the honey blonde girl is someone who prefers to hold Brock back on his romantic advances just like Barbara and Max, who also dragged him by the ear when Ash came for his battle at the Battle Pike. Thus as she quietly yet merrily eats her stew, she starts thinking of a way to get herself and Brock alone and away from Serena and Barbara.

For the next twenty minutes, everyone happily eats until the soup is completely empty. The group sighs blissfully from enjoying their meal, and even Pikachu, Electchu, Oshawott, Poliwag, Poliwrath, and Lucy's Pokemon sigh happily from eating their bowls of Pokemon food.

"Oh, I could eat that stew for the rest of my life and never get tired of it," Barbara declares.

"You can say that again," Scott says.

"Yep, Brock never fails to make a meal so unbelievably fulfilling," Ash says.

"No kidding," Timothy says.

"Now I hope everyone isn't too full," Serena says in a singing voice. "Remember I have some delicious treats for dessert."

Almost instantly, Ash and Oshawott's eyes light up in excitement.

"Alright! I can't wait!" Ash exclaims.

"Oshawott!" Oshawott shouts.

Serena smiles at the enthusiasm of the boy she cares for and his Pokemon before she walks over to the fridge and comes back with bags of macarons and cookies. She starts passing one of each to each person and Pokemon, and they all eat their treats before making the same reaction as they did when eating the stew.

"Wow, this is so delicious!" Barbara exclaims.

"I can't believe I was decorating something so sweet," Timothy says.

"Yeah, if you can call it decorating," Coovers teases before joyfully saying, "Still, this is delicious."

"Oh, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven," Barbara says with stars in her eyes again while her sisters nod in agreement.

"What did I tell you? Serena makes the greatest treats in the whole world," Ash says with his mouth full.

"Oshawott!" Oshawott says with its mouth also full.

"Ash, don't talk with your mouth full," Serena ridicules while also smiling from his praises. "Anyway, there's more than enough for anyone who wants more."

At the sound of the word "more," Oshawott and Lucy's Snorlax turn to Serena with their mouth wide open for more sweets. Serena looks at them nervously before Oshawott jumps onto Serena's shoulder, reaching for the bags of macarons and cookies while Snorlax storms over to her excitedly.

"Ah, don't rush!" She screams panicking as she holds the bags defensively. "Leave plenty for everyone!"

"Oshawott, knock it off," Ash says as he tries to get his Pokemon off of Serena.

"You too, Snorlax," Barbara says as she and the other sisters rush over to try to pull Snorlax back from poor Serena.

Before long, Timothy, Coovers, Pikachu, Electchu, Poliwrath, and Poliwag join in with protecting Serena from Oshawott and Snorlax. As everyone tries to keep the two Pokemon away from Serena, Lucy glances at Brock, who chuckles awkwardly at the display while still on his seat. The Pike Queen's cheeks heat up again as she realizes that she has her chance to take her and Brock away from the others. She looks at everyone else to make sure they are still occupied with keeping her Snorlax and Oshawott away from all of Serena's treats before standing up and turning to Brock.

"Brock?" She asks, catching the young man's attention. "Would you...like to go for a walk outside with me?"

Brock smiles brightly and almost screams, "yes," before he holds his tongue. He turns to everyone else to make sure that Serena and Barbara are too focused on Snorlax and Oshawott before turning to Lucy and nods. Lucy smiles and gestures Brock to follow her to the back door. He gleefully obeys like a little child expecting a present or sweets as the two of them exit the house and start walking through the woods.

As they walk, Brock is looking at the sky blissfully, happy to be with Lucy while she looks at him bashfully and rubs her arm, struggling with thinking of something to say.

"Um...Brock?" She asks.

"Yes, Lucy?" Brock asks almost immediately.

Lucy's cheeks turn redder at Brock's eager attitude, and she takes a deep breath before continuing.

"I want to say that -"

"You love my cooking and wish for me to cook for you until the end of our days?" Brock interrupts.

Lucy's cheeks grow warmer, and she says, "No, I -"

"Wish to join me on my journey with Ash and Serena?" Brock interrupts again.

"No, it's -"

"Your biggest desire that I stay with you here in the woods forever and -"

Finally, Lucy puts her hand on Brock's mouth, silencing him. She frowns, slightly annoyed before she recollects herself and looks deep into Brock's eyes.

"I want to say that you have the most magnificent eyes I've ever seen," she says.

This time, Brock is the one blushing. Lucy removes her hand to see Brock giving a dopey smile.

"R-really?" Brock asks in a goofy way.

"Really," Lucy answers with a soft smile. "I've found eyes like yours to be mesmerizing for as long as I remember. I can't explain why, but I do. I guess you can say I found eyes like yours to be the ones that usually belong to someone kind and caring. That's what I love about my Pokemon at home. They all have eyes like yours, and each one has a kind and sweet heart that is more dear to me than the last. So when I looked into your eyes for the first time when Ash came to face me, I instantly thought of you as someone like my Pokemon."

Brock's dopey face turns into one of surprise as Lucy continues.

"To be honest, I only asked you and Ash and the others to dinner because...I wanted to spend more time with you," she confesses. "I...I missed you after Ash and I had our battle. I started to think about you whenever I come home and look into the eyes of Cyndaquil, Skitty, Snorlax, Makuhita, Swinbul, and Abra. I wish I got to know you more back then without Barbara or your little friend Max interfering. So after Timothy defeated me, I was afraid that you were about to leave again and so…"

"So you made up a reason for me to come back even if you've never cooked for someone before," Brock finishes for her.

Lucy looks away embarrassment and nods before turning her head to Brock.

"But when you came so ready to help me after I was found out I knew in my heart that I was right about how caring you are," she says before she chuckles, saying, "And your stew is something I can't put into words."

Brock smiles at her until Lucy takes both his hands. His face turns red, and his heart starts racing in anticipation. Lucy looks away nervously for a moment before she lets it out.

"Brock, what I'm trying to say is I… I really like you."

At this moment, Brock turns completely still. For years he has wanted the moment, or even a hint of hearing a woman actually say those words to him. To hear someone like Lucy say it is like a dream come true. His stone face turns back in a goofy one.

"Lucy, you don't know how happy I am to hear you say that!" He exclaims.

Lucy smiles at his demeanor and asks, "Then you it be alright if we could… spend some time together? Maybe you could even stay here with me like you suggested?"

Brock opens his mouth to instantly say yes, but then his voice does in his throat. Lucy's confidence weakens as she catches Brock frown and turn to the direction of where her house and everyone else is before he sighs.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," he says.

Lucy winces, and Brock wants his hands defensively.

"It's not that I don't want to," he says. "It's just that Ash and Serena need me. With Ash planning to compete in the Indigo League and Serena working hard to enter the Grand Festival and needing their help with her feelings for Ash, I can't stay behind while they need someone than just each other to support them. So, would you be willing to wait until my journey with my friends is complete?"

Lucy can't hide that she is disappointed with his response. She really wishes he can stay so she can look into his eyes whenever she wants. But at the same time, his loyalty to his friends makes it clear that he is who she believes he is when she looks into his eyes. After a moment, she smiles and squeezes Brock's hands while makes his face turn red.

"Very well," she says softly. "I will wait for you, Brock. Though if you wish, I will join you with rooting for Ash at the Indigo League."

Brock smiles excitedly and with a dopey voice, says, "I'll be counting the days until I see you there!"

Lucy quietly giggles before she pulls Brock in for a hug. The tall, young man freezes in place in a blissful, too happy to hug Lucy back, but she doesn't mind. The two of them stay like this with their faces beet red until Lucy reluctantly breaks the hug and shakes off her blush.

"We should head back," she says. "They might be wondering where we are by now. My sisters will probably be looking for me to calm down Snorlax."

Brock nods in understanding, and the two of them walk back to her house together. As they walk, Lucy leans closer to Brock and rests her head on his shoulder. He giggles quietly like a little boy, and she smiles at his reaction while her cheeks heat up again.

Thankfully for Serena, Lucy and Brock came back in time for the Pike Queen to calm down Snorlax before the sisters, Ash, Timothy, and Coovers tire out, and the Pokemon eats all of Serena's treats. After Serena was able to continue handing out the treats until everyone has had enough, Scott decides to drive Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Timothy. Electchu, and Coovers back to Fuchsia City. So after Ash, Serena, and Timothy return Oshawott, Poliwag, and Poliwrath back into their Pokeballs, they all get in Scott's car and wave Lucy, Barbara, and their sisters goodbye with Lucy secretly blowing a kiss toward Brock when everyone else is not looking. By the time they make it back to the Pokemon Center, Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, and especially Ash are already half asleep.

Scott decides to help the two men and the Raichu back into their rooms while Brock and Serena help Ash, who is walking like a zombie with Pikachu already asleep on his shoulder. When the four of them make it go their room, Serena guides Ash to his bed while Brock goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Iron tail...Pikachu," Ash mumbles as Serena puts Pikachu down on the edge of the bed and helps Ash take off his shoes and socks and get under the covers.

The honey blonde girl quietly giggles at Ash, already dreaming of battling with Pikachu.

"Oh Ash," she says quietly while she finishes covering Ash up in blankets. She turns around until she hears Ash speak again.

"Hey, Serena?" Ash asks with his eyes closed.

"What, Ash?" Serena asks.

Ash pauses for a moment as sleep starts to overtake him completely.

"You really do...make the most delicious treats in...the...world,' he mutters, barely saying the last word coherently.

Serena blushes, and she smiles, sweetly at Ash's compliment. She then gets an idea that makes her face turn completely red. After a moment of debating with herself, she gives in and leans her head toward Ash, moves her hair back and lightly presses her lips against his cheek.

"Thank you, Ash. Sleep tight," she whispers in his ear.

Ash doesn't make any response as he has already fallen sound asleep. Serena keeps smiling at the boy she likes while still blushing and turns around only to see Brock out of the bathroom, changed into his pajamas, and smirking at her.

"Well, aren't we a little plucky tonight?" He teases quietly.

Serena puts her hands on her mouth to cover a high-pitched whimper. Her pupils shrink as she realizes she was spotted. Brock keeps his teasing looks before he shakes his head.

"I'm not really judging, Serena," he says. "I think it's good that you are taking baby steps...even if you're doing it while he's asleep."

Serena's shocked face softens, and she turns back to Ash and smiles again.

"Maybe, but I also wish to think I would have tried something...more than that if we didn't end up going to Kanto together," she says.

"What do you mean?" Brock asks.

"I mean, if we had to go our separate ways after our journey through Kalos, I would have told him how I felt," Serena explains. "I would have told him how much he means to me and how even though we are going different paths, I will come for him someday. And then, if the moment is right, I'd like to think I would have mustered the courage to kiss him on the lips."

Brock looks at his friend, surprised.

"Then why haven't you done it already?" He asks.

Serena's smile falters slightly before turning to Brock.

"I don't know," she says while putting her hand on her blue ribbon. "I guess it's because I just want to focus on spending more time with Ash. To maybe get through to him while we're here in Kanto even if it looks impossible. But if the day does come that our dreams take us in different directions, I hope I will have the courage to do what I think I would have done if we parted ways in Kalos."

Brock keeps looking at Serena for a moment and smiles before putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You'll get through to him," he says. "You're going to find what you're looking for one way or another."

"But how can you be so sure?" Serena asks.

"Let's just say I have some experience," he says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Serena asks, confused.

Brock stammers for a moment, realizing he is very close to bringing up his conversation with Lucy and quickly walks away.

"Oh, would you look at the time? We better get to bed. Your contest is early in the morning after all," he says.

Serena keeps her confused state as Brock jumps into his bed and pretends to fall asleep. She sighs and decides to drop it, knowing that she will have to get up early for her contest. She heads to the bathroom to change into her pajamas, and when she comes out, she lets Absol out of its Pokeball so that it can sleep next to her.

"Sweet dreams, Absol," she says softly as she gets under the covers of her bed and wraps her arm around her beloved Pokemon. "We have a big day ahead of us."

"Sol," Absol quietly says back before it rests its head beside its mother figure.

Serena smiles and closes her eyes so she can begin to sleep. As she does, she wonders if the very thing she desires with Ash will ever happen someday.


	31. Chapter 31

It is early in the morning, and Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers are already awake and eating breakfast at the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. While the trio is eating, the two men are planning their trip to the Seafoam Islands after Serena's contest.

"So from what I researched about our ride, the ferry will reach the Battle Palace in about two weeks," Coovers says. "Hopefully, the second to last Frontier Brain will be back on the mainland instead of somewhere far overseas, because if I had to guess that's where Brandon will most likely be."

"Makes sense to me," Timothy says. "Either way, I still wish there was a way you or your higher-ups at the International Police could contact Brandon, so we didn't have to go through the Battle Frontier."

"Ugh, I know," Coovers groans. "I've been reporting our progress to my superiors every time you win a battle against a Frontier Brain, and while they understand why this is the best way to get to him, they are still growing uneasy about what Team Rocket might be up to. It doesn't help that reports of the crime organization's activities have dropped significantly in the past two months."

Timothy frowns and asks, "So what do they call Cassidy and Brain or whatever his name is trying to kidnap Serena's Absol?"

"Apparently, our adventure at Cycling Road is the most anyone from Team Rocket has done in an attempt to steal other people's Pokemon," Coovers answers. "As far as my superiors are concerned, that just means Giovanni is clearly planning something big with his entire organization, making it all the more likely that he is going to want to do something with Arceus. To make matters worse, my superiors just found out that Giovanni has paid bail for the two crooks we encountered."

"What?!" Timothy exclaims. "But they are members of a crime organization that tried to steal a girl's Pokemon. Bail shouldn't even be a possibility."

"You'd think, but apparently that's how the justice system works here in Kanto," Coovers says. "What's worse is that Cassidy and Bert are one of Giovanni's best people who have done much worse than create an ambush in the middle of the road, and Giovanni has paid their bail several times."

"Ugh, curse the fact that Giovanni is so filthy rich," Timothy grumbles. "I hope you at least got some credit in the eyes of your superiors for catching them."

"I hardly did anything apart from contacting the police with Brock and Serena's help," Coovers points out before he smiles. "Even so, capturing them seemed to help the credibility of our mission from where my superiors are standing."

"Well, that's good to hear for what it's worth," Timothy says. "Still, we can't afford to lose any more time. The moment Serena is done with her contest, we have to race to the dock and sail to the Battle Palace, win my match there, and get to the last Frontier Brain before Brandon as soon as possible. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Coovers says.

"Raichu," Electchu says in agreement while still eating its Pokemon food.

Thus the three of them continue eating in silence for a few minutes until they hear a yawn and turn around to see Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock entering the cafeteria. The honey blonde girl, the young tan-skinned man, and his Pikachu look fully rested while the raven-haired boy still looks half asleep much to his rival's amusement.

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Did you manage to sleep through all the sugar you consumed last night?" Timothy teases.

"I think so," Ash says in a groggy voice as he fills a tray of breakfast food.

"I gotta admit, it's nice to know there's some kind of limit to how much food Ash can consume," Coovers says to Brock, who is also helping himself to the food.

"Well, even so, Ash will probably still eat a lot of sweets whenever Serena makes them. He just _loves_ her cooking," Brock teases.

Serena's cheeks turn pink, and she looks away from Ash to keep him from noticing her bashful state while her mind goes back to kissing his cheek last night. Once the three younger trainers and Pikachu have their food and sit down at the table next to where Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu are sitting, the seven of them eat together quietly for a few minutes until Timothy gets an idea.

"Oh, yeah, by the way, Ash," he begins, gaining the raven-haired boy's attention. "Do you remember who it is I'll face next after the Battle Palace and where it is?"

"Sure do, but I can't tell you who or where," Ash says. "After I spoiled that Brandon is your final challenge, Scott made sure I don't spoil anything else for you on your journey."

"Yeah, Timothy," Brock says. "Scott might not have asked me, but I think it's better that you find out for yourself like we did."

Timothy frowns and gives Coovers a shrug as if to say, "Well, I tried." The man from Unova sighs in defeat until he decides to change the subject.

"Hey, Serena, how did it go with trying to teach Absol Double Team?" He asks. "Did you figure it out in time for your contest?"

Serena turns to Coovers and gives him a teasing smile.

"You'll just have to find out at the contest," she says.

Coovers gives a comedic frown.

"Geez, you all feel like keeping secrets from your friends today," he grumbles childishly before turning to Pikachu. "What about you? Do you have a secret too?"

"Pikachu?" Pikachu replies in confusion.

Ash, Serena, and Brock chuckle at Pikachu's response.

"Can you at least tell us whether or not you are excited about it?" Timothy asks.

Serena pretends to think about it for a moment before she smiles cheerfully and says, "Yes, I am. And I can't wait for you all to watch me get my third ribbon."

"You sound really confident today," Brock says.

"And that's fine by me," Ash says with a smirk. "You keep that confidence till the very end, Serena."

"Right," Serena says. "And who knows what kind of competitors are going to come my way today?"

"Absolutely not, Jess!" Meowth shouts.

The Team Rocket trio and Wobbuffet are in their hiding place that they have been staying in ever since Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers started to stay in Fuchsia City. They have only left their hiding place once since then to secretly watch Timothy face Lucy at the Battle Pike and since then have been patiently waiting for the two men and the Raichu to leave for the next Battle Frontier match. But as the three of them wait for their targets to set sail, Jessie makes a request that immediately upsets James and Meowth.

"But I have to perform," Jessie demands. "It has been far too long since I've competed in a Pokemon contest or showcase."

"Then you'll have to deal with waiting a little longer," James says, seriously. "We are supposed to be in deep undercover until the boss can nab Brandon and get the Gieldanstone."

"But I must perform now!" Jessie growls, impatiently. "There is a contest happening in two hours, and I have to participate! My beloved fans need me!"

"What fans?" James and Meowth say at the same time.

Jessie grinds her teeth and gives her companions a menacing glare that sends shivers down their spines.

"Now look here, idiots, I'm going to be a contestant and that's that!" She declares. "I'm going to put on a disguise so perfect that my own mother wouldn't recognize me, and then I'm going to win a ribbon fair and square, and our targets will be none the wiser."

"Can you at least promise me that you won't try to steal the ribbon if you get disqualified like you used to?" James whines.

"Sure, whatever!" Jessie snarls. "Now if you will excuse me, density awaits!"

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet says, encouraging its partner.

Without another word, Jessie and Wobbuffet storm away from James and Meowth, leaving the two other members of the trio sighing in defeat.

"Do you remember when she was nice to us and would politely ask us for help?" James asks.

"Not really," Meowth answers.

"Me neither," James groans.

"Good afternoon, Fuchsia City!" Lilian calls out from the stage inside Celadon City Hall, "Welcome to this year's Fuchsia City Pokemon contest!"

The audience cheers in excitement, and Coovers stares at Lilian with a goofy look.

"Wow, that's who the host for these contests is? She's really cute," he says.

"Yeah, she is an attractive woman," Brock says in a mild-mannered tone.

Ash turns to Brock with a confused look on his face and asks, "Brock, are you okay?"

Brock turns to his younger friend and says, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask, Ash?"

Ash hesitates and says, "Well, you should be acting more gaga over Lilian than Coovers is right now."

"You mean as gaga as he was over Lucy?" Timothy asks.

"Yeah, Brock's normally like that over a lot of women," Ash answers.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, nodding in agreement.

"And who says I have to still act that way, Ash?" Brock challenges. "Maybe I am over how amazing someone like Lilian looks."

Coovers stops staring at the host of the contest and looks at Brock in confusion.

"Seriously? How can you get over how much of a cutie that woman is?" He asks in disbelief.

"It's a secret," Brock says. "Now pay attention, you guys, she just finished introducing the judges."

Coovers, Ash, Pikachu, Timothy, and Electchu keep staring at their friend's unusual behavior before they silently decide to drop it and focus on the contest.

"And without further ado, let's hear it for our first contestant, Jessalia!" Lilian announces.

The crowd applauds as Lilian leaves the stage, and Jessie enters while wearing an over-the-top dress and sunglasses while giggling with glee.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" She says proudly as she takes out a Pokeball. "Gourgeist, showtime!"

The Pokeball opens to reveal a Gourgeist floating in the air.

"A Gourgeist," Timothy says amused. "Well, there's a Pokemon you don't usually see in Kanto."

"No kidding," Brock agrees.

"Gourgeist, use Seed Bomb at the ceiling," Jessie commands.

Gourgeist lifts its head up and fires multiple glowing seeds into the air. The seeds fly almost all the way to the ceiling before they begin to plummet to the ground.

"Now use Dark Pulse," Jessie commands.

Gourgeist fires Dark Pulse at the falling seeds, and they explode into purple and green fireworks upon impact with the dark type move. The crowd "ooo"s and "ahh"s while Jessie prepares her next move.

"Now use Leech Seed on the ground," she orders.

Gourgeist fires several seeds into the ground, and they initially grow into large vines.

"Now use Shallow Ball on the vines," Jessie orders.

Gourgeist summons a large back of black and purple energy and fires it at the vines. The vines catch the Shadow Ball and start entangling around it until it is completely trapped. Then the vines start to crush the Shadow Ball until it explodes into tiny black and purple pieces floating in the air. The audience applauds, and Jessie happily giggles again as she and Gourgeist take a bow before they leave the stage.

"Well, I must say, I didn't know you can those moves to create a spectacle like that," Timothy admits.

"Raichu," Electchu says, agreeing.

"Me neither," Coovers says.

"Well, that's what Pokemon contests are like," Ash says. "They coordinators find imaginative ways to create amazing performances."

"Yeah, and it takes a lot of practice just to get your performance right," Brock says. "Take it from us, we've seen our friends Dawn and May come a long way to be the coordinators they are today."

"Interesting," Timothy says.

The four trainers and Pikachu and Electchu continue to watch the next dozen performances while waiting for Serena and Absol. Though a couple of the performances were lacking, a few others were as well-choreographed as Jessie and Gourgeist. As time went on, Coovers and Timothy found themselves entertained with various performances that many coordinators come up with. Finally, it is Serena's turn, and she runs into the stage with a confident smile as she throws Absol's Pokeball.

"Absol, I choose you!" She shouts.

The ball opens, and Absol comes out letting out a pumped roar as it poses for the audience.

"Alright, let's see what those two conjured up," Coovers says excitedly.

"Come on, Serena and Absol! You can do it!" Ash calls out.

Serena waves the audience before she turns to her young Pokemon and kneels next to it.

"Now, just give it your all, and I know we're going to give a performance they'll never forget," she says.

"Absol," Absol says, nodding.

"Alright," Serena says energetically as she stands up and spins around. "Absol, start dancing."

Absol stars jumping and twirling around the stage. The audience looks at each other, confused with where Serena is going with the command until she speaks again.

"Now, use Double Team!"

Within seconds, Absol copies itself until multiple Absol fill the stage flipping, jumping, and twirling in unison. The audience becomes more invested and start to applaud.

"Now use Perish Song just like we practiced," Serena calls out.

As soon as Serena finished saying her command, Absol and all of its clones stop dancing and form a circle in two rows. Then they all lift their heads up and fire crimson sound waves out of their mouths. The sound waves collide with each other and start forming a large crimson ball that gets bigger and bigger as the disaster Pokemon keeps using the move. The crowd watches intently, wondering where this is going until Serena speaks again.

"Now, jump and use Scratch!"

Absol and its clones all jump in the air toward the large ball of sound waves with their front claws glowing white. They swipe at the ball, causing it to explode into a thousand crimson pieces that float in various directions. The audience watches with their eyes wide as Absol lands on the ground with its clones gone and makes a final pose with Serena.

"Ta-da! All done!" Serena says.

The audience cheers happily. Ash, Brock, Timothy, and Coovers all stand up to clap while Pikachu and Electchu cheer from the rail in front of them.

"Way to go, Serena!" Ash calls out.

"That was amazing," Coovers says.

"Yeah, clearly all their hard work paid off," Brock says.

"What an incredible use of Double Team, Perish Song, and Scratch," Timothy says, amazed. "Great job, Serena!"

Serena smiles brightly to see her friends and the rest of the audience so happy with her performance while the judges give her great marks. She turns to Absol and kneels down to hug it, which it happily accepts.

"I'm so proud of you," she says. "Whether we make it to the next round or not, I'm happy with how all of our hard work paid off."

"Absol!" Absol calls out in a giddy tone.

The two of them hold their embrace for a moment until they leave the stage for the next person to perform.

After another ten minutes, the performance stage ends, and everyone waits a couple of minutes until Lilian returns to the stage.

"Alright, let's hear it for our contestants!" She says cheerfully.

The audience applauds before she continues.

"Now the judges have made their choices, and the contestants that will continue in the battle stage will appear on the screen," Lilian announces.

Everyone looks at the big screen above the stage, and with a loud "ding," twenty-four faces appear, including Jessie and Serena.

"Alright, Serena made it to the next round!" Coovers says happily.

"I knew she would," Ash says confidently.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cheerfully.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the crowd, James and Meowth watch the contest disguised as civilians. The two of them sigh sadly after seeing Jessie's picture on the screen.

"Normally, I would be happy that Jessie made it to the next round, but I would feel better if she was disqualified for the sake of the mission," James whines.

"Yeah, but if she does get disqualified, she'll take her anger on us," Meowth moans. "So we're in a lose-lose situation unless she actually wins this thing."

"Right, but if she wins, she might get over-excited and want to participate in more contests so she can compete in the Grand Festival, making her focus on the mission even more wavering," James points out.

The two of them sigh, dreading whatever cruel fate is in store for them.

"Now, we will pick at random who will battle who on the first round!" Lilian announces.

The pictures on the screen disappear for a moment until they reappear in a tournament bracket. Serena's picture appears on the top left corner while Jessie's is in the bottom right.

"Alright, Serena's going to battle first," Ash says excitedly.

"Let's not waste any more time, let's begin our first battle with Serena and Ever!" Lilian shouts.

The audience cheers as Serena enters one side of the stage, and a tall, scrawny man appears on the other side.

"Sylveon, come on out!" Serena shouts as she tosses a Pokeball, and it opens to reveal Sylveon.

"What in the world is that Pokemon," Coovers asks, shocked as he takes out his Pokedex.

"_Sylveon, the intertwining Pokemon and the evolved form of Eevee_," his Pokedex says. "_Sylveon affectionately wraps its ribbon-like feelers around its trainer's arm as they walk together._"

"So Sylveon is another evolved form of Eevee, huh?" Coovers says. "I take it this is another Pokemon that originates in Kalos?"

"Sure is. Serena caught Sylveon when it was just a shy, little Eevee, and their bond became so strong that it evolved into Sylveon," Ash explains.

"Voltorb, let's go!" Ever shouts as he throws a Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal a Voltorb.

"Battle begin!" Lilian announces, and the timer starts counting down from 5 minutes.

"Voltorb, use Swift!" Ever shouts.

"Sylveon, you use Swift also!" Serena shouts.

The two Pokemon fire Swift at the same time and the golden stars collide with each other and explode into tiny golden pieces.

"Use Headbutt!" Ever orders.

"Sylveon, use Protect!"

Voltorb rolls toward Sylveon, who summons a blue forcefield around it. The ball Pokemon rams into the forcefield, and the impact makes it bounce back and roll the other way and run into the wall behind Ever, causing him to lose points.

"Now, use Fairy Wind!" Serena orders.

Sylveon puts its feelers together and fires a Fairy Wind at Voltorb.

"Voltorb, take out that Fairy Wind with Thunder Shock," Ever commands.

Voltorb summons electricity from all over its body and fires at the Fairy Wind. The attacks collide, and they explode into pink dust surrounded in electricity. The judges look at the display in awe as they take away some of Serena's points.

"What?" Timothy says, confused. "Why did Serena lose points? All Voltorb did was cancel out Sylveon's attack, not hit its opponent."

"I'm afraid battling in Pokemon contests are much different than normal Pokemon contests, Timothy," Brock answers. "You see, while a competitor can lose points if their Pokemon gets hit or get disqualified if their Pokemon is unable to continue, they can also lose points if their opponent performs a creative counter move or if the opponent Pokemon uses the other Pokemon's move to their advantage. In this case, Voltorb didn't hit Sylveon, but it created a creative spectacle when it countered Fairy Wind with Thunder Shock."

"So, in other words, they are still performing even though they are battling?" Timothy asks.

"Basically," Brock answers.

"Wow, that sounds kind of hard to focus on battling and still make an entertaining performance at the same time," Coovers says worriedly.

"Don't worry. Serena and Sylveon will pull through no doubt," Ash says confidently.

"Voltorb, use Headbutt again!" Ever commands.

Voltorb starts rolling toward Sylveon again, and Serena gets an idea.

"Sylveon, get on top of Voltorb and balance yourself on it," she calls out.

Sylveon nods in understanding before it jumps high in the air right before Voltorb rams over it and lands on top of the ball Pokemon. The intertwining Pokemon begins rolling Voltorb from the top of it, causing it to roll across the stage like a real ball. The judges and the audience laugh in amusement while Ever loses points.

"She's doing the same thing she did to Giselle's Golem with Poliwag," Ash chortles.

"Yeah, but I doubt Ever is going to take her trick lying down like Giselle did," Brock says, concerned.

Ever grinds his teeth and shouts. "Voltorb, use Thunder Shock now!"

"Jump and use protect again," Serena calls out.

Sylveon stops rolling Voltorb and jumps and creates a forcefield from under it just in time for Voltorb to fire another Thunder hock. The electricity hits the forcefield and sends Sylveon rising into the air before it jumps and does several flips before landing on the ground feet first perfectly. The audience applauds, and Ever's point bar gets lower.

"Oh, that does it," Ever snarls. "Voltorb, use Thunderbolt!"

"Quick, Sylveon, use Double Team!" Serena shouts.

Sylveon nods before several clones appear all over the stage right before Voltorb uses Thunderbolt. Voltorb checks its surroundings, unable to figure out which Sylveon is the real one.

"Just use Thunderbolt on all of them!" Ever growls

Voltorb fires multiple Thunderbolts on all the Sylveon, but they all disappear, leaving the ball Pokemon even more confused about where it is.

"Now, use Fairy Wind on the ground beneath Voltorb!" Serena orders.

Ever and Voltorb only have a moment to realize that Sylveon is a few feet beside Voltorb before Sylveon uses Fairy Wind on the ground below its opponent, lifting the ball Pokemon high into the air. Sylveon keeps using Fairy Wind to keep its opponent in the air, wowing the audience while the judges take more points from Ever right before the timer lets out a loud "ding!"

"That's time, and the winner is Serena!" Lilian declares.

Serena's friends cheer with the audience while the honey blonde girl smiles and waves with Sylveon before leaving the stage.

"Wow, I can honestly say I've never seen a battle like that before in my life," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu says, agreeing.

"Me neither," Coovers concurs.

"Well, you're going to see plenty more like that throughout the second half of the contest," Brock says.

Indeed, the contest went on with the next several battles on the first round. Jessie chose Wobbuffet as her Pokemon for the battle stage and easily bested a poor girl's Dewgong by having Wobbuffet constantly use Mirror Coat to send the attacks back inducing double the damage until Dewgong fainted. The next few rounds go on with Serena and Jessie winning every single one of their matches until they both make it to the final round, much to the excitement of their friends.

"Alright, one more win and Jessie gets a ribbon, and we scram," Meowth says eagerly.

"Yes, but now she's against the twerpette," James points out nervously. "She doesn't usually do well against her or the other twerpettes we've come across."

Meanwhile, Ash is waiting eagerly for the final match to start while, Pikachu, Brock, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers wait patiently.

"I can't wait to see Serena win her third ribbon," Ash says confidently.

"Let's hope she will win," Coovers says. "That Jessalia woman has been handling herself pretty well just by having her Wobbuffet use Mirror Coat."

"Yeah, I hope Serena can find a way around that," Timothy says.

"So do I," Brock says.

"Alright, Fuchsia City!" Lillian calls out cheerfully with her microphone. "It's time to see who will win this year's contest. Will it be Serena or Jessalia?"

The crowd cheers to show their excitement while Serena and Jessie take their respective positions on the battlefield.

"Let's not waste any more time! Let the battle begin!" Lilian announces as the clock on the screen starts counting down.

"Sylveon, come on out!" Serena calls out as she tosses Sylveon's Pokeball into the air.

"Wobbuffet, dear, let's go!" Jessie orders as she throws her Pokeball.

The two Pokemon come out of their respective Pokeballs with Sylveon taking a defensive stance and Wobbuffet standing still.

"Sylveon, start things out with Swift," Serena orders.

"Oh please," Jessie scoffs with her eyes closed. "Use Mirror Coat."

Wobbuffet's body becomes surrounded in a white reflective color causing Sylveon's Swift attacks to bounce back to the fairy Pokemon.

"Use Protect!" Serena shouts.

Sylveon summon a force just in time to protect itself from its own attack. Serena thinks about what to do next until she gets an idea.

"Now, use Swift again!" She commands.

"Seriously? I thought you learned your lesson," Jessie mocks. "Use Mirror Coat again!"

Once again, Wobbuffet's body is surrounded by a white reflective color, and the golden stars bounce off and head toward Sylveon which only makes Serena smile.

"Now, use Swift one more time!" She commands.

Sylveon smiles as she fires several stars again, and they collide with the ones that bounced back from Wobbuffet's Mirror Coat, causing golden fireworks. The judges and the audience look at the display in awe while Jessie loses a good chunk of her points.

"How dare you!" She shouts.

"Now, use Fairy Wind!" Serena commands.

"Oh yeah? Then you use Mirror Coat again, Wobbuffet!" Jessie growls.

Wobbuffet summons another Mirror Coat and waits for Sylveon's next attack to move back again. However, Fairy Wind successfully hits the patient Pokemon and sets it falling down on its back.

"What?!" Jessie screams as her point bar shrinks again. "How did that not work?!"

"Oh, I get it," Brock says in realization. "Fairy Wind is a special attack that's not affected by Mirror Coat. Wobbuffet's move is completely useless against it."

"So Sylveon has an attack that it can use against Mirror Coat. That's great!" Ash says excitedly.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu cheers.

Serena grins at the sight of her opponent, dumbfounded that she found a way around her Mirror Coat attacks, and shouts, "Sylveon, use Fairy Wind once more."

"Wobbuffet, use Counter!" Jessie snarls.

Sylveon releases another Fairy Wind, and Wobbuffet raises its tail, and becomes outlined in an orange glow. But instead of Sylveon's attack bouncing back, it hits Wobbuffet, making it fall down again.

"Oh, come on!" Jessie screams.

"Whoa, Counter didn't work either," Timothy says, surprised.

"I knew it wouldn't," Brock says. "Counter only works with physical attacks which Fairy Wind isn't."

Serena's grin grows, knowing she has the underhand against Wobbuffet's defense. She considers constantly using Fairy Wind to finish the battle, but the performer in her wants to continue wowing the audience and the judges through the battle.

"Sylveon, use Swift!" She commands.

"Wobbuffet, use Mirror Coat!" Jessie barks.

Wobbuffet gets back up, and its body becomes deprived in a white, reflective color. The golden stars bounce back towards Sylveon again, but Serena was expecting it.

"Sylveon, use Double Team to dodge!" Serena instructs.

Sylveon nods before it creates countless copies of itself all over the arena right before the Swift attack hits some of them, causing them to disappear. Jessie and Wobbuffet grow nervous as they are unsure of which Sylveon is the real one, which gives Serena another idea.

"Sylveon, show everyone how you love to dance and then use Fairy Wind followed by Swift when you have the right opening,"

All of the Sylveon smile excitedly at Serena before they happily begin to dance all around the stage. The judges and the audience watch in amusement while Jessie grows more and more frustrated. The multiple Sylveon begin dancing around the patient Pokemon, making it constantly move around to find it's real opponent. Unfortunately for Wobbuffet, it turns it's back on the real Sylveon, and the eeveelution takes a moment to fire another Fairy Wind followed by Swift. The attacks successfully hits Wobbuffet in the back, and it tumbles to the ground face-first on impact. All copies of Serena's Pokemon disappear to reveal where the real Sylveon is. Jessie grinds her teeth as she watches her points bar shirk further.

"Wobbuffet, get up!" She barks.

"Wobbu...Wobbu…." Wobbuffet moans as it stays lying down face first.

Then a loud "Ding!" is heard, and everyone looks up to see that time is up with Jessie keeping only a fifth of her points, and Serena still has all of hers.

"And by a landslide, the winner of this year's Fuchsia City Pokemon contest is Serena!" Lilian announces.

The crowd goes wild with thunderous applause while Serena and Sylveon run over and hug each other. Ash, Brock, Timothy, and Coovers stand up again as they applaud while Pikachu and Electchu jump for joy. Jessie, on the other hand, is livid as she returns Wobbuffet to its Pokeball and storms out in a fit of rage. After a minute, Mr. Contesta steps in with a contest ribbon at hand.

"Congratulations, Serena. Here is your ribbon," he says.

"Thank you very much," Serena says happily before she presents her ribbon to the crowd.

Meanwhile, James and Meowth sneak away with their heads hung low.

"Poor Jessie...more importantly poor us," James moans.

"Yeah, at least those two dweebs and their Raichu won't be going anywhere near another contest any time soon," Meowth groans.

Five minutes later, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers meet up with Serena outside of the contest hall.

"Congratulations, Serena," Brock says. "Now, you only need two more before the Grand Festival."

"That's right," Serena says as she presents her three ribbon inside her ribbon case. "Hey, Timothy, I guess that means we both have two more ribbon or symbols to earn before I go to the festival, and you face off Brandon."

"Yeah, that's true," Timothy chuckles. "Speaking of which, do you know where to head to next?"

Serena slightly gasps, realizing that she hasn't thought of that and takes out her tablet.

"Let's see," she mutters. "Ah, there's a contest starting in eight days in Neon City."

"Neon City? That's great," Ash says. "That's about a week-long journey from here."

Serena smiles at the raven-haired boy before turning to Timothy and Coovers.

"So, did you two enjoy the contest?" She asks.

"We did, actually," Timothy says with a smile. "It was interesting to see Pokemon moves used that way during the appeal and battle stages."

"I'll say," Coovers says. "It must take a lot of work and creativity to do what you do, Serena."

Serena smiles and says, "Yes, it does. My Pokemon and I work really hard to accomplish our dream. I have to think of new ideas every day to successfully make the people and Pokemon who watch us happy because of what we do."

"And you did a great job doing that today with Absol and Sylveon," Ash says cheerfully.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says.

"Oh...thank you, Ash," Serena says bashfully as she looks down to hide her blush.

Brock looks at Serena with a smug look while Timothy and Coovers smirk at each other over the honey blonde girl's bashfulness until Coovers looks at a clock post from over Timothy's shoulder and gasps.

"Good grief, we need to get going," he says. "Our ferry will be heading out soon."

Timothy turns around to look at the clock post, and says, "Yikes, we do!"

"Alright then, good luck with the Battle Palace," Serena says.

"Thanks, Serena!" Timothy calls out as he, Electchu, and Coovers begins running.

"Hey, Timothy!" Ash calls out. "The next time we meet, I want to have another battle with you."

"Sounds great!" Timothy calls out while still running. "You better train your Pokemon hard if you want an inkling of a chance with me, though!"

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that," Ash counters as the two men and Raichu run until they are out of sight.

"Well, we might as well get going too, gang," Brock says. "Neon City awaits."

"Right," Ash and Serena says at the same time as they and Brock begin walking with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

After making it to the ferry, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu watch the ship sail away from Fuchsia City. Unknown to either of them, though, Jessie, James, and Meowth are following them again in their Magikarp submarine. James and Meowth struggle to petal as fast as Jessie is, who is pedaling rapidly to let out her venomous anger for losing the contest to Serena. As the two groups continue their journey through the Battle Frontier, Timothy and Electchu watch the view of Fuchsia City grow smaller and smaller from the railing. The trainer from Pallet Town sighs as he thinks about the past four days with Ash and their friends.

"Missing them already?"

Timothy and Electchu turn around to see Coovers walking over to them, carrying a couple of juice boxes. He passes one to Timothy and kneels down to give Electchu one before he opens his own.

"Yeah, I kinda am," Timothy admits. "I think I was starting to get used to having them along in our journey."

Coovers smiles, happy to hear his friend say that.

"It has been fun to have them around," he says.

"You're only saying that because I'm opening up to them," Timothy accuses.

"Of course I am," Coovers says with a toothy grin. "I've never seen you being friendly to other people who aren't Laura or me much less enjoying riding bikes together or having dinner at someone's house or go see a friend perform at a Pokemon contest. Face it, Timothy, you're really improving every time we bump into them."

"Raichu," Electchu says, smiling and nodding.

Timothy turns to his trusty Pokemon, surprised.

"You're glad that I'm enjoying spending time with them as well?" He asks.

Electchu nods again, and Timothy smiles before looking back at the direction of Fuchsia City.

"Yeah, I have to admit I'm glad to," he says. "I hope we can see them again sometime before the Indigo League once our mission is over."

"I think we will, Timothy," Concerts says confidently.

Thus, the three of them continue watching the city grow farther away as their ship makes their way to their next destination. As they do, the cloaked figure watches them intently as it hides on the roof of the ship.

"_I hope to see them again soo_n," it says. "_I know what it's like to miss Ash and his friends._"


	32. Chapter 32

Butch and Cassidy have been in a foul mood even after they were bailed out of prison. Three times now, their plans have been ruined to the point of imprisonment, and it is thanks to their status in the Team Rocket circle that Giovanni would make bail for them again. Despite their boss' decision to set them free again, however, the two grunts know too well that he is displeased when Matori ordered them to report to his office right after they left prison. It is clear to both of them that despite Giovanni is greatly incensed by their failure, something they have never seen him be in their Team Rocket careers.

Butch and Cassidy make it to Matori's desk, and the secretary presses the buzzard allowing them to enter the office without looking at either of them. They robotically enter the office where Giovanni is glued to his computer while his trusty Persian lies on the couch, looking bored. The two of them walk until they are a few feet away from Giovanni's desk and firmly salute him.

"Sir," they say simultaneously.

Giovanni keeps his eyes on his computer as if he doesn't acknowledge they are in his office for a moment. Then he closes his eyes and lets out an irate sigh before turning off the computer monitor and turning to his grunts with a hard glare.

"Butch. Cassidy." He says bluntly. "I can't stress enough how disappointed I am with the two of you."

Butch and Cassidy stay silent, waiting for a moment to speak.

"This is hardly the first time I've had to bail the two of you out of prison, but to be captured on something as simple as a mere ambush against a few measly trainers is unacceptable," he says. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say the two of you are losing your nerves if you are unable to do something so basic to steal Pokemon for our cause."

Cassidy bites her tongue to keep herself from shouting out what she has to say in defense against Giovanni's harsh words.

"What you have to say for yourselves?" Giovanni finishes as he puts his hands together and rests his elbows on his desk.

Butch and Cassidy look at each other and nod before Butch speaks.

"Sir, we cannot deny that what transpired is a disgrace to our names and the name of Team Rocket," he says. "The fact is we were overpowered by five trainers who had very powerful Pokemon, one of which captured us and knocked us out with his Gardevoir using Psychic. We do, however, wish to point out that this could have been prevented from another group of Team Rocket."

Giovanni raises his eyebrow suspiciously, and plainly says, "Go on."

"Sir, while we were in battle, we spotted Jessie, James, and Meowth on their air balloon not far from where we were," Cassidy says. "We tried to get them to join us in the fight, but they blatantly refused and hid deep in the forest while we were arrested."

"What?!" Giovanni growls. "I sent them on a very important mission, and not only have I not heard any reports from them, but they refused to aid you on yours?!"

"That is correct, sir," Butch says.

Giovanni grinds his teeth angrily for a moment before he takes a deep breath and recollects his calm demeanor.

"Very well," he says. "Return to your quarters and await further instructions. I'll deal with those fools."

"Sir!" Butch and Cassidy shout simultaneously with another salute.

The two of them turn around and march out of the room while secretly grinning mischievously. Giovanni, meanwhile, lets out a frustrated grown before activating his videophone and waits a few seconds before a screen appears showing Jessie, James, and Meowth, who are standing in formation inside their Magikarp submarine.

"Sir!" they say at the same time.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" Giovanni snarls. "I sent you on a mission, I haven't heard from you since, and now I hear from Butch and Cassidy that you were there when they were arrested a few days ago."

The trio grows nervous at their boss's attitude which only strengthens their guilt in Giovanni's eyes.

"I gave you a chance to carry out an objective that could bring all of Team Rocket to glory, and this is all you have done to prove yourselves?!" he barks.

"B-b-b-but sir," James begs. "You said yourself that this is a stealth mission."

"Th-th-that's right," Jessie says. "And for that reason, we couldn't help our comrades because they were ambushing the two trainers who are leading us to Brandon."

Giovanni's anger falters for a moment, and he looks at the trio skeptically.

"Explain," he says bluntly.

Jessie, James, and Meowth look at each other before Meowth decides to step in.

"Ya see, boss, we've actually seen Brandon and his pyramid before a couple years ago," he says. "We were trying to steal Pokemon from these three trainers who were traveling through the Kanto region for this thing called the Battle Frontier, which Bandon is a part of."

"The Battle Frontier?" Giovanni questions. "I've never heard of it."

"It's this thing run by a man named Scott who looks for very specific trainers to face off seven powerful other trainers who live in various parts of Kanto called Frontier Brains," Jessie explains. "Brandon is the final Frontier Brain that a trainer has to face. So when you gave us our mission, we started out looking for Scott and consequently, a trainer who is participating in the Battle Frontier because if they defeat the other six Frontier Brains, Scott will give them the exact location to Brandon's pyramid."

Giovanni's eyes change from a look of suspicious to a look of intrigue as he begins to understand.

"So what you are saying is one of the trainers Butch and Cassidy ambushed is a trainer participating in this so-called Battle Frontier, and you intend to find Brandon by following the trainer all the way to the exact location of the archeologist and therefore the Gieldanstone?" he asks.

Jessie, James, and Meowth nod.

"Interesting," Giovanni says. "But, are you sure this trainer will be strong enough to defeat these other Frontier Brains so he can lead you to your target?"

"Absolutely, sir," James answers. "We've been watching his entire progress. His Pokemon team is so powerful that it wasn't until his match against the fourth Frontier Brains that any of his Pokemon have ever fainted in battle."

"Yeah, and get this: this guy's also got a reputation for recently defeating the Johto Elite Four and even Lance, da bi-regional champion," Meowth says.

Giovanni raises his eyebrow again at the mention of someone recently defeating the bi-regional champion.

"Has he now? What is his name?" Giovanni asks.

"Timothy Durbin, sir," Jessie answers.

At this, Giovanni smirks in amusement over this confirmation.

"Just as I thought," Giovanni says. "Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town?"

Jessie, James, and Meowth look at each other, surprised before Jessie says, "Yes sir. Does he mean anything to you?"

Giovanni chuckles with his mouth closed before he says, "No. He means nothing to me. But I know someone who would be more...invested with knowing what he's up to."

The Team Rocket Trio look at each other, confused with his reply, but decide to drop it until Meowth remembers something.

"Oh, and there's one more important thing we gotta tell ya, boss," he says. "He's also traveling with a man named Coovers who works for da International Police."

At this, Giovanni's face turns serious as Meowth continues.

"Apparently, da higher-ups at the IP are also aware that Brandon might have discovered da Gieldanstone and suspect that we want to snatch it," Meowth reports. "From what we've discovered from spying on Durbin and his police friend, they can't make contact with Brandon directly any more than we can, so they are using Durbin's participation at da Battle Frontier to try to get da jewel before we do."

"Ah," Giovanni says, amused again. "So the International Police figured out our plan, but they don't know that the very people who are trying to get to Brandon first are leading you right to him."

"Exactly, sir," Jessie says with a confident smile. "That's why we haven't reported since we left. We decided to wait until Durbin defeats the sixth Battle Frontier and gets Brandon's exact location. Once they do, we were going to inform you that we discovered his whereabouts so that you can beat them to the punch and take Brandon and the Gieldanstone before Durbin and his friend have any idea what's going on."

Giovanni lets out an evil grin.

"What a devious idea," he compliments. "It seems I was too quick to judge the three of you. Very well, proceed with your plan. But I want frequent reports on your progress from now on, understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the trio responds firmly.

"Very well, then. Giovanni out."

Giovanni presses a button, and the screen disappears. The leaders of Team Rocket stays still for a moment before he lets out a low, condescending cackle that wakes up his Persian.

"Meeeeoooow?" it asks.

"It's too perfect, my pet," Giovanni chortles. "I couldn't have planned it better myself. The very people who are trying to stop me are leading me right to my jewel. They won't even realize what they've done until it is far too late."

Persian doesn't understand what Giovanni is talking about but decides to smile for its master for a moment before it goes back to its nap. Giovanni ignores his Pokemon and continues enjoying his moment until he realizes something.

"Speaking of desires…" he says as the enters another number on his videophone and waits for a moment until Agent Basker appears on the screen.

"Sir!" he says professionally.

"Report, Agent Basker," Giovanni commands.

"Yes, sir. I have studied the blueprints for Team Flare's machine and discussed them with Dr. Zagar," Agent Baskar responds. "Some details need adjustment for our own means, but it looks like we can make a similar machine without needing mega evolution energy."

"Excellent," Giovanni says, grinning. "How long do you think it will take to build it?"

"Given the fact that you wish to build it at a larger scale, we believe we can have it done in three months," Agent Basker answers.

"You have two months to do it," Giovanni says bluntly. "I want it fully built and tested by then."

Agent Baskar frowns, clearly not happy with these demands, but reluctantly says, "Yes sir."

Giovanni nods satisfied.

"There is one thing I think you would like to know. Consider it a motivation to get the machine done on time," he says.

"Yes, sir?" Agent Basker asks.

"I just spoke to the team that is looking for the archaeologist, and it turns out the International Police are aware of the Gieldanstone," Giovanni says. "In fact, they sent one of their own to look for him with the help of a certain trainer who recently defeated the bi-regional champion."

"Durbin!" Agent Basker hisses immediately. "So I was right! He has become a threat to our cause!"

"Indeed," Giovanni says, grinning. "So consider this: if you can have the machine properly made before our combat force and I move out to Brandon and the stone, you may join me."

"And when Durbin himself comes there?" Agent Basker asks eagerly.

"Then you may do as you wish," Giovanni says coldly. "That is the deal, Trent."

Agent Basker grinds his teeth angrily and says, "I'll see if we can have the machine done in one month, sir."

"Very well," Giovanni says. "But once again, do not cut corners. We still need the most ancient Pokemon in the world to lead us to world domination."

"Yes, sir. I will return to Kanto and begin with Dr. Zager at once," Agent Baskar says eagerly before his image disappears.

Once the call ends, Giovanni closes his eyes and quietly chuckles with his mouth closed again.

"Looks like I have a use for his childish vendetta after all," he says. "A use that will bring me one step closer to ultimate power."


	33. Chapter 33

It is the afternoon, and Ash, Serena, and Brock are having lunch with all of their Pokemon in the middle of the forest. The three trainers are eating sandwiches with salad and chips at their picnic table while the Pokemon each have their own bowl of Brock's personally-made Pokemon food. Everyone is enjoying their meal with Ash already finishing his helping and patting his belly in satisfaction.

"That was great, thanks, Brock," he says. "You sure know how to fill a guy up."

"I hope you're not too full, Ash," Serena says with a smile. "I've got macarons and Pokepuffs for dessert."

Ash's eyes light up at the mention of dessert while Brock looks at Serena with a concerned look.

"Are you sure your Pokepuffs are right where you left them?" He asks.

Serena smirks proudly and takes out her basket to show that it has a lock on it.

"Not to fear, I have finally learned my lesson," she states. "I bought this at Fuchsia City, and it's specifically made to prevent your treats from being stolen by little greedy Pokemon like a certain someone I know."

Oshawott stops eating and feels a chill down its spine as it suddenly sees the eyes of all of the other Pokemon glare disapprovingly at it. The sea otter Pokemon chuckles nervously as it awkwardly continues eating its meal. Ash chuckles at his Pokemon before turning to Serena.

"Betcha Oshawott and Chespin would be good friends," he says with a toothy grin.

Serena stares at Ash before she starts giggling while covering her mouth.

"Oh, Chespin," she laughs. "I can see the two of them coming up with sneaky ideas trying to steal my treats and then fight over who gets to eat all of them."

"Who is Chespin?" Brock asks. "Is that a Pokemon you two know from your Kalos journey?"

"Yep, Chespin in Clemont's Pokemon," Ash answers. "Which reminds me, we should give Clemont and Bonnie another call once we get to Neon City."

Serena gasps in realization and says, "Oh my. I've completely forgotten to do that since Saffron City. I guess we've been so focused on gym battles, contests, and other stuff that we forgot to update Clemont and Bonnie like we said we would."

"Maybe while we're at it, we should give your mom a call," Ash says.

Serena groans in annoyance.

"You're right," she whines. "She's probably upset that I hadn't called her since before we left Kalos. She probably doesn't even know that we're still traveling together."

"Don't worry. As long as we show her that I'm here supporting you and we have Brock to look after us, she won't worry," Ash says encouragingly. "Plus, you already have three out of the five ribbons you need to compete in the Grand Festival, so she'll know you're doing just fine with pursuing your dream."

Serena looks at Ash appreciatively while he gives her a toothy grin.

"You're right, Ash," she says. "I shouldn't have any problems at all."

The two of them continue to smile at each other for a moment before Serena continues eating her lunch with Brock. Ash goes back to patting his belly, eager to eat more of Serena's delicious treats. But as the group finishes the rest of their meals, their moment of peace is interrupted by a faint voice.

"Ash!"

Everyone looks at each other in confusion. They are unsure if they heard anything until the voice grows louder.

"Ash, it's me!"

Ash stands up from his seat and turns around to see a familiar girl with brown hair that's in two long ponytails and wearing a yellow dress running over to him. Before he has a chance to say her name in surprise, the girl runs right into him and pulls him in for a tight, affectionate hug much to the shock of Brock and especially Serena.

"Oh, Ash, dear, I missed you so much," the girl says loudly. "Do you like my new dress? I can't believe it's been so long since the Johto League, and we had to postpone our date!"

Serena feels her heart stop at the sound of this girl saying the word "date" and calling Ash "dear" while she squeezes his body. Thankfully, Ash looks at the girl dumbfounded with what she just said.

"Macy, what are you talking about? What date?" He asks.

The girl named Macy breaks the hug and gives Ash a frustrated look.

"Oh honestly, Ash, you silly boy," she rebukes. "I can't believe after all this time you would forget that I promised we would have our date the next time we see each other."

"What? I'm confused," Ash says, scratching his head.

"So am I," Serena says, still feeling unsure of whether or not to take what the girl is saying seriously.

"I think I can explain," Brock says. "You see, Macy here was competing in the Johto League with Ash back when we were still traveling with Misty. Ash saved Macy from getting injured when Team Rocket tried to steal her Vulpix, and since then, she's been crushing on Ash and talking about the two of them going out on a date that she keeps postponing."

"That's right, but now I'm here, and we can have our date underway," Macy says.

"Oh...yeah, now I remember," Ash says, scratching his cheek.

"So Ash, where would you like to go?" Macy asks with a flirtatious look. "I'm on my way to Fuchsia City, and I hear there's a great ice cream place that makes good sundaes for two people."

At this point, Serena's look of worry turns into annoyance after everything is explained to her. The fact that this girl is pompously assuming she has a date with Ash or that he has any interest in her is as irritating to her as her Kalos friend, Miette, always teasing her about her own feelings for Ash. She steps in between Macy and Ash and gives Macy a hard glare.

"For your information, we just came from Fuchsia City, and you can't just say you have a date with Ash," she says.

Macy is taken aback before she looks at Serena angrily.

"Why not? Are you his girlfriend?" She counters.

Serena's face turns red, and her heart skips a beat at the idea of being Ash's girlfriend. She quickly shakes her head and regains her angry glare.

"No, I am not," she says.

"Then just like that, Misty girl, I'll thank you to not but into Ash's love life," Macy says. "Ash and I need to catch up before we start going serious."

At Macy's words, Serena's face turns red again out of anger instead of bashfulness.

"You listen here, missy," she barks. "I may not be Ash's girlfriend, but I still care about him as my friend to say that you cannot just spontaneously claim you have to have a date with him!"

Macy's anger rises, and she yells, "Says who? Ash is the one who defended me from a bunch of rapscallions while also saving my poor Vulpix. And I even have a Pokemon to always think about him."

Serena looks at Macy, confused as the girl in the yellow dress takes out a Pokeball and raises it into the air. The ball opens to reveal a Magcargo.

"What in the world is that?" Serena asks as she takes out her Pokedex.

"Magcargo, the lava Pokemon and the evolved form of Slugma," her Pokedex says. "Magcargo lives primarily in volcanic regions and occasionally emits the lava from its back that circles its body."

"My Magcargo is one of the mightiest fire Pokemon in my team," Macy states proudly. "And I always think of Ash when I use it in battle because it gained enough experience from our battle in the Johto League to evolve even though I lost. Your Pokemon probably don't have anything to do with Ash."

"Hey, that's not true," Serena barks. "I have my Poliwag to make me think of when Ash and I first met when we were little. Isn't that right, Poliwag?"

"Poli! Poli!" Poliwag shouts happily as it jumps into Serena's arms and snuggles its head on her shoulder, affectionately to prove that its trainer is right. Serena smiles sweetly at the tadpole Pokemon and holds it tight for backing her up until their moment is interrupted by Macy laughing loudly.

"Seriously? That puny little water Pokemon is what you're so proud of?" She mocks. "If you were a smart girl, you would realize that only fire Pokemon are the way to go."

"But don't you have a Starmie on your team, Macy?" Ash asks in confusion.

Macy's proud pose falters for a moment before she says, "Y-yes, but I only use it when I need to. Besides, even my Starmie is something to be proud of compared to a puny Poliwag."

"Hey, no one talks that way about Poliwag!" Serena shouts. "I don't care how powerful your fire Pokemon are. Poliwag and my other Pokemon are all wonderful."

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Absol, and Poliwag all make cheerful noises in agreement with their trainer's declaration.

"Well, my fire Pokemon have already gotten me five out of the eight badges I need to compete in the Indigo League this year," Macy says proudly as she takes out her badge case and shows it to everyone.

"And the teamwork I have with my Pokemon has won me three of the five contest ribbons I need to compete in the Grand Festival," Serena counters while showing her ribbon case.

"Ha! You're one of those Pokemon coordinators?" Macy mocks. "Showing off how pretty your Pokemon's moves are is a silly child's play compared to showing their true power in a real battle."

"Power doesn't mean everything!" Serena snaps.

By this point, the two girls are glaring at each other so much that sparks are appearing between them. Ash looks at both of them nervously, unsure of what to do. Thankfully, Brock steps in between both girls and breaks them up.

"Alright, you two, knock it off," he says. "You have different styles and dreams, so just respect that."

But instead of calming down, Macy just turns around and waves her hand uncaringly while Serena looks away and lifts her head up with an uptight "humph." Brock sighs while Ash chuckles nervously before turning to Macy.

"Look, Macy, Serena is right," he says. "We're on our way from Fuchsia City, and I can't just go back there when I want to cheer Serena on at the Pokemon contest at Neon City."

Serena loses her foul demeanor to look at Ash sweetly, appreciative of his dedication to support her.

"And second of all, I never agreed to go on a date with you," Ash finishes.

Macy turns to Ash and frowns disapprovingly. But suddenly, her eyes light up, and she grins excitedly.

"Alright then, Ash, then let's settle the matter once and for all," she says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asks with him, Brock, Serena, and all of their Pokemon looking at Macy confused.

"Let's have a battle," Macy suggests. "If you win, then I won't bother you, but if I win, you will go on a date with me."

Everyone looks at her, surprised, but Ash is quick to snap out of his shock and give Macy a confident smirk.

"Okay then," he says. "If you want a battle, then that's fine by me."

Serena's heart sinks as she looks at Ash in disbelief. In her mind, she is screaming at the top of her lungs at how abruptly the boy she likes just accepted the challenge. Brock sighs again, disapproving of Ash jumping into a battle while Macy smiles excitedly.

"Awesome!" She shouts cheerfully. "How about a three-round battle?"

"Sounds great," Ash says. "Brock, how about you referee?"

"Sure thing," Brock says plainly.

Ash and Macy run over to opposite sides of the field while Brock, Serena, and the Pokemon walk over to the sidelines. Serena immediately puts her hands on her blue ribbon as she mentally prays that Ash will win.

"This will be a three-round battle!" Brock announces. "The winner will be decided on who wins the most rounds! Are the participants ready?"

"Ready!" Ash and Macy eagerly say at the same time.

"Then battle begin!" Brock declares.

"Alright, Typhlosion, I choose you!" Macy shouts proudly as she tosses a Pokeball, and a Typhlosion comes out.

"So your Quilava evolved, huh?" Ash says, smirking. "Oshawott, let's go!"

"Oshawott!" Oshawott shouts excitedly as it runs over to Ash's side.

"Ha! This one's going to be easy," Macy says. "Typhlosion, Flamethrower!"

"Oshawott, counter with Hydro Pump, then use Razor Shell!" Ash shouts.

Typhlosion and Oshawott fire Flamethrower and Hydro Pump at the same time, causing the two attacks to collide and cover the field with a large cloud of mist. Oshawott takes out the shell on its belly and cuts its unsuspecting opponent with Razor Shell.

"Oh no, Typhlosion!" Macy cries out worriedly. "Quick, hit him back with Swift!"

"Oshawott, use your shell to knock out those stars!" Ash commands.

Typhlosion fires several golden stars at Oshawott, who knocks them out with ease using its shell. However, the sea otter Pokemon misses one that hits it right on the head, sending it in a daze.

"Alright, now use Quick Attack!" Macy shouts.

Typhlosion races toward Oshawott at inhuman speed and rams into its opponent, sending it flying into the air and hitting the field with a thud.

"Oshawott, use Tackle," Ash commands.

"Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel!" Macy orders grinning.

Oshawott charges at Typhlosion, but the tall volcano Pokemon charges back with a powerful Flame Wheel. The two of them run into each other, and little Oshawott is sent flying through the air and crashing into a tree before landing on the ground unconscious.

"Oshawott is unable to continue! Typhlosion wins!" Brock declares.

"Alright!" Macy does happily as she jumps for joy.

Serena and Ash look at Oshawott sadly before the raven-haired boy returns it back into its Pokeball.

"Get a good rest, Oshawott," Ash says before turning to his other Pokemon. "Primeape, you're up."

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts as it steps in front of Ash looking pumped.

"Primeape, please win this round," Serena says quietly as she keeps her grip on her ribbon.

Macy smirks as she return Typhlosion and throws another Pokeball into the air.

"Go, Electabuzz!" She calls out while the ball opens to reveal her Electabuzz looking just as pumped.

"Primeape, use Thrash!" Ash orders.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Macy shouts.

Primeape charges at Electabuzz, but the electric Pokemon's Thunderbolt hits it, and it starts, grunting in pain.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Macy shouts.

"Dodge and use Karate Chop!" Ash calls out.

Electabuzz's tail turns into iron, and it swings its tail at Primeape, but the pig monkey Pokemon quickly recovers from the Thunderbolt and dodges and chops Electabuzz hard on the side.

"Now use Thrash, one more time!" Ash shouts.

Primeape stomps on the ground before it punches and kicks Electabuzz repeatedly with great speed. Macy watches in horror as scratches and bruises appear all over Electabuzz's body from every harsh punch and kick.

"Electabuzz, use Thunder Punch!" She cries out.

Electabuzz manages to collect itself and makes a fist that starts glowing with electricity. It throws the punch right at Primeape, but it dodges the attack with ease.

"Use multiple Thunder Punches until you hit it!" Macy yells impatiently.

Both of Electabuzz's fists glow with electricity, and it throws several punches rapidly at Primeape. The pig monkey Pokemon, however, continues to dodge with great ease, making Ash smirk.

"Primeape, use Mega Kick, then finish with Seismic Toss," Ash commands.

Primeape dodges another Thunder Punch before kicking Electabuzz right on the gut. Electabuzz goes down on one knee, and Primeape takes advantage of it by grabbing Electabuzz's leg with one hand and its head with the other before jumping high into the air and slamming the electric Pokemon onto the ground. Macy looks at her Pokemon devastated as Electabuzz lies on the ground with swirly eyes.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle! Primeape wins, which means the next round decides the match!" Brock announces.

"Primeape!" Primeape roars proudly as it stomps on the ground and shakes its fists in the air.

"Way to go, Primeape," Ash says. "No wonder you are a true champion, just like Anthony trained you."

Serena sighs in relief, despite knowing Ash needs to win one more round to win the battle. She keeps her grip on her ribbon as she prays that Ash will triumph.

Macy frowns as she returns Electabuzz back into its Pokeball and turns to Magcargo.

"Alright, Magcargo, you're the one who always makes me think about Ash, so it only fits that I use you to win me a date with him," she says.

"Cargo!" Magcargo says, nodding as it slithers in front of its trainer, ready for battle.

"Magcargo, eh?" Ash says as he scratches his chin in thought. "Boldore, let's go!"

"Boldore!" Boldore shouts excitedly as it steps into the field.

"Boldore, great idea," Serena says, smiling. "Fire Pokemon are weak against rock type moves, and this could be a good experience for Boldore eventually evolving."

"Maybe so, but I doubt it will be easy, Serena," Brock says seriously. "Macy proved at the Johto League that she knows how to defend her fire Pokemon against Pokemon they are weak against as she already showed by defeating Oshawott."

Serena looks at Brock, and she becomes concerned as she continues to watch the battle with her hand on her precious ribbon.

"Magcargo, use Flamethrower," Macy orders.

"Defend yourself with Sandstorm," Ash commands.

Boldore summons a Sandstorm right as Magcargo is about to unleash a Flamethrower. The fire attack hits the Sandstorm with no effect, and the lava Pokemon struggles to see anything from the sand flying all over the area.

"Now, use Rock Blast!" Ash commands.

"Magcargo, dodge it with Double Team!" Macy calls out.

Despite being unable to see its opponent, Magcargo summons copies of itself just in time for several Rock Blasts to fly through the storm and hit the fake images of it.

"Now hit that Boldore with Earth Power!" Macy shouts.

"Earth Power?" Serena asks in confusion.

Magcargo glows yellow, and it raises its head high before slamming it into the ground. The ground cracks with yellow light erupting from it, and the cracks travel all the way to Boldore, hitting it. The ore Pokemon groans in pain as it loses control of the Sandstorm, which disappears completely.

"That's more like it," Macy says with a grin. "Now, use Body Slam!"

Magcargo jumps into the air and lands right on top of Boldore. The ore Pokemon groans in pain while its opponent stands on it with its full body weight.

"Boldore, hang on!" Ash calls out worriedly.

"Sorry, Ash, but it looks like Magcargo has the upper hand," Macy says confidently. "If I were you, I would think about a good place to go for our date."

Serena's pupils shrink at Macy's words, and she gives poor Boldore a desperate look.

"Boldore, please get up," she begs. "Don't let Magcargo get the better of you. Remember your dream. You want to become bigger and more powerful as a Gigalith. You can't reach your dream if you let your opponent keep you down!"

Ash notices Serena encouraging his Pokemon again and call out, "Boldore, Serena's right. You gotta be brave and fight back! Don't give up until it's over!"

Everyone keeps their eyes on Boldore, who is still getting compressed by Magcargo's weight. After a moment, Boldore groans as it slowly gets up despite its heavy opponent still on top of it.

"That's it, Boldore!" Ash encourages, "Now knock it off of you with Flash Cannon!"

Macy's confidence falters as she sees a bright light appearing from under Magcargo. The lava Pokemon only realizes what is happening for a moment before Boldore fires the Flash Cannon, which sends its opponent flying off of it and crashing onto the floor.

"Magcargo, quick, get up, and use Flamethrower again!" Macy yells determinedly.

"Dodge and use Rock Smash!" Ash commands.

Boldore jumps away from where Magcargo is unleashing Flamethrower and charges at its opponent with its right front leg glowing red-orange. It stabs Magcargo on the face with the tip of its leg, and Magcargo groans in pain as it slithers back.

"Magcargo, use Double Team!" Macy shouts, feeling nervous.

"Nice try, but I remember how to overcome that trick," Ash says. "Use Rock Blast repeatedly!"

Magcargo makes a line of copies of itself, but Boldore makes all of them disappear with Rock Blast until one of them hits the real Magcargo. Macy's fear grows as she realizes that her poor Pokemon is growing weak and won't be able to take another hit like that.

"Magcargo, use Flamethrower and give it everything you got!" She cries desperately.

"Boldore, use Rock Blast at full power," Ash says with a grin.

Both Pokemon fire their attacks at the same time. Magcargo's Flamethrower is bigger than before, but the silver energy waves coming from the protrusion in front of Boldore's body flies through the stream of fire. The two attacks hit both targets with both Pokemon howling in pain. Boldore manages to stand its ground despite getting hit, but the Rock Blast is so powerful against the lava Pokemon that Magcargo wobbles back and forth before it faints.

"Magcargo is no longer able to continue!" Brock declares. "Boldore wins, which means the victory goes to Ash at two wins!"

"Alright!" Ash shouts.

"Way to go, Ash and Boldore!" Serena calls out.

"Boldore!" Boldore cheers, joyous of finally winning a battle.

Macy frowns sadly as she returns Magcargo to its Pokeball.

"Magcargo, once again, you gave it your very best shot," she says to the Pokeball before turning to Ash with a proud look. "Ash, it looks like you have given me another great battle. You're still the man I thought you'd be, sweetie."

Serena glares at Macy for calling Ash "sweetie," but Ash just smiles at Macy and says, "Thanks, and I appreciate the kind of battle you gave me. This was the kind of match my Boldore needed."

"Boldore!" Boldore shouts with glee.

"Well, in any case, a deal is a deal," Macy says with a sigh. "Looks like we won't be going on a date after all."

"Yeah, well, that's probably for the best," Ash says while scratching his cheek.

Serena secretly sighs in relief, thankful to hear Ash say that until Macy walks up to Ash until their faces are inches apart.

"I may have lost today Ash, but I'm still going to try to get a date with you," she says confidently. "So, you better watch out because I'm going to win my remaining badges and win the Indigo League, no doubt."

Ash blinks at Macy's forwardness before he smirks and says, "Alright, then you better watch out because I'm planning on winning the Indigo League too."

Macy smirks at Ash before walking over to Serena until they are inches apart.

"As for you, I will get Ash no matter what, so you better not butt in when I do," she warns.

Serena is taken aback at the girl's claim for a moment before she frowns and says, "We'll see about that. You better not butt in either if Ash chooses someone else."

"Like who? You?" Macy challenges.

Serena's voice dies in her throat, and her cheeks heat up. She struggles to think of something to say without confessing her feelings for Ash in front of him. Unfortunately, Macy looks deep into the honey blonde girl's eyes and figures it out for herself before she smirks mischievously.

"Oh, I see. The inhibited type, eh?" She teases. "Well, good luck with that. You're gonna need it before I get him."

Serena's face turns red in anger while Macy sticks out her tongue before turning to Ash and Brock.

"Well, I better get going. My sixth badge awaits," she announces. "See you at the Indigo League, Ash."

"Alright, Macy. Take care," Ash says kindly.

"I will. See ya later, sweetie!" Macy calls out while she starts running down the road that leads back to Fuchsia City.

Serena keeps glaring at the girl with her face red all over until Macy is out of sight. Her moment of frustration is suddenly interrupted when Ash turns to her with a worried look.

"Serena, are you okay?" He asks.

Serena snaps out of it and turns to Ash nervously.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, Ash," she lies.

"Uh, okay. So what was Macy telling you before she left?" Ash asks.

"Oh, it's nothing. Nothing important," Serena lies again with a nervous chuckle. "Anyway, what are we standing around for? We need to clean up and get going to Neon City."

Brock chuckles quietly to himself, knowing his friend is changing the subject before he says, "Yeah, you're right. We need to catch up if we're gonna make it to the city the day before the contest."

"Right," Ash says, smiling. "Then let's not waste any more time."

Thus, the three of them take down their picnic table, put away their food equipment and utensils, and return all of their Pokemon back into their Pokeballs except for Pikachu. Once they are all set, Pikachu hops back onto Ash's shoulder, and the three trainers continue their walk to Neon City. As they do, Serena smiles, thankful that Ash won the battle against Macy and starts to wonder if she will ever gain the courage to be as open about her feelings as someone like Macy.


	34. Chapter 34

After a few days of traveling, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock make their way to Neon City. It is almost noon, so the neon lights that the city is famous for are turned off until night time. Despite that, Serena is amazed at the size of the city and the various stores and other buildings decorated in all kinds of colorful lights.

"Wow, this place must look amazing at night," she comments as the group walks.

"Yeah, it's part of why this place is called the city that never sleeps," Brock says. "Anyway, let's hope the Pokemon Center here isn't far away. I could do with a shower and sleeping on a nice warm bed again."

"I hear that," Serena says.

The three trainers and Pikachu continue walking down the street when suddenly, several men start running past them hastily. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Brock look at the people running ahead of them in confusion as they look like they are in a hurry for something exciting.

"Excuse me, but what is going on?" Ash says, catching the attention of one of them running.

"What, are you new here or something?" The man asks rudely. "There's a trainer who's battling against Abigail."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock look at the man even more confused. The man looks at them, dumbfounded and scoffs.

"Abigail is the most beautiful and powerful Pokemon trainer and coordinator in Neon City," he explains. "She has ten badges and is guaranteed to win this city's first Pokemon contest."

"Wow, she's both beautiful and a powerful trainer? Sounds like my kind of lady," Brock says in a giddy tone.

"Brock, behave yourself," Serena says firmly before turning back to the man. "But how can she have ten badges? I thought you only need eight to compete in the Pokemon League."

"Yeah, but some regions like Kanto and Unova have more than eight gyms, Serena," Ash explains. "I know Gary won ten badges when we were both competing on the Indigo League before the unknown leader of the Viridian City gym mysteriously defeated him."

"Who cares about this, Gary punk?" The man ridicules. "Some overconfident lady from Sinnoh thinks she can take on Abigail, and the two of them are about to face each other at the battlefield next to the Pokemon Center."

Before Ash, Serena or Brock can ask another question, another man whose running turns to the first man and asks, "Hey, are you coming or not, Saul?"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," the man named Saul answers. "I wouldn't miss seeing Abigail battling for the world."

The two men run ahead with the rest of the crowd leaving Ash, Pikachu, and Serena taken aback while Brock still has a dopey look on his face.

"Well… that was strange," Serena says.

"Yeah, but at the same time, I wanna check it out," Ash says. "A big battle with a strong trainer sounds exciting.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, agreeing.

"And hearing that she's so beautiful only proves further that we need to check out this battle!" Brock squeaks.

"Brock, knock it off already," Serena ridicules in a motherly before she sighs. "Then again, I'm a little curious too, and we are heading to the Pokemon Center anyway, so we might as well."

"Alright!" Ash and Brock shout simultaneously before they start running towards the crowd with Pikachu still on Ash's shoulder.

"Guys, wait for me!" Serena calls out as she runs after them while holding on to her hat.

The trainers run until they make their way to the Pokemon Center, where a huge crowd of men are crowding over the battlefield next to the building. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock struggle to squeeze through the crowd until they get close enough that they can see the battlefield. Standing tall and proud on one side of the arena is a beautiful woman with long, shiny brown hair and wearing a long white dress with a black belt and wearing black high-heeled boots. The men in the crowd gaze at her with hearts in their eyes while she gives a confident smirk.

"My dear fans, I am flattered that you would come see me battle today," she says in a boastful tone. "But I fear you have wasted your time for this will hardly count as a battle at all. This silly lady who thinks she can take me will be crying in shame within one minute of battling."

The crowd cheers excitedly while Ash, Pikachu, and Serena look at each other disapprovingly.

"Well, someone's a little overconfident," Ash remarks.

"Yeah, no kidding," Serena agrees.

"I can't believe she's here," Brock says in an awe-stricken tone.

Serena sighs and says, "Brock, honestly, can you try to not think about a woman's looks for one minute? You really shouldn't pursue someone like Abigail."

"I'm not talking about her," Brock says seriously. "I'm talking about the person she's battling against."

Serena looks at Brock, confused until she turns her head to see the person he is actually staring at. Standing on the other side of the battlefield is another woman with auburn hair who is glaring at Abigail angrily.

"Hey, isn't that Holly?" Ash asks.

"Holly as in the woman who left without saying goodbye to be a better partner for you?" Serena asks, turning back to Brock.

"Yeah, that's her," Brock confirms. "I can't believe she's here all the way in Kanto."

"I wouldn't be so sure about beating me so easily," Holly growls at Abigail. "I already have five badges, and I haven't been in Kanto for very long."

Abigail snorts out a laugh as she takes out a Pokeball from her belt.

"You say that like it's something to be proud of compared to all ten of my beautiful badges," she says mockingly as she tosses the Pokeball. "Nidoqueen, let's show her."

Her Pokeball opens to reveal a large Nidoqueen roaring loudly to display its eagerness to battle.

"Wow, that Nidoqueen looks really powerful," Serena comments.

"Yeah, I wonder what Holly is going to use against it," Ash says.

"Pika," Pikachu says, nodding.

"So do I," Brock says with his eyes still fixed on Holly.

"Toxicroak, let's go!" Holly shouts as she throws a Pokeball and a Toxicroak comes out.

"Wow, I don't remember Holly having a Toxicroak," Ash says, surprised. "I guess she caught it sometime after we last saw her.

Abigail laughs loudly in a condescending way.

"Seriously? You picked a poison type Pokemon?" She ridicules. "If you had any knowledge about typing, you'd know that Nidoqueen is a poison and ground type and poison Pokemon like Toxicroak are weak against ground types."

The crowd laughs with Abigail, which makes Holly's cheeks burn up in frustration.

"Maybe so, but I trust my Toxicroak," she declares. "We've been through so much together since I caught it when it was just a Croagunk. I promised myself I would be a better partner for a guy I like who has a Croagunk, and that means taking down high and mighty trainers like you."

Abigail and her fans laugh even louder while Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and especially Brock stare at Holly, surprised.

"Wait a minute, you have a Croagunk at home with your siblings," Serena points out to Brock.

"Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that she's talking about you," Ash says, smiling at his older friend.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, also smiling.

Brock keeps his eyes fixed on Holly with his mouth agape and his tan cheeks turning red. The determination he sees in Holly's blue eyes makes the fact that she still wants to improve for him hits the young man harder. His dumbfounded face melts away into a thrilled grin.

"Yeah, go, Holly!" He shouts out sporadically. "You can win this!"

Everyone turns to him, and Holly's eyes shrink while she lets out a high-pitched yelp.

"Brock?!" she shrieks her cheeks turning pink.

Abigail notices the way Holly is looking at Brock and laughs tauntingly again.

"So, the guy you like is here too?" She mocks. "Good. That's just going to make this even more fun. Nidoqueen, use Scratch."

Abigail's Nidoqueen extends its claws and charges at Toxicroak. Holly doesn't realize that her opponent is attacking until Nidoqueen is getting ready to swipe at her Pokemon.

"Toxicroak, dodge quick!" She cries out.

Unfortunately, Nidoqueen successfully scratches at its opponent before Toxicroak can move. The toxic mouth Pokemon takes a few steps back and holds on to its side where Nidoqueen scratched it.

"Hey, that's not fair, she wasn't even ready!" Serena shouts angrily.

"If she wasn't paying attention, then that's her own fault," Abigail says uncaringly. "Now, use Body Slam!"

"Toxicroak, use Sucker Punch!" Holly cries out.

Toxicroak ignores the pain it's in and charges at Nidoqueen. The drill Pokemon is taken aback for a moment, giving Toxicroak the chance to hit it hard in the stomach.

"Yes, now use Poison Jab!" Holly says with her confidence rising.

The large claw on Toxicroak's hand glows purple, and it jabs at its opponent. Unfortunately, the attack only gives Nidoqueen a little scratch much to Holly and Toxicroak's shock.

"You little ditz, I told you poison attacks will do hardly a thing to my Nidoqueen," Abigail says with a grin. "Nidoqueen, Supersonic!"

Nidoqueen takes a deep breath and lets out odd sound waves from its mouth. The sound waves hit Toxicroak, and the Poison-type Pokemon starts looking at the sky aimlessly in confusion.

"Toxicroak, snap out of it!" Holly pleads.

"Finish it with Earthquake," Abigail says with a cruel grin.

Nidoqueen stomps on the ground, and the ground shakes under Toxicroak's feet. The attack sends it flying into the air and crashing onto the ground in front of Holly's feet with swirly eyes. Holly looks at her poor Pokemon devastated while the crowd cheers for Abigail, with the exception of Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock. Abigail keeps her condescending grin as she returns Nidoqueen to its Pokeball and scoffs at Holly.

"Well, that was barely worth the time taking Nidoqueen out of its Pokeball," she says. "I guess it's a good thing you're not competing in the contest tomorrow cause there would be no point in trying to take my first contest ribbon away from me."

The crowd cheers, chanting Abigail's name while she blows kisses at her fans.

"See you later, gentlemen," she says while she walks away. "Hope to see you all watching me at the contest."

"Don't worry, Abigail, I've already secured a seat on the first row!" one ecstatic man calls out.

"I wouldn't miss your contest debut for the world, Abigail!" Another man shouts, holding out a rose.

The other men make similar claims as Abigail keeps walking until she is out of sight. Finally, the crowd disperses until Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Holly, and her unconscious Toxicroak are left. Silence fills the area with Holly staring at her Pokemon crushed while Brock slowly walks over to her with a sad look.

"Holly, are you okay?" He asks.

But instead of an answer, Holly silently returns Toxicroak to its Pokeball and walks toward the Pokemon Center, passing Brock, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena without looking at any of them.

"Holly?" Brock says again as he races inside the building with Ash, Pikachu, and Serena following him.

The four of them catch up with Holly just in time to see her give Toxicroak's Pokeball to the Nurse Joy at the front desk.

"Please take care of my Toxicroak, Nurse Joy," she says calmly.

"Don't worry. Your Toxicroak is in good hands," Nurse Joy says with a kind smile as she takes the Pokeball and exits from the back door.

"Thank you," Holly says quietly.

The hall is silent with Holly still standing in front of the front desk. Brock walks over to her slowly, unsure of what to say.

"Holly?" He asks again.

But instead of responding, Holly walks away from him, heading to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. Brock runs over to her and grabs her by the hand.

"Holly, what's wrong? Tell me," he begs.

Holly stays silent.

"Are you upset to see me?" He asks. "Did you never want to see me again? Is that it?"

Finally, Holly turns to Brock with a shocked look on her face as if he said the most unbelievable thing in the world.

"Never see you again? What are you talking about?" she berates. "I've wanted to see you again ever since I left to do more training."

Brock looks at her surprised while Ash, Pikachu, and Serena listen from a few feet away, equally shocked.

"It's just I wanted to see you again when I finally accomplished my goal," Holly continues with a frown. "I want to be a better tag partner for you, and I've been working very hard to achieve that goal with my Pokemon. I didn't want you to see me still not as skilled or as strong as you are - least of all, to see me fail so miserably in a battle like that again."

"Oh, hey now, Holly, don't act like that," Brock says with a kind smile. "You don't need to do all of that to be my partner."

"But I should be," Holly protests. "After all, we got disqualified in the semifinals because Paul's Torterra took down my Farfetch'd so quickly with that Hyper Beam."

"That was hardly your fault," Brock says kindly. "Paul was a really strong opponent. Ash was his partner, and he barely managed to defeat Paul at the Sinnoh League. I don't blame you at all for us losing, so don't beat yourself up over it."

Holly looks at Brock, surprised.

"R-really?" She asks.

"Really," Brock says sincerely. "I never said you had to be a really strong trainer to be my battling partner. I like you for you just like you like me for me."

Holly keeps her surprised face for a moment before she smiles widely. But then her smile falters, and she looks away from Brock with a disapproving frown.

"I want to believe you really like me," she says. "But I remember how you acted toward the Nurse Joy at the competition while you were still making moves on me. And she's not the only one you've acted that way towards besides me, is she?"

Brock winces at her words and scratches the back of his head nervously.

"Well, you see...I ju -... It's really…" he stutters before he hangs his head in shame. "Yes, it's true. I have a terrible habit of chasing after other women."

Holly looks at Brock hurt and turns her head sadly. Brock lifts up his head and puts his hands together as if he's praying to the woman he likes.

"But I have been thinking about you a lot since then," Brock protests. "I've been wanting to see you again and wishing you didn't leave without saying goodbye."

Holly keeps her frown and turns her whole body away from Brock, making his heart sink.

"I wish I can trust you on that, Brock. I really do," she says.

Brock hangs his head again, and Serena takes this moment to step in.

"Excuse me, if I may?" she requests.

Holly and Brock turn to Serena, and the former asks, "Who are you?"

"My name is Serena, and I'm traveling with Brock," the honey blonde girl answers. "I admit that I've only known him for the past couple of months, but I can testify that he's telling the truth when he says he's been thinking about you."

"Really?" Holly asks.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Serena says, nodding with a smile. "When we were in Saffron City, we were talking about his...habit of chasing women, and it was clear that out of the few women who ever liked him back, you stood out the most. He was talking about how you were already a good partner just the way you are, and he wishes he could have stopped you from leaving."

At this, Holly smiles warmly at Serena, who walks over to stand next to Brock.

"I know he has a problem when it comes to other women, but I know he's trying to improve," Serena says honestly. "I've even been taking upon myself to try to calm him down every time he tries to make a move on someone. So since you have been working hard to do better for him, please believe that he's trying to do better too."

Holly's eyes turn back to Brock, who gives her a sincere smile. She walks a step closer to him and is about to speak when Nurse Joy enters the room with an uneasy look on her face

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Nurse Joy says. "I'm afraid there's been a problem with Toxicroak."

"What? What kind of problem?" Holly asks worriedly.

"You see, I have just discovered that I have run out of the medicine I need to heal its wounds, and it's starting to get a fever," Nurse Joy says sadly. "I'd get some new medicine, but it needs a specific antibiotic that I need to give it right away."

Holly, Serena, Brock, Ash, and Pikachu gasp at the same time.

"But what is going to happen to Toxicroak if it doesn't have this antibiotic?" Holly asks fearfully.

Suddenly, Brock's face turns serious, and he takes out his backpack and sorts through his equipment inside.

"Nurse Joy, is this the antibiotic you need?" He asks, taking out a white bottle.

Nurse Joy looks at him surprised and says, "Why yes, it is. But how did you know?"

"I'm a doctor-in-training, so I carry medicine like this with me wherever I go," Brock answers, shocking Nurse Joy and amazing Holly as he takes out another bottle. "If it's okay, I'd like to help you treat Toxicroak."

Holly looks at Brock, surprised while Nurse Joy stares at him for a moment before she nods.

"Yes, of course," she says. "Any help would be appreciated."

"Nurse Joy, would it be alright if I watch you two take care of my Toxicroak?" Holly asks pleadingly.

"Yes, but you'll have to watch outside in the hall," Nurse Joy answers.

Holly nods in understanding before Nurse Joy gestures Brock to follow her to the back door with Holly, Serena, Ash, and Pikachu following behind. Brock and Nurse Joy enter the emergency room and begin working on treating Toxicroak, who is lying down unconscious on a work table while the others watch through a large window outside in the hall. Brock takes out the medication and helps Nurse Joy give them to Toxicroak before he starts working on the bruises that are all over the toxic mouth Pokemon's body.

The entire time the nurse and the doctor-in-training work, Holly stares at Brock intently. She puts her hands together and places them close to her heart as she watches Brock tend to her precious Pokemon with care. Her mind begins to remember when she was still competing at the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle Tournament, and Brock was treating a Chimchar that belonged to Paul. The poor Pokemon was so overworked from some very harsh training that it could barely move, so Brock treated Chimchar at Hearthome City's Pokemon Center. The auburn-haired woman remembers being so impressed with how Brock knew how to take care of the wounded Fire-type Pokemon, and a small smile enters her face before turning to Ash and Serena.

"Tell me, has Brock always been a doctor-in-training?" she asks.

Ash turns to Holly and smiles before he answers, "No, actually. For as long as I've known him, he wanted to be a great Pokemon breeder. It wasn't until we were on a ferry heading to Twinleaf Town after I competed in the Sinnoh League that he decided to become a doctor instead after he treated a group of small Pokemon that were poisoned."

"Wow," Holly says before she frowns. "In retrospect, I guess I didn't ask him a whole lot about his dreams and passions when we were in Hearthome City. I always wished I could have asked him more about himself before I left."

Serena gives Holly a kind smile and says, "It's not too late to do that. You're both here now, right?"

Holly looks at the honey blonde girl hesitantly. She considers the possibility of traveling with Brock and worries he might not be open to the idea despite everything he said before. But the more she thinks about it, the more she smiles at the idea.

After a few minutes, Brock and Nurse Joy exit the room, making Holly nervous about what they have to say about her Pokemon until she sees Brock smile.

"Toxicroak is going to be just fine," he says in a reassuring tone. "It's just going to need to rest until around tomorrow afternoon to sleep through the fever."

Holly smiles happily and without thinking, pulls Brock into a tight hug, snuggling her head on his shoulder.

"Oh, thank you, Brock," she says joyfully.

Brock's tan face turns red from the auburn-haired woman hugging him before he smiles and hugs her back.

"I have to say, for someone who is only a doctor-in-training, Brock is very talented," Nurse Joy says, smiling at Holly. "You've got a good man by your side, ma'am."

Holly looks at Nurse Joy in shock with her cheeks turning red for a moment before she smiles and nods while still resting her head on Brock's shoulder.

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena both smile at the moment their friends are having. Suddenly, Serena's eyes widen, and she turns to Ash with her cheeks turning pink. Her mind is imagining herself holding Ash tightly, resting her head on his shoulder, and feeling his arms around her affectionately. The thought of having a moment like that with the boy of her dreams makes her face grow warm, and she covers it with her hat to hide a goofy smile. Ash and Pikachu keep watching the moment between Brock and Holly, completely unaware of what Serena is doing despite standing right next to her.

Finally, the two young adults break their embrace and look at each other, smiling. Their cheeks are still red, but neither of them notice because they are lost in each other's eyes. After a moment, Holly looks away from Brock for a moment and musters up the courage to speak her mind.

"Brock?" She says, pausing for a moment before she lets out her feelings. "I want to go with you on your journey."

Brock looks at her surprised before he gives her a silly, excited look.

"Really?" He asks.

"Yes," Holly answers. "I want to stay by your side from now on. I've missed you so much, and I don't want to be apart from you ever again. I still want to be a better partner for you, but now I realize I should be doing that with you instead of away from you."

"That's great!" Brock says gleefully. "But don't you still want to compete in the Indigo League?"

"I do, and that's why I want us to wait," Holly answers.

"What do you mean?" Brock asks, confused.

Holly looks away from Brock for a moment, thinking about what to say before she faces him with a small smile.

"I believe you when you say that you like me for me, but...I still want to compete in the Indigo League," she says. "I want to go as far as I can before I can really put all of my hard training behind me. So I want to keep collecting badges until I qualify for the Pokemon league and learn more about you while we travel. Once I've given everything I got in the Indigo League, then I can be ready for us to be together. Would you be willing to wait until then?"

Brock stares at Holly for a few seconds before he grins and takes both of Holly's hands.

"I've waited a long time to see you again, but as long as we can travel together all the way to Indigo Plateau, I can wait a little longer," he says.

Holly smiles brightly and pulls Brock into another hug. The two of them hold each other with their eyes closed for a moment before Holly's eyes snap open, and she breaks the hug to face Brock with a worried look on her face.

"Wait a minute, would I be interfering with your own plans by asking that we travel to get my last badges?" she asks. "I only need three more badges in Fuchsia City, Cinnabar Island, and Viridian City, but I don't want to go right away if it interferes with your journey with Ash and Serena."

Ash scratches his chin in thought and says, "Well, I was planning to revisit the Viridian City gym anyway. Maybe there's a way we can go back to Fuchsia City and then to Cinnabar Island while Serena is competing in her contests."

Serena snaps out of her daydream and turns to Ash before she quickly takes out her tablet and searches through it.

"Well, what do you know?" She says, smiling. "There actually is a contest happening right at Cinnabar Island in two weeks. If we head back to Fuchsia City right after my contest tomorrow and if you can win your badge there right away, Holly, we can catch a ferry that will take us there just in time for the contest, and you can challenge the gym leader in Cinnabar Island."

"Really?" Holly asks, surprised. "Are you sure it's no problem? I don't want to impose on you."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I see no reason to help you and Brock," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says cheerfully.

Serena nods in agreement before she walks over to Holly.

"Ash is right," she whispers into Holly's ear. "And besides, I know what it's like to want to stay beside the guy you like."

Holly looks at the honey blonde girl confused until Serena breaks away, so she's standing next to Ash and Pikachu again. The auburn-haired woman looks at the two teenagers before she puts the pieces together in her mind and gives Serena a wink of understanding. Serena blushes at the gesture while Ash look at the two of them, confused until he decides to drop it and smile at Holly.

"Well, that settles it. Holly, welcome to the group," he says.

"Thank you, Ash," Holly says kindly before turning to face Serena again. "Speaking of which, is it alright that I ask you a favor, Serena?"

Serena looks at Holly, surprised for a second until she smiles and says, "Sure, go ahead."

"If you have to face Abigail during your contest tomorrow, please take her down for me," Holly pleads.

Serena hesitates and says, "I'll do my best. I have been training my Absol with how to do Pokemon battle for the last few days, but I'm not even sure that Abigail will use her Nidoqueen for the battle round."

"She will use it on the battle round," Holly confirms. "She's so confident that she will win that she has openly told her fans many times that she will use her Dewgong for the appeal stage and her Nidoqueen for the battle stage. That's why I challenged her to a battle with Toxicroak. I was so irritated by how pompous she is that I wanted to put her in her place. Sadly, you saw how that went, but maybe you can take her down for me."

Serena frowns and scratches her chin in thought.

"I don't know. I have already used a performance battle as payback once before, and I don't really want to do it again," she says honestly. "Although, I may still have to face Abigail and her Nidoqueen at some point and I'll need to think of a strategy since they do look pretty strong. "

Suddenly, the honey blonde girl gasps and smiles excitedly before turning to Ash.

"Ash, I'm going to need your help," she says.

"Huh? What for?" Ash asks as he and Pikachu look at Serena, confused.

"I'm going to do some special training with Absol tonight," Serena announces in a matter-of-factly tone. "And I'm going to need help from you and Boldore to do it."

For the remainder of the night, Ash and Serena did some practice training with Absol and Boldore while Brock and Holly decide to stay inside the Pokemon Center and talk to each other while never leaving each other's gaze. The more she spent time with Brock, the happier Holly felt to finally see him again and grew excited to travel with him and his friends. By the time the group was going to bed for the night, Serena and Absol were worn out from their special training with Ash and Boldore and were quick to head to bed so they can wake up fully refreshed in the morning for their contest. Ash was smiling the entire time that he was battling with Serena as he admired her determination to prepare for what awaits her.

The next day, Serena and Absol wake up feeling perfectly energized. The two of them walk to Neon City's Pokemon contest hall excitedly while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly follow behind with Brock and Holly, glancing at each other as they walk. The group enter the hall just in time for Serena to sign up and head to the backstage with the other coordinators while the others find seats in the auditorium. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly look around in their seats, surprised to see so many men filling the hall with excited looks on their faces.

"Wow, I've never seen so many guys appear for a Pokemon contest," Ash comments. "Are they all here for Abigail?"

"Most likely," Holly grumbles with her arms crossed. "I can even see some of them brought roses and banners to support that snobby brat. It's pathetic."

"Well, at least you have one man who will always be rooting for you," Brock says with a dopey smile.

Holly turns to Brock and gives him a sweet look.

"Fine by me. I only want one," she says, making Brock blush and giggle like a little boy. "And you're going to be rooting for Serena no matter what, right, Ash?"

"You bet," Ash stares proudly. "I always cheer for Serena with everything I've got."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, sharing Ash's cheering spirit.

"Oh, so you really care for Serena, huh?" Holly says with a teasing smirk.

"You bet. Serena's my friend, and I'll support her with everything I've got," Ash answers, ignorant of the way Holly is looking at him.

The auburn-haired woman blinks in confusion and turns to Brock, who gives her an uneasy smile.

"He's a little ignorant of certain...ideas," he says. "Serena and I are hoping to break him out of it."

"Oh, I see," Holly says with a frown. "Poor Serena."

"You can say that again, my dear," Brock says as he takes Holly's hand, and she smiles before squeezing his hand back.

"Poor Serena? What are you talking about?" Ash asks absent-mindedly. "She's going to be just fine. Our special training is going to win her fourth ribbon for sure."

Brock and Holly chuckle nervously at Ash's density before Lilian gets on stage and starts the contest. The show begins with Lilian introducing the judges and introducing the first person performing in the appeal round. The first several coordinators give modest performances with their Pokemon that the judges like, but most of the crowd didn't applaud for any of them because they only want to cheer for Abigail. Eventually, it is Abigail's turn, and the crowd roars with thunderous applause before she takes out her Pokeball.

"Dewgong, dear, it's showtime," she says as she tosses the ball into the with a flick of her wrist, and it open to reveal a cheerful Dewgong.

"Dewgong, use Aqua Jet just like we practiced," Abigail says with a wave of her hand.

Dewgong briefly becomes surrounded in blue energy before it shoots itself into the air like a rocket. The sea lion Pokemon flies into the air, doing flips and turns as it soars above the audience. All the men in the audience cheer while waving banners and bouquets of roses. Holly rolls her eyes and quietly grumbles bitterly until Brock takes her hand again and give her a supporting smile that makes her feel better.

"Now use Ice Beam on the ground," Abigail commands with her eyes closed.

Dewgong safely lands back on the stage, and a light blue ball forms in front of Dewgong's mouth. Dewgong fires a white beam onto the ground, and it creates a large heart-shaped statue of ice. The men in the audience cheer excitedly, raising their banners as high as they can while Abigail merely smiles with her eyes still closed, not looking at what her Pokemon created.

"And now for the final touch," Abigail says. "Aurora Beam."

Dewgong summons a multicolored beam with the horn on its head and fires towards it at the ice statue. The beam causes the ice to glow in many colors before it breaks into a million shiny pieces of ice. Abigail and Dewgong make a final pose, and the audience roars with ear-piercing cheers. Even the judges are so impressed that they join in with the applause while Abigail takes an over-the-top bow and blows kisses at the audience before exiting the stage. Holly's bitter frown returns as she watches all the men in the audience keep cheering even though Abigail is well out of their sight.

"Ugh, I can't stand these guys building up her ego!" She growls.

"Don't worry. Serena will take her down just like you asked her to," Ash says reassuringly.

"Maybe, but it won't be easy," Brock says seriously. "I hate to say it, but that was a really good performance. At this rate, I'm starting to wonder if Serena will be able to best her during the battle stage."

Holly turns to Brock with a worried look while Ash keeps his confident smirk.

"Serena will pull through," he says. "She's very strong, and she won't give up until the end."

The remainder of the appeal stage continues with many more coordinators giving their performances. Unfortunately, many of the performances come out as lackluster, with some of them messing up their routing with their Pokemon. Ash, Pikachu, Holly, and Brock look at each other with concerned looks as it is clear that many of the coordinators have lost their confidence after Abigail gave her stunning, well-received performance. Even the ones who did well on their performance look disheartened when the only people who applaud for them are Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, and a few other people. Finally, Lilian announces Serena as the final contestant, and the honey blonde girl faces the audience with a bright smile as she throws her Pokeball into the air.

"Braixen, come on out!" She shouts.

The ball opens, and Braixen comes out dressed in its pink performance outfit.

"I didn't know you can decorate your Pokemon for a contest," Holly says.

"You usually don't, but I guess Braixen wanted to be wearing its outfit for the appeal stage," Ash says. "It does like to dress up like Serena."

"That makes sense," Brock says, nodding.

"Alright, Braixen, start spinning your stick into the air and use Flamethrower!" Serena commands.

Braixen nods before it points it stick into the air and starts rapidly spinning it in circles while fire shoots out from the top. The gesture creates a whirlpool of fire which wows the judges and some of the audience members.

"Now, use Hidden Power multiple times!" Serena orders.

Braixen summon several blue orbs from its stick, and the orbs get sucked into the fiery whirlpool and begin spinning around it.

"Now release and use your biggest Fire Blast!" Serena shouts with her hands in the air.

Braixen stops using Flamethrower and fires a giant 大-shaped blast of fire into the air that collides with the whirlpool and the blue orbs. The impact creates an explosion of fire and blue sparkles that make the judges gasp in shock while Serena and Braixen make their final pose.

"Ta-da! All done!" Serena says with a bright smile.

The auditorium becomes silent, which makes Serena uneasy. She begins to worry that Abigail has the audience so wrapped around her fingers that no one will applaud for her and Braixen. Just then, she hears loud clapping and turns to see Ash standing up and cheering.

"Yeah, great performance, Serena!" He cheers.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

Brock and Holly turn to each other and nod before standing up and clapping too.

"Great job, Serena!" Brock shouts.

"Way to go!" Holly calls out.

Serena and Braixen smile and give their friends a bow before finally exiting the stage. As Serena walks away, she glances at Ash and gives him a fond look with her hand on her blue ribbon.

After she leaves, everyone in the audience waits patiently for a few minutes while the judges make their decisions. Once their choices are made, Lilian steps into the stage and says, "Alright, here are the people who will be competing in the next round!"

Everyone looks up at the big screen above the stage where twenty-four pictures appear, including pictures of Abigail and Serena. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly cheer for Serena while the rest of the audience cheers even louder for Abigail.

"Alright, we will now choose at random who will go against who at the battle round!" Lilian declares.

The screen turns blank for a few seconds until a tournament bracket appears. The groups look in shock to see Abigail and Serena's pictures appearing on the first bracket.

"Whoa, Serena and Abigail are facing each other on the first round," Ash says surprised.

"Good, that means she can take down that brat sooner," Holly says with a grin.

"Easy, Holly," Brock says calmly. "You said yourself that facing Abigail and her Nidoqueen won't be easy."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Ash says, smiling. "I believe all the training she and Absol did with Boldore and I will work out fine."

The crowd cheers loudly again as Abigail enters from one side of the battlefield while Serena comes from the other side.

"Let's start the battle with Serena against Abigail!" Lilian says, smiling.

Abigail gives Serena a condescending smirk while the two of them take out their Pokeballs.

"You're friends with that woman Holly, aren't you?" She says in a mocking tone.

"Yes, I am," Serena replies firmly.

"Well, I hope you are better prepared than she is," Abigail says as she tosses her Pokeball into the air. "Nidoqueen, let's go!"

"Absol, come on out!" Serena shouts.

The Pokeballs open to reveal Absol and Nidoqueen. Abigail sneers in amusement as she looks at her opponent's Pokemon.

"That little thing going against my Nidoqueen? This will be quick," she claims.

"Battle begin!" Lilian shouts through her microphone, and the clock starts counting down.

"Nidoqueen, let's make this easy with Supersonic," Abigail says uncaringly.

Serena frowns at her opponent and shouts, "Absol, dodge, and use Feint followed by Scratch!"

The Nidoqueen fires its attacks, and the see-through sound waves miss Absol as it moves away and runs around its opponent. The disaster Pokemon makes its way behind Nidoqueen and strikes it with its horn. Abigail's Pokemon grunts in pain before Absol starts scratching its back repeatedly, and the judges take away some of her points.

"What? How dare they take away my points!" Abigail says angrily. "Nidoqueen, use Scratch!"

"Absol, you use Scratch too!" Serena calls out.

Nidoqueen turns to Absol with its claws extended, and both Pokemon swipe at each other only for their claws to collide, leading to the two Pokemon pushing against each other with their claws locked. After a moment of struggling, they back away from each other, deciding that neither of them are going to overpower the other with their attack.

"Wow, I'm surprised Absol was able to stand its ground against Nidoqueen," Brock says, surprised. "Does this have something to do with your training, Ash?"

"Sure does," Ash says, smiling. "Serena kept in mind that both Pokemon knew Scratch, so she asked me to have Boldore use Rock Smash so that Absol can wrestle with it while using Scratch until it was able to stand its ground despite Boldore's superior strength."

"What a clever idea," Holly says, smiling.

"Yup, and that's not all she has up her sleeve," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Nidoqueen, crush that thing with Body Slam!" Abigail shouts.

Nidoqueen charges at Absol, but Serena smirks, anticipating the move.

"Absol, wait until Nidoqueen is close enough and use Double Team!" she instructs.

Absol nods and waits until Nidoqueen is a couple of seconds away from crushing it with its body before it makes dozens of clones of itself. Nidoqueen's eyes widen, and it trips on its feet, causing it to fall down on its face. It stands up only to stare in shock with no idea which Absol is the real one. The judges are impressed with how the honey blonde girl had her Pokemon use Double Team to dodge again and took away more of Abigail's points.

"Nidoqueen, knock them out with Earthquake!" Abigail orders.

"Absol, dodge using Feint!" Serena calls out.

Nidoqueen nods and slams its foot onto the ground, causing the ground to shake and make all of the images of Absol disappear. Abigail and Nidoqueen look around until Absol appears right behind Nidoqueen and rams right into it, causing the drill Pokemon to fall down again.

"Nicely done, Serena!" Ash calls out.

"Huh? Is that another thing you worked on with Absol last night?" Holly asks.

"Yep, she wanted me to teach her how to use Double Team to sneak on your opponent like I used to do a lot with my Greninja," Ash says with a toothy grin. "Absol had fun working on that one."

Abigail's face turns red with anger as the judges take away more of her points.

"Hit that thing with Scratch!" She shrieks.

"Use Double Team again!" Serena commands.

Absol makes more clones of itself, and Nidoqueen stops itself from attacking, confused again over which Absol is real.

"Just scratch all of them until you get the real one!" Abigail shouts frustrated.

Nidoqueen growls and starts scratching at all of the fake Absol. Abigail keeps her eyes on her Pokemon's progress until she notices a particular Absol acting different from the rest.

"There! The real one is right behind you!" She yells, pointing at the real Absol.

Serena's eyes widen as she realizes that Absol is spotted and shouts, "Absol, counter with Scratch!"

Absol's extends its claws, and they glow white again just in time to deflect Nidoqueen's claws. The drill Pokemon raises its arm to swipe again, and Absol moves back to avoid the attack again.

"Now's your chance. Hit it!" Serena shouts.

Absol raises its hand to attack, but suddenly, the glow on its claws changes from white to purple before it swings at Nidoqueen and lands a successful hit.

"Huh? What was that?" Serena asks in confusion while the judges took even more of her opponent's points.

"Did it learn a new move?" Holly asks.

"Yeah, that was Night Slash," Brock says with a smile. "Looks like Absol practiced its Scratch attack so much with Boldere that it lead to learning a new move."

"Really? Awesome!" Ash says excitedly.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeals joyously.

Abigail's point bar shrinks more, and the brunette woman grows irritated.

"That does it," she growls. "Nidoqueen, use Earthquake!"

"Use Feint again, followed by Night Slash!" Serena says.

Absol charges toward Nidoqueen and gets behind it before the drill Pokemon slams its foot into the ground, causing the floor in front of it to shake. It then rams into it again before it scratches it with Night Slash again. Abigail grinds her teeth childishly as she loses more points.

"Use Scratch!" She barked

"Ding!"

Serena and Abigail look at each other in confusion before they look up to see that the timer reached 0.

"Looks like time's up, and Serena has all of her points while Abigail lost more than half of hers!" Lillian announces. "So, Serena will be moving on to the next round!"

"What?!" Abigail shrieks. "How is that possible?!"

Serena smiles and says, "Alright! Way to go, Absol!"

"Sol!" Absol cries out cheerfully, happy to be praised by its motherly figure.

"No!" Abigail screams. "I can't lose! This was to be my debut as a coordinator! I'm not done!"

"Yes, you are!" Nurse joy calls out from her judging seat. "The battle ended with Serena having more points than you! You are disqualified!"

Abigail looks at Nurse Joy in shock. She turns to the audience, where her fans are looking at her devastated. She grinds her teeth again as she returns Nidoqueen back in its Pokeball and storms out of the stage like a little child throwing a tantrum while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly cheer for Serena until she also leaves.

"Yeah, now that's what I call humiliation!" Holly exclaims. "That oughta teach her for being so prideful."

"No kidding," Ash says. "And Absol learned Night Slash, which is awesome!"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a nod.

As the battle stage continues, most of the audience leaves because they were disappointed that Abigail lost. Serena and Absol defeat their opponents with ease, taking advantage that the disaster Pokemon learned Night Slash as they battled. Finally, she makes it to the final round against a red-haired girl named Amelia and her Ponyta. Amelia manages to take off half of Serena's points with her creative use of Ember, Fire Spin, and Double Kick, but Serena gets the upper hand once she figures out Absol can cut through most of Ponyta's attacks in creative ways with Night Slash. Finally, the clock on the screen let out a loud "ding!" and Amelia's point bar is found to be lower than Serena's by just a little.

"And the winner of this year's Neon City Pokemon contest is Serena!" Lilian announces.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, and what's left of the crowd cheers for Serena, and the honey blonde girls sighs in relief while her opponent walks over to her.

"Thanks for a good battle, Serena," Amelia says with a smile.

Serena nods while petting Absol.

"Yeah, same to you, Amelia," she says.

Amelia nods back and says, "I also want to say thank you for taking down Abigail like that."

Serena looks at the red-haired girl confused until Amelia explains, "You see, I also live here in Neon City, and this is my debut as a coordinator as well. I've been worried that I would do poorly just because Abigail is stronger and more popular, but when I saw your Absol take down her Nidoqueen like that, I felt better knowing that she wasn't as great as she was built up to be. So I don't mind that I lost on my debut because, in the end, I gave it my all, and I made it farther than Abigail and lost to someone as good as you."

Serena looks at Amelia, surprised for a moment before she smiles and says, "Then I'm glad I was able to help you. Just remember to trust in your Pokemon and face everything with a smile. That's what I do."

Amelia nods again and says, "Okay, I'll do that. Thanks, Serena."

The two girls shake hands just in time for Lilian to walk over to Serena.

"Congratulations, Serena," she says, presenting the honey blonde girl with the Neon City contest ribbon. "Just one more to go, and you'll get to compete in the Grand Festival."

"Thank you, Lilian," Serena says before presenting her fourth ribbon to what's left of the audience.

After the contest ends, Serena meets up with Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly, and together, they walked back to the Pokemon Center, where Nurse Joy is already back just in time to give Holly back Toxicroak's Pokeball. Holly thanks Nurse Joy and takes Toxicroak out of its ball and gives her Pokemon a big hug.

"Oh, Toxicroak, I'm so glad you're feeling better," she says, cheerfully.

"Croak," Toxicroak replies with a smile.

Holy then turns to Brock and says, "Thank you so much for taking care of Toxicroak, Brock."

Brock smiles excitedly and takes both of Holly's hands before he says, "It is my pleasure, dear Holly. I promise to treat your Pokemon whenever they require medical assistance as we finally travel together. May fate never dare drive us apart ever ag - AUGH!"

Brock falls down on the floor, revealing Toxicroak to be standing behind him with its claw turned purple. Holly gives her Pokemon a disappointed pout and says, "Toxicroak, don't use Poison Jab on Brock. I want him to flirt with me."

But Toxicroak merely chuckles in response, and Holly sighs and returns the poison type Pokemon back into its ball before kneeling down next to Brock.

"Are you alright?" She asks.

"Ugh, and here I thought I'd be free of being hit by Poison Jab by leaving my Croagunk at home," Brock groans.

Holly gives Brock a small smile before she wraps his arm around her head and lifts Brock up.

"Come on, Brock, let's get going to the Fuchsia City gym together," she says.

Brock manages to smile despite the pain still flowing in his body and says, "Together," while Holly carries him out of the Pokemon Center. Serena smiles fondly at the way the two adults are already enjoying their time together while Ash puts on his backpack.

"Well, we better follow them so we can get to the Fuchsia City gym and then to Cinnabar Island on time," he says. "It would be awesome if you win your final ribbon at Cinnabar Island so we could go straight to Viridian City for my rematch against Agatha and Holly's final badge."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says while hopping on Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, it would," Serena says, nodding.

Ash nods back and starts walking toward the front doors while Serena frowns and rubs her arm. She mentally debates with herself until she makes up her mind and turns to Ash.

"Hey, Ash?"

The raven-haired boy stops walking and turns to Serena, saying, "Yeah, Serena?"

"Thank you for cheering for me out there," Serena says.

Ash looks at Serena, confused before he chuckles and says, "Don't worry about it, Serena. I told you I'm here to support you, and I meant it. Besides, Brock and Holly were cheering for you too."

"I know," Serena says. "I just want you to know how much it means to me. I may not have seen countless people happy with my performance back there like I wanted, but I really appreciate that at least you are there to cheer for me."

Serena backs up her words with a sweet smile while her blue eyes gaze deeply into Ash's brown ones. Ash stared back, confused for a moment before he gives her a toothy grin with his eyes closed.

"Of course. Anytime," he says. "Now, let's get going before Brock and Holly wonder where we are."

"Pika," Pikachu says, agreeing while it holds back onto Ash's shoulder.

Serena nods and follows Ash out of the Pokemon Center. As they catch up with Brock and Holly, Serena glances at Ash with a fond look.

"_I hope we can cheer each other on forever,_" she thinks in her mind.


	35. Chapter 35

As the group makes their journey back to Fuchsia City, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and especially Brock have been enjoying having Holly travel with them. The two adults talk almost non-stop while they walk together with the teenagers and Pikachu following behind. All day, Holly will want to hear stories about what Brock has been up to before and after the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle Tournament or be amazed at how great he is at cooking or taking care of Pokemon. Brock himself has been feeling like he's on cloud 9 while traveling with a beautiful and caring woman like Holly who is sincerely interested in him. Serena also found herself enjoying talking with Holly when she has a chance and has become good friends with her. She feels like she sees a part of herself in Holly from how she is so invested in getting to know the guy she likes, much like how she is with Ash.

Ash himself, on the other hand, is clueless with the way Brock and Holly act around each other. In his dense point of view, it is strange to watch Brock finally act silly in front of a woman who actually wants him to act that way in front of her. Even though he is glad that his friend apparently found what he's wanted for as long as he's known Brock, he wonders if this is what his mother was hoping he'd open up to wanting with Serena. At times he will glance at the honey blonde girl as they walk and try to imagine himself acting goofy over her like Brock. Each time he does, he shakes his head and mentally tells himself that he would never act like that, not realizing that he has once again missed the point of the matter.

On the sixth day since leaving Neon City, Brock leads the group to a different path than the way to Fuchsia City, which confuses Serena and Holly.

"Uh, Brock, I thought the way to Fuchsia City is this way," Serena says, pointing at the road they just passed.

"Yeah, so did I," Holly says.

"It is, but the Fuchsia City gym is actually out here in the woods," Brock answers while holding out his map.

"Hey, that's right," Ash says, remembering. "The gym is in that abandoned-looking mansion."

"Abandoned-looking mansion?" Serena asks, feeling uneasy.

Ash chuckles likely and says, "Don't worry, Serena. It's not really abandoned. It's all a cover-up for the gym leader, Koga, and his sister Aya who are both ninjas."

"Oh, how fun. I bet Bonnie would be excited to hear that if she were here," Serena says, smiling before she realizes something. "Oh my goodness, I just remembered we forgot to give Clemont and Bonnie a call again when we were in Neon City."

"Oh, you're right. I guess we got too focused on seeing Holly again and training for your contest," Ash says before giving Serena a reassuring grin. "I'm sure we'll find some time to call them before we take a ferry to Cinnabar Island."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says from Ash's shoulder.

"Right," Serena says, agreeing.

The group continues to follow Brock down the path until they come across a tall cliff with a long wooden board that connects to the other side where an old mansion resides.

"Uh, Brock, please tell me we don't have to cross through that thin board to get to the gym," Holly says nervously.

"I'm afraid we do," Brock says.

Holly whimpers and grabs Brock by his shirt, and Brock wraps his arm around her to calm her down.

"Don't worry, I'll be right behind you to make sure you don't fall," he says comfortingly.

Holly gives him a sweet smile and nods, accepting his offer. The two of them begin walking across the board with their arms spread apart. Brock stays very close to Holly, so she knows that he's right there to protect her, which eases her mind as they make it across.

"Well, we better cross too if we want to catch up," Ash says to Serena smiling.

Serena, however, feels as uneasy as Holly was and grabs Ash by the shirt right as he's about to get on the board.

"A-actually, Ash...I-I'm feeling uneasy about crossing too," she admits. "W-would it be okay if you stay right behind me to keep me safe too?"

Ash turns to Serena and grins.

"Sure, no problem," he says. "And don't worry about being scared. When I first crossed this way for my own Soul Badge, I was so scared that I was crawling on the board on all fours. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu chuckles, remembering that day.

Serena also chuckles with her mouth closed, unable to help but feel amused by Ash's story. The two teenagers nod before they begin crossing the board with Pikachu leading, followed by Serena and Ash. The honey blonde girl fights the urge to look down while the raven-haired boy just smiles and stays close to Serena to assure her that he's there. Finally, the three of them make it across just in time to see Holly pecking Brock on the cheek for keeping her safe. The auburn-haired woman turns to the teenagers and gives Serena a wink, signifying that she knew the girl would get the same idea. Serena's cheeks turn pink, and she looks away while Brock turns to the group.

"Alright, gang, just a quick warning for the ladies before we go in," he says. "This place is filled with traps, such as secret doors, invisible walls, and some Voltorb hiding underneath the floor that will electrocute you. So be careful going in."

"Are you serious?" Holly asks, surprised.

"Yep, I'm afraid that's just the kind of ninjas Koga and Aya are," Brock says. "We have to be cautious to make it to Koga so you can challenge him."

Holly grows uneasy, and Ash steps up to give her an encouraging look.

"Don't worry. The five of us will make it through," he says. "Brock, Misty, Pikachu, and I made it through for my badge, so the five of us can do it just fine. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu says optimistically.

"Yeah, but it's still pretty dangerous, Ash," Brock points out. "You almost fell off the ledge to your death last time."

"He did what?!" Serena shouts.

Suddenly, the sound of a girl screaming is heard from inside the mansion. Brock, Holly, Ash, Pikachu, and Serena turn over there instantly worried.

"There must be someone inside who fell for one of the traps!" Holly cries out worriedly.

"We gotta go in there and help them before they get hurt!" Serena yells.

Ash and Brock nod in agreement, and together the four of them and Pikachu run inside the mansion. Brock raises his hand in front of everyone to gesture them to slow down as they carefully walk inside keeping an eye out for traps.

"Stay away from the walls. There's no telling if any of them are a trap," Brock instructs.

The group nods in understanding and huddles close to each other while they walk. Suddenly, Serena steps on a secret button on the floor, and a secret door opens from under the floor to reveal an angry Voltorb. Serena only has a moment to scream and step back before Voltorb releases a Thunder Shock, barely missing her. The sudden movement causes her to lose her balance only for Ash to catch her.

"Serena, are you alright?" He asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, Ash," Serena, answers with a smile.

The moment is quickly cut short, however, with the Voltorb letting out sparks of electricity, causing the group to back away. Suddenly, they hear another scream, and they look at the ceiling.

"It sounds like it's coming from upstairs," Holly says.

"Quick, let's go!" Brock says, pointing at a staircase.

The five of them race up the stairs just in time to dodge another Thunder Shock from Voltorb and run down the hall until they stop to see what's causing the screaming.

"Max, help me up, please!"

In the middle of the hall, Max is kneeling at the edge of an open wall where May is holding on for dear life.

"It's Max!" Brock says.

"And May!" Serena exclaims.

"Looks like she fell into one of the traps," Ash says as the three of them and Holly run over to them

"Hold on, May," Max calls out while tossing a Pokeball into the air. "Grovyle, help me out, quick!"

The Pokeball opens to reveal a Grovyle that quickly grabs one of May's hands while Max grabs the other. Together, the Grass-type Pokemon and its partner pull May up to safely. The Hoenn coordinator sighs in relief before pulling Max and Grovyle into a tight hug.

"Oh, Max, Grovyle, thank you so much!" May whines hysterically.

"May...you're..crushing...my...spine…" Max struggles to say with both him and Grovyle gasping for air.

"May, Max!" Ash calls out while he, Pikachu, Serena, Holly, and Serena run over to the two siblings.

May, Max, and Grovyle turn to their friends, and they smile happily as they run over to them.

"Ash! Brock!" Max calls out.

"Serena!" May exclaims.

The two teenager girls hug each other while Ash, Brock, and Max stop in front of each other.

"I see your Treecko evolved into a Grovyle, huh?" Ash asks.

"Yup, and I have five badges now," Max states proudly while returning Grovyle back in its Pokeball. "And I plan to get my sixth...as soon as we find a way to the gym that's supposed to be here."

"The sooner, the better," May whines. "It's been a nightmare ever since we stepped foot in this place. If Grovyle weren't here, I would have fallen to my death over there."

"Good gracious," Holly says, frowning with her hands on her hips. "How is this place allowed to run as a gym with so many death traps?"

May and Max turn to the auburn-haired woman in confusion before Max asks, "Who are you?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't been introduced!" Brock exclaims excitedly before standing between Holly and the siblings. "Holly, these are our friends, May and Max. Guys, this is my dear future girlfriend, Holly."

Holly blushes at the title while Max frowns and yanks on Brock's ear hard.

"As usual, you have a lot of nerve saying something like that so sporadically," the young boy says.

"Actually, he's right," Holly says.

May and Max look at Holly with their eyes widened and their pupils shrunk.

"What...did you...say?" May asks.

Holly chuckles lightly at their reaction and says, "While we aren't officially together yet, I do care for Brock a lot, and I want to be a good battle partner for him. We've even agreed to become a couple officially after I complete in the Indigo League."

"It's true, guys!" Brock whimpers while Max still has a painful hold on his ear. "Holly really likes me!"

May and Max continue to stare at the auburn-haired woman as if she said the weirdest thing in the world. They turn to Ash and Serena with looks that read, "Is this for real?" Serena nods with a smile while Ash chuckles and shrugs as if to say, "I can't believe it either." Finally, Max and May look at each other and smile while Max lets go of Brock's ear.

"Well, then, pleased to make your acquaintance," May says cheerfully.

"The pleasure is all mine," Holly says with a smile before her face turns serious. "Now, how are we going to find the gym leader in a place like this?"

"I think I know," Ash says before putting his hands on the wall on the other side of the wall. "If we're in the right spot, then one of these walls is a secret doo - WAAAH!"

The wall spins, causing Ash to lose his balance and fall into a secret room. The wall closes, and everyone hears Ash yells in panic before several loud thuds are heard against the wall.

"ASH!" Serena screams worriedly and forces the secret door open, revealing Ash hanging against the other side with throwing stars pinned all around his body. The raven-haired boy turns to Serena and gives her an uneasy chuckle.

"I forgot that this was going to happen," he admits.

Serena sighs in relief while her hand is on her ribbon before glaring at Ash.

"Don't scare me like that!" she rebukes. "I thought you were seriously hurt!"

"I'm sorry, Serena," Ash says sincerely.

The rest of the group walk through the door to find a room that looks like a place to practice martial arts. At the center of the room is a woman with green hair wearing a pink ninja outfit giving everyone a boastful look.

"Born from darkness, living in darkness, such as the fate of the ninja," she quotes. "I am Aya, nin -"

The woman stops talking and sees Ash and Brock, and she drops her act and gives them a friendly smile.

"Why Ash, Brock. How good to see you again," she says. "It has been some time since -"

"What is your problem?!" Holly barks. "You could have seriously hurt Ash with those throwing stars!"

Serena, Max, and May nod firmly with an angry looks on their faces.

Aya turns to the group and frowns.

"This is a training camp," she answers. "It's your own fault for letting your guard down."

"Let our guard down, nothing!" May says angrily. "I could have fallen to my death! How has the Pokemon Inspection Agency not shut down this place as a gym?"

But before Aya can answer, a Voltorb enters the room and rolls over to a spot between Aya and the group. Before anyone has time to react, the Voltorb uses Explosion, filling the room with smoke. The smoke clears a few seconds later to reveal a man in a blue ninja outfit.

"Koga!" Ash and Brock say simultaneously.

"Greetings, Ash and Brock," Koga says. "It has been quite some time since we've seen each other. Tell me, what brings the two of you back to our home?"

"I do," Holly says, stepping in. "My name is Holly from the Sinnoh region, and I came here to battle the gym leader here."

"Hey, I do, too," Max demands.

"And you are?" Koga asks.

"My name is Max Maple, and I'm from the Hoenn region," Max answers. "I also want to challenge you for your gym badge."

Koga looks at the two challengers and says, "Very well, I do not permit people to leave this mansion without a battle anyway. Since there are two of you, there shall be a one-on-one battle for each of you. Agreed?"

"Fine by me," Holly says.

"Same here," Max says.

"Very well," Koga says. "Young Max, you shall go first. Aya, free Ash."

"Yes, honored brother," Aya says.

Serena signs in relief again after Aya lets Ash down from being pinned against the secret door while Koga and Max get into positions.

"Venomoth, I summon you," Koga commands as he throws a Pokeball and a Venomoth comes out.

"I had a feeling he was going to use Venomoth first," Ash says with a smirk.

"So did I," Brock says, nodding.

"Alright then, if you're choosing Venomoth, then my Pokemon shall be Rhyhorn!" Max declares while growing his Pokeball.

The Pokeball opens, and Max's Rhyhorn comes out roaring to show it's ready to battle. Suddenly, it stops in mid-roar and turns to look at Serena. The honey blonde girl looks at Rhyhorn nervously before Rhyhorn charges at her with hearts in its eyes.

"Rhyhorn, what are you doing?!" Max calls out. "The battle is over here!"

But instead of listening to its trainer, Rhyhorn tackles Serena to the ground and starts licking her in the face. Serena laughs out loud while everyone, but Ash and Pikachu look at the display in confusion.

"S-s-stop it! That tickles!" Serena squeals.

"What is going on here?" Aya asks.

"Rhyhorn, come on," Max commands before turning to Koga, embarrassed. "This is weird. I've never seen it act this way before."

"It's not your fault, Max. I'm afraid all Rhyhorn act this way around Serena," Ash explains. "She was raised to be a Rhyhorn racer back in Kalos, and even though she hated it, the Rhyhorn just love to be around her."

"That's all very interesting, but can we please get on with our battle?" Koga asks unamused.

Rhyhorn finally stops licking Serena, and she pets it while saying, "He's right. You better go have your battle, Rhyhorn and listen to Max, okay?"

Rhyhorn smiles and nods obediently before it runs over to stand in front of Max in another battle stance.

"You ready to behave, Rhyhorn?" Max asks cautiously.

Rhyhorn turns to its trainer and nods firmly to show that it's ready to battle together with Max.

"Alright, then we're ready!" Max says, excitedly.

"Very well," Koga says plainly. "Venomoth, use Psybeam."

"Rhyhorn, counter with Rock Throw!" Max shouts.

Venomoth fires a multicolored beam at Rhyhorn, who quickly summons several pieces of rock out of thin air and sends them flying right into the Psybeam. The attacks explode on impact, canceling each other out.

"Venomoth, use Stun Spore," Koga orders calmly.

"Dodge it!" Max responds.

Unfortunately, because the battle is in a relatively small room, Rhyhorn's space to dodge the poison moth's attacks is limited. Rhyhorn almost runs into a wall while trying to dodge, and Venomoth takes the opportunity to hit its opponent with the yellow dust. Rhyhorn grunts in pain as yellow sparks appear all over its body.

"Oh no, it's paralyzed," May says.

"Venomoth, use Tackle," Koga commands.

Venomoth begins to charge at its opponent, and Max grows worried with Rhyhorn still in pain from its paralysis.

"Rhyhorn, you gotta fight through it!" he pleads. "Fight back with Horn Drill!"

Rhyhorn grinds its teeth and ignores the pain while Venomoth still flies toward it. The horn on the top of Rhyhorn's head starts to spin, and it waits for the right moment before charging back. The Pokemon collide with each other, but Rhyhorn's attack proves stronger, and Venomoth is sent crashing onto a wall and plummeting on the floor.

"Don't give it a chance, Rhyhorn. Use Earthquake!" Max calls out eagerly.

Rhyhorn raises its two front legs to summon an earthquake, but suddenly, yellow sparks appear, and it groans in pain before falling on its stomach. Max, May, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, and Holly watch in shock while Aya grins, and Koga nods his head.

"Use Psybeam again," he says bluntly.

Venomoth fires a Psybeam, and this time it hits Rhyhorn right in the face. The impact sends the spikes Pokemon running into a wall and groaning in pain.

"Rhyhorn!" Max cries out.

"It is unfortunate that the paralysis took effect when it did," Koga says, nodding with his eyes closed. "Venomoth, use Psybeam again."

Max racks his brain, trying to think of a way to avoid Rhyhorn getting hit by Venomoth's psychic-type attack again.

"I got it!" He says. "Rhyhorn, use Stone Edge now!"

Rhyhorn gets up and stomps on the ground causing blue light pillars to emerge from the ground. One of them hits Venomoth just as it is about to release Psybeam, sending it crashing onto the ground with its wings hurt.

"Venomoth!" Koga cries out, suddenly worried.

"Alright, Rhyhorn, now finish it off with Earthquake!" Max says, smiling.

Rhyhorn raises its two front legs, but this time it successfully slams on the ground causing the ground to shake and hurt Venomoth, causing the poison Moth Pokemon to fall on it's back with swirly eyes. Koga stares at his fallen Pokemon until he smirks with his eyes closed and returns Venomoth to its Pokeball.

"Well done, you have beaten me," he says, taking our a scroll and unraveling it to reveal a Soul Badge. "You have rightfully earned this Soul Badge."

"Thank you!" Max says excitedly as he rushes to take the badge from Koga and presents it to Rhyhorn. "Nice job, Rhyhorn. Now I only need two more badges."

Rhyhorn roars proudly before Max puts it back in its Pokeball. Holly then steps in with an eager look on her face.

"Alright, now it's my turn to get my own Soul Badge," she says determinedly.

Koga nods and takes out another Pokeball.

"For this second battle, I will use Scyther," he announces while throwing it into the air, and it opens to reveal a Scyther.

"Oh yeah, Otoshi mentioned that you have a Scyther," Ash comments.

Koga nods while Serena looks at his Pokemon confused.

"Scyther?" she asks while taking out her Pokedex.

"_Scyther, the mantis Pokemon,_" her Pokedex says. "_Its claws are as sharp as swords, and it is a powerful flyer. This Pokemon is rarely seen by humans and is almost never captured._"

"Wow, it sounds like a very tough Pokemon," Serena says.

"Not to worry," Brock says confidently. "Holly will win and get her Soul Badge no problem."

Holly turns to Brock and gives him another sweet look.

"Thank you, Brock," she says before taking out a Pokeball. "Now, come on out, Probopass!"

The ball opens, and a Probopass appears.

"Huh? Is that your Nosepass evolved?" Brock asks, surprised.

"It sure is," Holly says with a smirk.

"Hold on, Nosepass and Probopass?" Serena asks confused as she takes out her Pokedex again and types in the word Nosepass.

"_Nosepass, the compass Pokemon. Its nose can point north like a compass needle. Travelers can use Nosepass to check directions,_" her Pokedex says before she scans Holly's Pokemon. '_Probopass, the Compass Pokemon and the evolved form of Nosepass. Probopass uses magnetic force to control three mini-noses at its sides._"

"Huh, what a strange-looking Pokemon," Serena says.

"Maybe so, but Holly has the advantage," Brock says with a smirk.

"How so?" Serena asks curiously.

But before Brock can answer, Koga points at Probopass and shouts, "Scyther, use X-Scissor!"

Scyther crosses its scythes, and they glow purple before it flies toward Probopass and slashes at it in an 'X' like fashion. Holly appears to be unfazed with her opponent suddenly making an attack, and Probopass lets out a grunt, but it doesn't appear to be damaged.

"What? But how?" Koga asks with both him and Aya looking at Probopass, shocked.

"Let me have Brock answer that for you," Holly says with a smirk before turning to Brock. "You were about to say, Brock?"

"As you wish, my lady," Brock says, giving the woman he is fawning over a bow like a gentleman, much to Holly's amusement. "I was going to say that Scyther is a bug-and-flying-type and most of the attacks it can learn are normal type, all of which Probopass is resistant to in some degree or another because it's a steel and rock type. At best, that X-Scissor only did half the damage."

"Half the damage? That's outrageous," Aya says bitterly.

"Quiet, Aya. This just means we need to take this battle with a different approach," Koga says. "Scyther, use Sword Dance, then follow with another X-Scissor!"

Scyther crosses its claws across its chest and spins rapidly, causing it to glow red.

"Uh, oh, that means Scyther has raised its attack," May says.

"Yeah, and that probably will make X-Scissor more effective," Max states.

Scyther then prepares for another X-Scissor that is stronger than the last one and charges at Probopass.

"I don't think so," Holly says. "Probopass, use Zap Cannon!"

Probopass creates a large, yellow ball with a red center in front of its nose and fires at its opponent. The ball hits Scyther directly, and it sends it crashing onto the floor with scratches all over its body, surprising Koga and Aya.

"Now hit it with Earth Power!" Holly calls out confidently.

"Wait, don't do that!" Brock shouts.

Unfortunately, Probopass' body already starts to glow yellow, and the ground starts to shake causing cracks on the floor. The cracks hit Scyther, but it doesn't appear to do anything to the mantis Pokemon.

"Holly, Scyther is immune to ground attacks. Earth Power won't do a thing," Brock says.

Holly turns her face to Brock and rubs the back of her head, feeling embarrassed.

"Oh...I didn't know that," she says awkwardly. "I thought it was the perfect move to use since it was on the ground."

Brock gives her a small smile and says, "That's okay. Just stick to whatever electric and rock type moves you have."

Holly smiles back, feeling better and gives Brock a nod before she commands, "Probopass, use Rock Slide!"

Probopass' body becomes surrounded in a blue outline, and several large boulders appear and zoom toward Scyther. But the mantis Pokemon easily dodges all of the attacks without Koga needing to tell it to.

"You may have taken my Scyther off guard earlier, but you won't be able to hit it again with its great speed," Koga says.

"Yeah, nothing can beat Scyther's dodging skills," Aya boasts.

Holly raises an eyebrow and smirks, saying, "Let's find out. Probopass, use Magnet Bomb."

The eyes on Probopass' mini-noses glow orange and fly towards Scyther. The mantis Pokemon dodges the mini-noses easily, but they quickly turn around and fly towards the opponent, causing Scyther to try to fly away even though it's in a small room only for the mini-noses to keep following it.

"What?" Koga says, shocked.

"Oh yeah, Probopass' mini-noses will follow their target until they get close enough to attack," Holly states. "It's not impossible to avoid getting hit, but I doubt Scyther can with the small space it's flying in."

Sure enough, Scyther attempts to make a sharp turn to avoid the mini-noses, but the movement gives the noses enough time to come close enough to explode. Scyther is sent flying to a wall with a loud slam and plummets to the ground with swirly eyes. Koga and Aya stare in shock before Koga smirks with his eyes closed and turns to Holly.

"Congratulations," he says. "It appears that by taking advantage of my Scyther's weakness against your Pokemon and Aya's boasting, you too have beaten me in combat."

Holly smiles brightly as Koga takes out another scroll and unravels it to reveal another Soul Badge. He walks over to the auburn-haired woman and gives her the badge saying, "Henceforth, you are also worthy of taking a Soul Badge."

"Thank you," Holly says kindly before taking out her badge case and puts her Soul Badge inside it before turning to Max. "Now, I only need two more to go too."

Max smiles and nods.

"Then I take it you're going to Cinnabar Island next?" He asks.

"Sure am," Holly says. "For my gym battle and Serena's next contest."

"Really? That's great!" May says excitedly. "We can all go together!"

"Sounds great," Ash says, smiling.

"Count me in," Brock says, giving a thumbs up.

"And Serena, I can see how you're doing with your coordinating," May adds.

"That sounds great," Serena says with a gleeful smile. "I already have four ribbons now, so I hope you get to see me win my fifth one."

"Four ribbons already? It sounds like you've really been improving," Max says with a friendly smile.

"Then I wish you all well on your respective goals," Koga says, stepping in with Aya.

"As do I," Aya says.

"Thank you," the group says all at the same time before Koga guides them safely out of the mansion, and they begin walking to Fuschia City. When they make it to the board that connects to the two cliffs, Holly and Serena both become uneasy and stand closer to Brock and Ash.

"I forgot we have to cross this thing again," Serena says.

"Me too," Holly says.

"Fear not, ladies. Ash and I will guide you again," Brock says, giving Holly a flirtatious look while Ash gives Serena a friendly nod.

"Actually, we don't need to do that," Max says in a matter-of-factly tone that catches everyone's attention. "Karlia, come on out and use Psychic! "

He tosses a Pokeball and a Karlia comes out, and its eyes glow blue, surrounding everyone in a blue outline. The psychic type Pokemon lifts them all into the air and sends them floating to the other side and lets them down safely.

"Great job, Karlia. Now return," Max instructs as he returns his Pokemon.

"Wow, what a great idea, Max," Ash compliments. "So does that mean Ralts also evolved?"

"That's right," Max says, smiling. "In fact, since Karlia is a boy, I'm debating on whether or not I want to evolve it as a Gardevoir or a Gallade."

"Either one sounds like a good choice," Brock says. "Timothy's Gardevoir, Shockwave is pretty powerful, but with the right training, your Karlia could be pretty tough as a Gallade."

"I know. That's what makes the decision hard," Max whines childishly.

"Don't worry about it, Max. You'll know what you will want Kirlia to evolve into when the time comes," Ash says encouragingly.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, agreeing.

"Well, in any case, I'm glad Karlia is there to bring us over here safely," May says.

"Yeah, me too," Serena and Holly say at the same time even though they secretly would have liked to use crossing the board as a means to be close to Ash and Brock, respectively.

"Alright now, let's not waste any time, everyone," Brock says. "Let's catch a ferry to Cinnabar Island at Fuchsia City."

"Right," Ash, Serena, May, Max, and Holly says at the same time.

Thus, with Brock leading, the extended group start walking through the forest to Fuchsia City. As they walk, Holly walks closely next to Brock and wraps her arm around his. The young man blushes and gives Holly another silly grin, and Holly responds with a flirtatious look as they lead the group together. Serena smiles fondly at the two adults and secretly imagining herself walking together like that with Ash while Max and May look at Brock and Holly, feeling uneasy.

"That is going to take a while to get used to," Max whispers to his sister.

"I know what you mean," May whispers back before she says with a smile. "But at the same time, they look cute together. I'm happy for Brock that he found someone."

"Yeah, me too," Max says. "At the very least, Brock won't cause any more trouble with Holly by his side."

May nods in agreement while the two of them follow their friends through the forest.

It is later in the day, and the sun is starting to set. Koga and Aya are out in the woods practicing their ninja moves with Aya's Venonat and Koga's Venomoth, Golbat, and Scyther. The ninjas and their Pokemon run, climb trees and practice disappearing with one of their Voltorb using Explosion.

But while they are practicing, Aya hears three sets of footsteps coming close by and prepares to throw several throwing stars in that direction.

"Show yourselves," she demands while making a fighting stance.

Suddenly, a rose projectile in the pattern of a Serviper's skin flies past Aya, barely missing her cheek and hits the tree next to her. Aya turns to look at the projectile and lowers her guard, knowing who threw it.

"Hello, Queen Lucy," she says.

"Aya," Lucy says plainly while she reveals herself and walks over to the pink ninja with her Cyndaquil and Skitty walking beside her

"Queen Lucy," Koga greets with respect in his voice. "Out for a stroll?"

Lucy nods and says, "My darlings wanted to play out in the forest before dinner time. And judging by the way you are training with your Pokemon, it seems you were defeated by another challenger."

Koga nods with his eyes closed and humbly admits, "Two challengers, as a matter of fact. But they both gave me a good battle, and I could ask no more than that win or lose. Plus, we got to see two old friends of ours named Ash and Brock.

At the sound of the last name, Lucy's eyes widen, and her cheeks turn pink.

"Brock was at your gym?" She asks.

"Indeed," Aya answers for her brother. "They came to our training camp with their friends, Serena, May, Max, and Holly. The latter two were the ones who challenged Koga."

Lucy can't help but smile at the mention of May and Max, glad that Brock is apparently traveling with the two other traveling companions he was with when she first met him.

"I assume you are friends with them, as well?" Koga asks, noticing Lucy's smile.

"You could say that," Lucy says, thinking about what she discussed with Brock. "Although, I haven't heard of this Holly. Sounds like she's a new friend."

"You could say that," Aya repeats, thinking of the way Brock and Holly looked at each other during the auburn-haired woman's gym battle.

Lucy nods, not catching Aya's drift, and says, "It's a shame I was not around. I would have liked to say hi to them."

"Hmmm," Koga says with a nod. "Perhaps there will be a next time."

"Yes, of course," Lucy says before she looks up in the sky. "Anyway, I should get back. My sisters and my other Pokemon will be waiting for me, Cyndaquil, and Skitty so we can all eat dinner."

"Very well. Good evening, Queen Lucy," Koga says as he and Aya give Lucy a bow.

"Good evening to you too," Lucy says before turning around to head home.

The two ninjas continue their training with their Pokemon while Lucy walks through the woods with her two Pokemon. Her cheeks are still pink while she thinks about how close she was to see Brock again.

"At least I will still get to see him at the Indigo League," she says to herself while Cyndaquil and Skitty walks close to her. "I wonder how much he's dreaming of seeing me again."


	36. Chapter 36

After two weeks of riding a ferry from Fuchsia City, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers make it to Metallica Island, the home of the Battle Palace. The two men and the Raichu gladly get out of the ship after spending so much time in the sea with Coovers feeling seasick as they walk to the nearest Pokemon Center.

"Honestly, Coovers, we've sailed on longer cruises than this one," Timothy says with a chuckle. "You should be used to so much time in the sea by now."

"My stomach declares otherwise," Coovers groans with his face looking green. "I hate that I get sick so easily that I can barely eat the food on the ship. They always have such delicious gourmet stuff to serve for us."

"Raichu," Electchu says with a sigh.

The three of them enter the Pokemon Center, and Coovers suddenly covers his mouth and races to the restroom, ready to hurl. Timothy shakes his head while he and his partner walk over to the front desk where Nurse Joy is waiting for them with a smile.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to Metallica Island," she greets cheerfully. "Would you like for me to look at your Pokemon?"

"That won't be necessary, thank you," Timothy answers politely. "I'm just wondering if you can point me in the direction of the Battle Palace from here."

Nurse Joy lets out a soft "Oh," and says, "Are you the trainer from Pallet Town Spenser is expecting?"

"I am," Timothy answers.

"One moment, please," Nurse Joy says as she takes out a phone and pressed a few buttons before briefly talking to someone on the other line and hangs up. Timothy waits curiously until the door to the corridors over to reveal Scott looking at Timothy and Electchu with his signature smirk.

"Timothy, Electchu," he greets. "Surprised to see me?"

"Not really," Timothy answers plainly with Electchu nodding in agreement. "After the first four Frontier battles, not seeing you here to greet us would be the weird thing."

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

Scott chuckles lightly before looking around the hall.

"Where is Coovers?" he asks.

"He's in the bathroom losing his lunch," Timothy says. "He doesn't have the strongest stomach when it comes to traveling by sea."

"Aw, that's too bad," Scott says. "But at the same time, I'm glad I can talk to you alone."

"Oh?" Timothy asks.

"You see, the Frontier Brain of this island, Spenser wishes to have a word with you out in the woods before you two have your battle at the Battle Palace," Scott says.

Timothy frowns and asks, "Why is that?"

"To put it simply, I have told him of your accomplishments like I have with some of the other Frontier Brains, and he is curious about the kind of person you are as a trainer," Scott answers, sounding as if he's unsure of how to best explain his reason.

Timothy looks at Scott, confused, and asks, "If that's so, then why doesn't he find out by battling me? Last time I checked, Pokemon battles are used to express someone's character better than anything else."

"I share your confusion myself," Scott chuckles. "But he wants you to tell him for yourself without your Pokemon. That means leave Electchu and your other Pokemon here at the Pokemon Center."

Timothy looks at the fat man, dumbfounded.

"Go out in the woods without my Pokemon? Is he crazy? There's probably wild Pokemon that might attack me!" He exclaims. "Next, you'll tell me he doesn't want to have a battle after we came all this way."

"Oh no, he is going to want a battle afterward," Scott reassures. "This is something he wants you to do before the battle."

Timothy gives Scott a skeptical look. Then he sighs and reluctantly takes all six Pokeballs from his belt and hands them to Nurse Joy.

"Please take care of my Pokemon while I'm out," he says reluctantly before turning to Electchu. "That means you too, pal."

Electchu nods and hops onto the front desk to follow Nurse Joy to the back door. Timothy then turns to Scott and asks, "Alright, where am I going?"

Scott smirks and says, "Follow the path northwest from here. Spencer's going to be meeting you around that area with his Venusaur."

"Oh great, I have to leave my Pokemon, but he gets to keep his around," Timothy grumbles to himself quietly so Scott can't hear him.

"I'll let Coovers know when he gets out of the restroom," Scott says. "Now, you better get going. And stay away from the deeper parts of the jungle. That's Beedrill territory."

"I'll keep that in mind," Timothy says half-heartedly, still wishing he can take his Pokemon with him.

With his spirits low, Timothy begrudgingly leaves the Pokemon Center and starts following the northwest path through the jungle. He keeps his sour mood, still against the idea of what he's doing while aimlessly following the trial.

"Why does there always have to be at least one person who wants you to do something completely redundant before they accept your challenge for a gym badge or a symbol?" He complains to himself. "What's worse is that this guy wants me to waste time talking while we're on the clock, potentially trying to stop Team Rocket. So for all we know he's risking the lives of who knows how many people and Pokemon just to have some laid back -"

Suddenly, he hears the sound of heavy footsteps coming from deep in the jungle. He stops walking and takes a cautious stance as the footsteps get closer and closer. Timothy mentally debates on whether or not to stay or run for safety until he sees two orange eyes coming from the long face of a dinosaur looking Pokemon.

"Saaaaaauuuurrrrr," the Venusaur growls.

"Ah, you must be Timothy," says a voice.

Timothy looks up to see an old man with a staff sitting on top of the Venusaur with a friendly smile. He loses his cautious stance and gives the old man a skeptical look.

"Tell me, Spenser, do you meet all of your challengers like this?" He asks.

Spenser gives a hearty chuckle as he gets off the Venusaur to face the 28-year-old man.

"Hardly," he answers. "But then again there isn't a special amount of participants in the Battle Frontier who get this far. At least not frequently enough to have a routine for every time they make it here on my island. No, young man, this is something I prefer to do with you in particular."

"Why?" Timothy questions with incredulity in his voice. "Scott says you wanted me to leave my Pokemon at the Pokemon Center to talk while you are here with your Venusaur."

Again, Spenser chuckles.

"Forgive the misunderstanding," he says. "Venusaur will not be joining us either."

The old man turns to Venusaur and softly says, "We'll see you there, old friend." Venusaur nods before it turns around and walks away, leaving the two men alone. Timothy's suspicion fades while Spenser turns to him and smiles.

"Well then, shall we walk?" He asks, gesturing with his staff.

"Very well," Timothy says plainly.

Thus they begin to walk quietly down the path with Spenser using his staff for support. Timothy becomes uneasy for a few minutes until he decides to break the ice.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" He asks.

For a moment, Spenser doesn't say anything, making Timothy unsure of whether or not the old man heard him. He opens his mouth to speak again until Spenser suddenly speaks up without looking at the younger man.

"How long have you been a trainer now, Timothy?"

Timothy looks at the old man, confused before he says, "18 years."

Spenser hums in thought.

"That is quite some time spent traveling to various regions to train and compete in Pokemon leagues, isn't it?" He states.

"I suppose so," Timothy answers bluntly.

"It is your dream to win all of the leagues and defeat the Elite Four and champions of every region, correct?" Spencer asks.

"Yes,"

"So, you have only accomplished part of your dream by winning the Johto League and defeating Lance?"

Timothy frowns, not liking the way Spenser stated the fact.

"What are you getting at?" He asks.

Spenser also frowns and finally turns to Timothy with a sad look.

"I'm sorry if you are uncomfortable with me being so forward, Timothy," he says. "It's just that it is rare for someone so accomplished as you are to partake in the Battle Frontier. Why is it you decided to participate when it's not part of your dream."

Timothy keeps his frown, not wishing to tell Spenser that he's only participating to find out what Brandon knows about the Gieldanstone. But then he remembers the deal he made with Ash and makes up a half-lie.

"Mostly because this kid named Ash participated and claimed to have learned a lot about Pokemon battling when he did," Timothy says.

"Ah, Ash," Spenser says with a fond look in his eye. "I had a remarkable battle with that boy."

"You and all of the other Frontier Brains I've faced," Timothy says with a small smirk.

"So, you decided to participate because you thought it might benefit you the way it did for Ash?" Spenser asks.

Timothy doesn't say anything for a moment but reflects on what he first thought of Ash when he met him in Pallet Town.

"He told me how he really improved as a trainer even to the point of almost winning the Kalos League despite his young age," Timothy explains. "If we are being honest, I was jealous that he was that close to winning a league. I was in my twenties by the time I got anywhere that close, and yet there he is, a boy who lost the final round to a Pokemon league by just one Pokemon - one attack even."

"I see," Spenser says, scratching his chin in thought. "So you agreed to Scott's offer out of hope that you will grow stronger as a battler in a way that Ash did when he faces the Frontier. Is that it?"

"In a way," Timothy says. "Plus, it sounded like a good way to occupy myself and my Pokemon before we compete in the Indigo League."

Spenser gives Timothy a small smile before he turns serious.

"But what happens if you complete your goal?" He asks. "Say you win all of the leagues and defeat all of the regional champions, what would happen next?"

Timothy frowns again and turns its head and looks up at the sky.

"You know, my friend, Coovers, asked me the same question," he says softly.

"And what did you say then?" Spenser asks.

Timothy stays silent for a few seconds and says, "I just said I didn't know, and I don't have time to think about it. Though, you should know for the record that we were discussing the idea of finding romance at the time because he's really into finding himself a pretty lady friend in his life."

"Oh, is he now?" Spenser says with a hearty chuckle.

"Yeah, one might say he's a little too much into it for his own good," Timothy says, smirking.

Both men chuckle for several seconds before silence overtakes them again as they walk. Then Spenser's face turns serious again, and he gives Timothy a sad look.

"So does that mean you never want anything more than just to battle or be around your Pokemon?" He asks.

Timothy looks at Spenser and sees the concern in the old man's eyes. He thinks about it before giving the best honest answer he can think of.

"It's not that I hate the idea of romance or anything like that. I just haven't had any reason to want it like Coovers does," he says. "I want to be the greatest trainer I can be and get as close to becoming a Pokemon Master as possible. That's what I've always wanted for as long as I can remember, and that's what has always kept me going to grow stronger with each and every one of my Pokemon."

"So, you have never wanted any other sort of companionship outside of being friends with every Pokemon you have ever caught in your time as a trainer?" Spenser asks. "Forgive me for being blunt, Timothy, but it sounds like you are rather close-minded about being open to people as well as Pokemon."

Timothy winces at Spenser's words and admits, "You're not entirely wrong. I love my family dearly, and I miss my grandmother even before she passed away two years ago, but I haven't wanted any sort or friendship outside of my Pokemon. Coovers and his sister, Laura, might be the only people in the world apart from my family that I have been open to. I've only started to be open to Ash and his friends only because Coovers kept encouraging me to. Well, that and one of his friends, Serena, is a nice girl who knew my grandmother. So I guess you can say I'm barely starting to open up to people like Ash, Serena, Dawn, and Brock."

Spenser nods in understanding, and the two men continue to walk in silence. After a couple of minutes, Spenser decides to speak again.

"I think it's wise that you are slowly opening up to people," he says. "Living your life with your Pokemon is good, but there can be greater value to finding close companionship with people."

Timothy looks at Spenser skeptically and says, "No offense, Spenser, but you seem like someone who doesn't open up to many people either."

"Oh, but I do," Spenser says with a soft smile. "It's always a treat to see Scott drop by, I spend time with the other Frontier Brains whenever we get a chance, Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center is such a kind and friendly young lady who enjoys talking with me when I drop by, and there are loved ones who are long gone and I miss very dearly. I may be a man who embraces what nature has to offer on this island with my dear Pokemon, but I have lived my life long enough to know when to treasure the companionship I've found with people as well."

Timothy remains silent even after Spenser finishes talking. He turns his head to face the path they are walking on, thinking about what the old man said. Spenser keeps smiling, knowing his point is made clear to the younger man.

"I'm not saying that you're wrong to dream as big as you do, Timothy," Spenser says reassuringly. "I merely suggest that you try to live life with more than your family and your Pokemon being there for you."

Timothy nods lightly, and the two men stay silent while walking. Eventually, the path leads them to walk up a tall cliff. At the top of the cliff lies a Pokemon battlefield where Scott, Coovers, Electchu, and Spenser's Venusaur are waiting for the two of them.

"Ah, just in time," Spenser says. "Looks like we finished our talk before we made it to the battlefield."

Timothy looks at Spenser confused and asks, "So we were on our way to have our battle this whole time?"

"That's right," Scott answers for Spenser. "Spenser was hoping he would time his talk with you so that you two would have met us here by the time you were done."

Spenser nods and turns to Timothy with a friendly smile.

"Now that we have our talk out of the way, what say we have a battle, young man?" He offers.

Timothy's confusion turns into a smirk as he eagerly says, "Alright, what are we waiting for? Scott, Coovers, did you bring the rest of my Pokemon with you?"

"Sure did," Scott says while Coovers and Electchu walk over to Timothy and Coovers hands him all six of his Pokeballs before walking back to where Scott is.

"Alright, Timothy, now this is going to be a three-on-three battle, and only you can substitute," Spenser says. "Having said that, I want you to understand that while we have a battlefield to start battling, the battle might not take place completely in this field."

"What do you mean?" Timothy asks.

"You see, I like to think of this entire side of the island as the battlefield," Spenser explains. "Here we have the jungle, a few mountains, and the beach. This battlefield up here is merely just the starting point. I want to test trainers physically as well as mentally to keep up with the battle because my Pokemon will use the entire island to their advantage, and they will expect your Pokemon to do the same."

Timothy raises his eyebrow intrigued and says, "Okay then, how is the battle going to be judged?"

"Simple, we're going to use Jamero," Spenser answers.

"Jamero?" Timothy and Coovers ask in confusion.

Suddenly, a small, floating, Pokeball-shaped robot appears flying in the air, startling Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu. Spenser and Scott smile at their reactions before the robot speaks.

"_Greetings, challenger Timothy and welcome to the Battle Palace,_" it says cheerfully.

"Jamero is my robotic referee," Spenser explains. "Notice he has a camera in front of him. That's built in so that Scott and your companion, Coovers, can watch from my hot-air balloon."

Timothy turns his head to notice the Pokeball-shaped hot-air balloon standing on the side of the battlefield.

"So, do you think you can handle a battle against me this way?" Spenser asks with a smirk.

Timothy gives the old man a boastful smirk of his own and asks, "Do you?"

Spenser chuckles and says, "Classic comeback, young man. Now let us get this battle going."

"Agreed," Timothy and Coovers say simultaneously.

Thus, Scott and Coovers get in the hot-air balloon while Spenser walks to one side of the field, and Timothy and Electchu walk to the other side. The floating robot, Jamero, flies to the sidelines with Venusaur standing next to it.

"_Attention, please. This is the battle between Palace Maven Spenser and Timothy Durbin, the challenger,_" it says. "_This will be a three-on-three battle. The battle will be over when all three Pokemon from either side are unable to continue. Furthermore, only the challenger can substitute Pokemon. Are the contestants ready?_"

"Ready," Timothy and Spenser say at the same time.

"_Then battle begin,_" Jamero says.

"Shiftry, to my side!" Spenser calls out as he throws a Pokeball and a Shiftry comes out looking ready to fight viciously.

"A Shiftry, huh? Well, that makes my first choice an easy pic," Timothy says before throwing a Pokeball. "Odyssey, come on out!"

The ball opens, and Timothy's trusty Lucario growls proudly and takes an offensive stance.

"Ah, a fighting Pokemon," Spenser says intrigued. "Smart idea, but typing isn't everything."

"True, but very few people properly use that fact to stop us," Timothy says proudly. "Odyssey, let's see what Shiftry is made of with Aura Sphere."

Odyssey puts it paws close together and summons a ball of aura energy. The Lucario throws the ball at Shiftry, but Spenser just smirks.

"Shiftry, to the jungle!" he calls out.

Shifty jumps high into the air, dodging the Aura Sphere, and runs over to the edge of the cliff and slides down to the bottom. Odyssey looks at where it saw its opponent disappear in confusion and turns to Timothy and Electchu.

"Yeah, apparently, the whole island is the battlefield, and this is just the starting point," Timothy explains with a shrug. "Anyway, follow that Shiftry!"

Odyssey nods in understanding and races after it. Timothy, Electchu, Spenser, and Venusaur slide down the cliff and follow behind while Scott and Coovers watch the match from the hot air balloon.

"Well, that didn't take Spenser long," Coovers comments as he watches the battle through the monitor.

Scott chuckles and says, "Spenser likes to use the entire island to his advantage right away. He's pulled this move on pretty much every challenger he has, including Ash."

As the trainers and Pokemon below run through the jungle, Odyssey catches up with Shiftry. The two Pokemon glare at each other as they try to outrun the other.

"Odyssey, use Aura Sphere again!" Timothy calls out as he runs.

"Shiftry, use Quick Attack!" Spenser orders.

Odyssey fires another Aura Sphere, but Shiftry dodges and with great speed, tackles the Lucario and rams it into a tree. Odyssey gets down on one knee and holds its side while Shiftry grins boastfully.

"Nice try, Timothy, but Shiftry is too fast," Spenser says proudly.

Timothy gives the old man a raised eyebrow.

"We'll see about that," he says. "Odyssey, Extreme Speed!"

Almost as soon as the order leaves his mouth, Odyssey zooms from its spot and starts circling around Shiftry, with incredible speed. Shiftry and Spenser look around, trying to spot where the Lucario is, but can't find it before Lucario rams into Shiftry from behind and sends the wicked Pokemon flying into a tree face first.

"Too slow," Timothy says with both him and Electchu giving Spenser a cocky grin.

Spenser chuckles and says, "Speed isn't everything, young man. Shiftry, use Double Team!"

Shiftry manages to get up and face its opponent again. Then it makes several copies that surround Odyssey, making the Lucario uneasy.

"Odyssey, don't worry!" Timothy commands. "Use a combo of Extreme Speed and Bone Rush to get rid of them all until you get the real one!"

Odyssey creates a bone of energy and races at great speed again, destroying copies of its opponent rapidly.

"Quick Attack, one more time!" Spenser orders.

The real Shiftry steps into where Odyssey is running and tackles it hard. The Lucario tumbles to the ground and lies down on the ground in pain.

"A commendable effort, Timothy, but Shiftry and I learn from our mistakes," Spenser states. "Now, use Shadow Ball!"

Shiftry puts its hands in front of it and creates a purple ball. It appears in its arms, and the ball heads to Odyssey, who is slowly getting up.

"Odyssey, batter up!" Timothy calls out.

Odyssey's eyes snap open, and it sees the Shadow Ball heading straight to it. The Lucario quickly creates another Bone Rush and swings it like a bat, hitting the Shadow Ball and sending it back to Shiftry, hitting it. The wicked Pokemon grunts and snaps its eyes shut for a moment before it glares at Odyssey angrily, looking like it's hardly in any pain.

"Clever," Spenser says plainly with a small smirk. "Shiftry, use Rock Smash!"

Shiftry smashes its hand into the ground and flings several rocks toward Odyssey.

"Odyssey, dodge the rocks and get Shiftry with an Extreme speed and Strength combo!" Timothy orders.

Odyssey's body becomes surrounded in a red aura, and it charges at Shiftry while dodging all the rocks heading toward it. The Lucario keeps dodging rocks while running at amazing speed until it reaches Shiftry, who only has a moment to realize what is going on before Odyssey rams into it again, and then lifts it up and throws it at a tree. Shiftry hits the tree face first and slides down to the ground while moaning.

"Don't give it a moment, Odyssey. Aura Sphere one more time!" Timothy commands.

Odyssey creates another Aura Sphere and throws it straight at Shiftry, who has eyes shut and is groaning in pain. Before Spenser can say anything, the Aura Sphere hits Shiftry, and it slams against the tree again before it falls down into the ground unconscious.

"_Shiftry is unable to battle!_" Jamero declares while taking out a green flag from inside its left top antennae. "_Odyssey wins!_"

"Yes!" Timothy shouts, shaking his fist into the air.

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts happily.

"Luca!" Odyssey roars triumphantly.

Spenser, meanwhile, returns Shiftry to its Pokeball and smiles.

"Nicely done, Timothy," he says before turning to Venusaur. "Looks like you're up, Venusaur. To my side."

"Saaauuuur," Venusaur growls as it walks over and takes a battle stance.

"Interesting. I had the impression you'd choose Venusaur last," Timothy states as he takes out Odyssey's Pokeball. "No big deal. Odyssey, get some rest."

Odyssey nods obediently, and a pink beam comes out from its ball and pulls it back in. Spenser looks at Timothy, intrigued while the latter takes out another ball.

"Why are you changing Pokemon?" He asks. "Do you think your Lucario was too weak to face Venusaur?"

"Not at all. I just decided to give you another chance to show you're someone that can prove typing isn't everything," Timothy answers with a small smirk before he throws the Pokeball. "Blitzwing, come on out!"

The Pokeball opens, and Timothy's trusty Braviary comes out, letting out a loud "Brrraaaaiiiii!" as it flies.

"Ah, I understand," Spenser says. "You want me to prove Venusaur, and I can defeat your Braviary even though your Pokemon has the type advantage."

"I do," Timothy answers plainly.

Spenser nods and says, "Very well, Timothy, we accept your challenge. Right, Venusaur?"

"Sssaaaaaaauuuurrrrrr!" Venusaur growls.

Meanwhile, Coovers frowns skeptically in the hot-air balloon after hearing why Timothy switched Pokemon.

"He's getting cocky," he says to Scott. "I've seen him act like this with other challengers. When someone makes claims about something like type advantage not meaning everything, Timothy likes to toy with them with something like this, so they have multiple chances to prove they can beat his Pokemon despite their disadvantage."

Scott frowns too and says, "That's not a wise thing to do when you are going up against an opponent like Spenser, especially since he and his Venusaur are a very powerful duo."

"Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!" Spenser commands.

"Dodge and use Brave Bird!" Timothy shouts back.

Venusaur launches several razor-sharp leaves from its back, but Blitzwing dodges them and charges at its opponent surrounded by red fire. Blitzwing hits Venusaur, and the large seed Pokemon is sent sliding several yards and hitting a tree.

"Use Vine Whip!" Spencer calls out.

"Dodge and use Brave Bird once more!" Timothy orders.

Two vines emerge from Venusaur's back and lunge toward Blitzwing, but once again, the Braviary dodges and with the red fire all over its body. It hits Venusaur hard, sending it crashing into another tree.

"I hope you don't plan to rely on that move completely," Spenser says.

"As you wish," Timothy says with a smirk. "Blitzwing, use Aerial Ace!"

Spenser smirks back and says, "Venusaur, use Tackle."

Blitzwing dives down, and with a powerful flap of its wings, it zooms toward Venusaur, who charges at it. The two Pokemon collide with each other, but despite Blitzwing's speed, Venusaur's force is more powerful. The seed Pokemon sends Blitzwing, flying back and slamming into a tree.

"Blitzwing, are you alright?" Timothy asks.

The valiant Pokemon slowly gets up from the ground and spreads its wings apart to show that it's okay. Timothy and Electchu sigh in relief while Spencer looks up at the sky and smiles.

"Hmm, yes, it's a very sunny day today," he says observantly. "Venusaur, use Solar Beam!"

Venusaur nods and starts collecting sunlight with the flower on its back. Timothy, Electchu, and Blitzwing turn to their opponents, and Timothy frowns with a determined look.

"Blitzwing. Don't give them a chance to use that Solar Beam!" He orders. "Use Crush Claw repeatedly!"

Blitzwing nods in understanding and flies toward its defenseless opponent with its claws glowing red. It starts repeatedly crushing its claws down on its opponent's body relentlessly. Venusaur roars in pain but keeps its focus on collecting all the sunlight it needs.

"Wow, that Venusaur is persistent," Coovers says. "If it uses that Solar beam, then it's a good thing Blitzwing is resistant to grass attacks."

"Don't be too sure," Scott says seriously.

Finally, Venusaur finishes collecting all the sunlight, and Spenser smirks.

"Now, Venusaur, use Solar Beam!" he shouts.

"Dodge it!" Timothy commands.

Unfortunately, Venusaur releases its attack, and the white beam coming out from its flower is so large that it engulfs Blitzwing before it could attempt to dodge. The Braviary screams in pain, and it's sent flying so high into the air that it's sent crashing far past Timothy, Electchu, Venusaur, and Spenser's line of sight.

"Blitzwing!" Timothy shouts.

"Raichu!" Electchu screams.

"Timothy!" Coovers calls out from the balloon. "We saw Blitzwing land close to the beach!"

Timothy doesn't bother to respond to his companion before he and Electchu race to the beach with Spenser and Venusaur following behind. Scott and Coovers follow them in the hot-air balloon with Jameo flying beside them.

"Man, I can't believe the size of that Solar Beam," Coovers says. "That practically sent Blitzwing flying to the other side of the island."

"Yep, that's what I meant when I said not to be too sure about whether or not it can resist Solar Beam," Scott says in a matter-of-factly tone. "Venusaur is pretty powerful, and Spenser has trained it hard to make its Solar Beam so large and so powerful that it is nearly impossible to dodge and typically takes down its opponent with one move. Spenser proved this before when it used Solar Beam to defeat Ash's Heracross when he was participating in the Battle Frontier."

"Well, I hope Blitzwing is going to be an exception to it taking down its opponent with that attack," Coovers says nervously.

Everyone makes it to the beach, and Timothy's heart sinks to find his Braviary lying on the ground. He and Electchu rush to Blitzwing's side to find the valiant Pokemon panting heavily.

"Blitzwing, can you continue?" He asks. "I can have you switched out so you can rest and battle later."

"Braiiiv," Blitzwing groans and it slowly stands up until it's at the same eye level as it's trainer.

"Are you sure?" Timothy asks. "You probably can hold for one more hit at best."

"Braviary!" Blitzwing caws determinedly, spreading its wings apart to show that it wants to battle.

Timothy gives his Pokemon a small smile and says, "Alright, but I'm switching you out as soon as we take down Venusaur. Got it?"

Blitzwing smirks and nods before the two of them and Electchu face Spenser and Venusaur with Blitzwing taking an offensive stance.

"Impressive. Few Pokemon stay conscious after Venusaur's Solar Beam," Spencer says. "But it's risky for you to let your Pokemon keep going in that state."

"Oh, I agree," Timothy says plainly. "But we'll never know for sure until we find out. Blitzwing, use Brave Bird one more time!"

Spenser frowns and says, "Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Once again, Blitzwing's body is surrounded in red fire, and it charges at Venusaur, dodging its Razor Leaf. The bird-like Pokemon rams into its opponent, and Venusaur is knocked off its feet and sent crashing into a larger rock, breaking it into pieces. The seed Pokemon struggles to get up, with several big scratches all over its body after being hit by another powerful Flying-type attack. Spenser stares in shock as he realizes the gravity of the situation. Timothy and Electchu both grin at the old man before Timothy turns to his Braviary.

"Finish it with Aerial Ace," he commands.

Blitzwing nods before it dives down and with one flap charges at Venusaur.

"Venusaur, use Tackle!" Spenser cries out desperately.

Venusaur quickly gets up and charges at its opponent again. Unfortunately, when the two Pokemon collide, the grass-type Pokemon is knocked off its feet again and hits another large rock before falling down with swirly eyes. Blitzwing lets out a loud, triumphant call, but it suddenly stops in mid-caw and plummets to the ground, passed out.

"_Both Pokemon are unable to battle! It is a draw!_" Jamero announces with a green and red flag coming out from both of its upper antennas.

Coovers frowns and says, "Looks like Timothy and Blitzwing's gamble was a mixed bag this time."

"Yes, it was," Scott agrees with a serious look on his face. "What's worse is that Spenser's final Pokemon is much stronger than even Venusaur. Timothy's going to need to play it smartly to stand a chance with this Pokemon."

Spenser returns Venusaur back into its Pokeball and gives the ball a sad smile.

"You were magnificent, my friend," he says kindly before he takes out another Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Claydol, to my side."

Timothy has just finished returning Blitzwing to its Pokeball by the time he notices Spenser's Pokeball opening to reveal a Claydol. He smirks in amusement while Spenser gives him a respectable smile.

"So, what will it be, Timothy?" The old man asks. "Are you going to take out your Lucario, again, or are you going to choose a Pokemon that has a type advantage against my Claydol?"

"Actually, I'm feeling like using a Pokemon that is both strong and weak against your Claydol just to make it interesting," Timothy answers with a smirk while taking out another Pokeball. "That, and Gengar has yet to contribute to the Battle Frontier anyway."

He tosses the Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal a Gengar grinning at Claydol mischievously.

"No!" Coovers shouts. "His cockiness is getting to his head. Claydol is a ground, and psychic type and Gengar is weak against both!"

"Actually, Spenser's Claydol doesn't know any ground-type and has only one offensive psychic-type move, which is Psybeam," Scott says. "Even so, Timothy took out Gengar not knowing whether or not Spenser's Pokemon has any moves powerful against Gengar. I hope Timothy has something up his sleeve because Claydol is very powerful, and if he underestimates it, he'll regret it."

"Alright, let's not waste any time," Timothy says. "Gengar, use Dark Pulse!"

"Claydol, Teleport, and use Psybeam!" Spenser commands.

Gengar fires Dark Pulse from its hands, but Claydol disappears right before the attack hits. Gengar looks around in confusion until Claydol appears right behind it and prepares to release a powerful Psybeam from the tips of its arms.

"Gengar, on the ground!" Timothy commands.

Gengar phases through the ground, causing Claydol to miss. This time, Claydol looks around in confusion.

"Now, use Lick!" Timothy orders.

Gengar emerges from the ground and licks Claydol from top to bottom with its long tongue. Claydol whimpers in disgust while Timothy frowns in disappointment.

"Ah, I see. You were hoping to paralyze Claydol with Lick. Looks like you wasted a move," Spenser says, smiling. "Still, it was smart of you to have your Gengar phase from under the ground."

Timothy keeps frowning for a moment before he shrugs and says, "True, there's only a slight chance of Lick paralyzing an opponent, but there's more than one way to get the job done."

"How true," Spenser says, nodding before turning to Claydol. "Claydol, use Hyper Beam on the ground!"

Claydol aims its arms at the ground in front of Gengar and fires Hyper Beam. The attack explodes and knocks Gengar off its feet, causing it to fall down on its back for a moment before it stands back up.

"Clever. Use the ground to hurt Gengar with Hyper Beam even though that is a normal attack and so is ineffective against Gengar directly," Timothy says.

"Correct," Spenser says, nodding. "Once again, the entire island is the battlefield, so I will use any part of it to my advantage."

"So I see," Timothy says. "Gengar, use Shadow Ball!"

"Knock it off with another Hyper Beam!" Spenser commands.

Gengar and Claydol fire their attacks at the same time, causing the Shadow Ball and Hyper Beam to explode on impact, creating a large cloud of smoke.

"Now use Dark Pulse, straight ahead!" Timothy calls out.

Gengar fires another Dark Pulse despite being unable to see anything through the smoke. The attack hits the unsuspecting Claydol, and it howls. When the dust clears, the clay doll Pokemon appears to be in pain.

"Ah, you used the smoke to catch Claydol off guard," Spencer says, impressed. "Claydol, use multiple Psybeam!"

"Dodge and watch out for where it's aiming," Timothy says plainly.

Claydol fires multiple Psybeams, but Gengar hops around, dodging them. The ghost type Pokemon grins mockingly at its opponent while it keeps its eye on where Claydol is firing so that Claydol doesn't catch it off guard with another attack aimed at the ground in front of Gengar.

"Now use Shadow Ball again!" Timothy orders.

"Use Teleport and then use Rapid Spin!" Spencer calls out.

"Rapid Spin?" Timothy asks before he and Electchu look at each other, confused. "Doesn't he know that's also a normal type move which is ineffective against Gengar?"

"Raichu," Electchu nods, looking just as confused.

Claydol teleports away, dodging Gengar's Shadow Ball. It reappears close to its opponent and starts spinning rapidly. Timothy and Electchu stare at the display, still puzzled until Claydol's Rapid Spin creates a large sand twister and sucks an unsuspecting Gengar.

"Gengar!" Timothy calls out worriedly.

"Now, use Psybeam!" Spencer commands.

Claydol fires a Psybeam at Gengar. The attack hits Gengar directly in the chest and knocks it out of the vortex and sends it crashing onto the ground. Timothy and Electchu stare in shock as Gengar struggles to get up.

"You know, it's kind of funny," Spencer says with a friendly smile. "A while back, Ash was in the same position as you are with one of his Pokemon, and I used the same technique I just pulled on your Gengar. Though I don't think you should count on pulling through in the end, Timothy. Unlike Ash, you have an arrogant side that likes to gamble with chance. When we finish off your Gengar, it may as well be over with your Lucario as your last Pokemon who has already taken some damage."

Timothy thinks hard about what to do next. Coovers and Scott grow concerned from the hot-air balloon, and Electchu is starting at Gengar, hoping it will get up.

"No, it wouldn't be," Timothy says.

"I'm sorry?" Spenser asks.

Timothy looks at the Frontier Brain seriously with a determined look in his eye.

"It wouldn't be over," he says firmly. "I know because Odyssey may be weak to Psychic attacks, but you just revealed you only have two Psychic moves with only one capable of doing damage and two normal types that Odyssey is resistant to. It may not be easy, but I believe Odyssey can finish the job if Gengar fails. But I know Gengar won't fail me because you only have one attack that can seriously hurt it, whereas all of Gengar's attacks will affect Claydol. I may get cocky, but that cockiness comes from years of battling and trust in my Pokemon. It got me to defeating Lance and the Elite Four, and I know it will defeat you."

Timothy turns to Gengar, who is still struggling to stand and says, "Come on, Gengar, I know you can do it. Our opponents have shown all of their cards, and I know now how to beat them. I need you to stay strong and show me how fast and powerful you are after all of our years of training and battling."

Everyone watches in anticipation for a few seconds until Gengar starts grinding its teeth and slowly picks itself up. Timothy smirks confidently as the Shadow Pokemon makes another battle stance showing it's ready to give it its all.

"Gengar!" Gengar roars.

"Atta boy, Gengar," Timothy encourages. "Now, phase through the ground!"

Gengar nods and hides underground. Spencer frowns disapprovingly at the challenger.

"And here I hope you were giving me more," he says. "Claydol, use Rapid Spin!"

But Timothy grins and shouts, "Gengar, keep at a distance and wait before you attack with Shadow Ball, followed by Lick!"

Claydol spins around again, causing another twister made of sand, but this time the sand tornado fails to trap Gengar inside. After a couple seconds, the twister fades, and Claydol wonders where it's opponent is only for Gengar to emerge from the ground and throws another Shadow Ball at Claydol successfully hitting it. As soon as the Shadow Ball hits the clay doll Pokemon, Gengar extends its tongue and licks its opponent. Once Gengar is done with its combo, Claydol lets out a long moan, and yellow sparks appear all over its body.

"Oh, no!" Spenser shouts worriedly.

"Oh, yes. It's paralyzed," Timothy grins. "Don't let up, Gengar! Use Dark Pulse!"

Gengar fires another Dark Pulse, and it hits Claydol, who is growing weaker.

"Let's finish this! Use Night Shade!" Timothy yells.

Gengar's eyes glow red, and it goes a dark crimson beam at Claydol. The attack hits and knocks Claydol off its feet, and it falls into the ground with a loud thud. Spenser stares at Claydol's swirly eyes while Jamero raises a green flag.

"_Claydol is unable to battle!_" it declares. "_Gengar is the winner, which means the victory goes to Timothy, the challenger!_"

"Yes! Way to go, Gengar!" Timothy cheers.

"Raichu!" Electchu says happily.

"Gengar, har, har, har, har!" Gengar shouts happily as it dances with glee.

Coovers lets out a sigh of relief and says, "Thank heaven."

Spenser sighs sadly and returns Claydol to its Pokeball.

"You fought well, my friend," he says kindly before walking over to Timothy and Electchu with a smile. "Well, young man, it seems you have bested me in a battle fair and square. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Spenser," Timothy says.

Spenser nods before his face turns serious.

"I must warn you, though, Timothy, your pride, will be your downfall if you're not careful. You and your Pokemon are strong, but there will be times where that won't be enough."

"I'll try to keep that in mind," Timothy says half-heartedly.

'Very well," Spenser says, taking out a symbol from his pocket. "Regardless, you have earned the Spirit Symbol for proof that you have defeated me."

"Thank you," Timothy says.

As Coovers and Scott land the hot-air balloon to meet with Spenser, Timothy, and Electchu, Timothy takes out his symbol case and places the Spirit Symbol inside. He turns to Coovers, who still has a look of relief on his face and presents the case to his friend.

"Only one more to go before Brandon," he says.

"So close," Coovers agrees.

"But you better be careful, Timothy," Scott says. "The sixth one is very tough."

"I'll keep that in mind too," Timothy replies.

"Good," Scott says, nodding. "Then, your next destination will be the Battle Tower located near Tohjo Falls."

"Tohjo Falls?" Timothy says surprised while Electchu and Coovers give looks of shock. "But that's all the way to the border between Kanto and Johto."

Coovers' face turns grim, and he says, "That means we'll have to head the entire way by ferry, won't we?"

"Mostly," Scott says, giving Coovers a sympathetic smile.

"Ugh, I don't think my body can take me constantly throwing up anymore," Coovers whines.

"Do you get seasick, Coovers?" Spenser asks.

Coovers frowns and nods like a little child.

"Well, the next ferry won't leave for several hours, so why don't I make something for you while Nurse Joy looks at my and Timothy's Pokemon?" Spenser offers. "I have some herbs that will keep you from getting seasick."

Coovers' eyes widen, and he gives the old man a hopeful smile.

"Really? You can do that?" He asks.

Spenser nods with a friendly smile.

"Oh, thank you so much! You're a saint!" Coovers says in a hysterical voice.

Everyone else chuckles at Coovers' demeanor before Spenser gestures Coovers, Scott, Timothy, and Electchu to follow him back to the Pokemon Center. As the five of them leave, however, Jessie, James, and Meowth emerge from their hiding spots near the trees, giggling mischievously.

"We are so close to finding out the location of Brandon," James says.

"And with finding him, there's endless praise from the boss," Meowth says.

"Speaking of the boss, let's inform him of our progress while those dweebs haven't left yet," Jessie suggests.

The other two Team Rocket members nod excitedly, and Jessie takes out a portable video caller and presses several buttons before placing it on the ground. The three of them stand back and take professional stances before a holographic screen appears revealing Giovanni's face.

"Sir!" They say simultaneously.

"_Report,_" Giovanni commands firmly.

"Sir, as you have requested, we are reporting further progress on our mission," James says.

"_Indeed?_" Giovanni asks.

"Yes, Durbin has just defeated another Frontier Brain," Jessie says. "Now, he only has to defeat one more so he can learn the location to Brandon."

Giovanni grins evilly.

"_Wonderful,_" he says. "_How far away is the next Frontier Brain?_"

"She's all the way in Tohjo Falls," Meowth says. "They'll be taking a ferry to head most of the way there."

Giovanni frowns at this information.

"_So it will be some time before those fools get there much less find out the location of your target,_" he says observantly. "_Very well, we will make do with the time we have. Keep up the good work. If you discover anything of importance along the way, do not hesitate to report._"

"Sir, yes, sir!" The trio replies.

Giovanni nods before the image of him disappears. The three Team Rocket members stay quiet for a moment before they start giggling like little children.

"I think the boss is starting to really like us," James squeals in a high-pitched voice.

"He told us to keep up the good work!" Jessie giggles with her hands clasped together. "I could get used to him saying that till the end of time!"

"So, what are we waiting for?" Meowth asks excitedly. "Let's get back on the sub and get ready to follow those bozos all the way to Tohjo Falls pronto!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet says with a salute, appearing behind the grotto from its Pokeball again

With that, the three of them run as fast as their legs can carry them, laughing all the way happily. Meanwhile, the figure in the cloaked watches them leave and lets out an eager hum.

"_They are so desperate to please him,_" it growls in disgust. "_All the more reason to do what must be done._"


	37. Chapter 37

It's the morning after Max and Holly just won their badges from the Fuchsia City gym, and the group has just made it back to Fuchsia City itself. The night before, they decided to make camp just a couple of miles or so from the city where May and Max got to know Holly better and vice versa. Brock was overjoyed to watch more of his friends start to bond with the woman he likes while he was making supper for everyone. After everyone ate, they took out their sleeping bags and fell asleep so that they can get up and make it to the city first thing in the morning.

After they enter Fuchsia City bright and early, the group decides to go to the Pokemon Center and have Nurse Joy check on everyone's Pokemon while Ash and Serena make a quick call to Clermont and Bonnie.

"_Oh, wow!_" Bonnie exclaims excitedly. "_You already have four ribbons now? That's so great, Serena!_"

"_Yes, it's good to hear you've been making such remarkable progress, Serena,_" Clemont says calmly with a smile.

"Thank you, you guys," Serena says sweetly before she frowns. "Sorry I took so long to update you."

"_That's alright. No doubt you've been working hard focusing on winning more ribbons,_" Bonnie says with a toothy grin.

"Hey, Clemont, how are your inventions going?" Ash asks.

Clemont chuckles nervously and says, "_They're_ _going slowly. Apart from fixing Clembot, my inventing hasn't been going as smoothly as I would like._"

"I'll say," Bonnie says with an annoyed glare. "_Every time he works on a new invention, it blows up when he tries to turn it on._"

Ash and Serena both chuckle.

"That sounds about right," Ash says.

"I don't miss getting my hair messed up because of your inventions exploding, Clemont," Serena says, giving Clemont a sympathetic look.

"_Yeah, you guys are lucky. You don't have to live with Clemont and get your hair ruined because he keeps blowing stuff up. He really needs a wife,_" Bonnie says before her eyes widen, and she grins enthusiastically. "_Hey, I got a great idea. Why don't Clemont and I fly over to Kanto for the Grand Festival and Indigo League?_"

"Hey, that is a great idea," Serena says happily. "Then, you can cheer for Ash and me!"

"Yeah, that would be awesome," Ash says.

Bonnie turns to Clemont and starts tugging him by his suit.

"_Can we go to Kanto to support Ash and Serena? Please, please, please, please, please plllleeeaaasssseeee?!_" She begs childishly

Clemont smiles and says, "_Yeah, I think that sounds like a great idea._"

"_Yay!_" Bonnie cheers.

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena smile at their friends on the screen and nod before they hear Brock's voice from the other side of the hall.

"Ash, Serena, Pikachu, we gotta go!" He calls out. "Max and Holly just got their Pokemon back from Nurse Joy, and the ferry's on the other side of town!"

"Okay, Brock!" Ash calls out back before turning back to the screen. "Well, it's time for us to go, guys."

"_That's alright. We understand,_" Clemont says. "_Don't forget to call us when you win your last ribbon, Serena._"

"I won't. I promise," Serena says. "Take care, you guys."

"_Bye, bye!_" Bonnie calls out cheerfully.

The screen disappears, and Ash, Serena, and Pikachu turn around and head down the hall and exit the Pokemon Center where Brock, Holly, May, and Max are waiting for them. As the six trainers walk with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder, Serena smiles fondly and sighs before turning to Ash.

"I'm so glad we remembered to give them a call this time," she says.

"Yeah, me too," Ash says with a friendly grin before turning to Serena. "Do you miss Kalos, Serena?"

Serena looks at Ash taken back by his question for a moment before a small smile enters her face, and she turns her head to look at the sky.

"A little," she says. "I do miss participating in showcases and traveling with Clemont and Bonnie. I also miss Mairin, Alain, Professor Sycamore - I even miss Mom, Fletchling, and Rhyhorn. But I'm happy to be away to pursue my dream and go to new places I've never been before with you and meet people and Pokemon that you've come across in your past journeys."

Ash gives her a fond smile and nods.

"What about you? Do you miss Kalos?" Serena asks.

"Definitely," Ash says without hesitating. "I loved seeing new Pokemon and learning more about mega evolution. I also miss traveling with Clemont and Bonnie and seeing what kind of inventions Clemont makes. And not a day goes back where I don't wonder how Goodra, Greninja, Squishy, and Squishy's friend are doing. But at the same time, I'm also glad that I can revisit so much of Kanto and introduce you to the friends I've made over the years."

Serena's smile grows, feeling happy to hear Ash say the last sentence. But then she frowns as she begins to worry about how much longer she be able to stay by his side after the Grand Festival and the Indigo League. But her moment of worry is short-lived when the group makes their way to the dock, and they hear two familiar voices.

"Hey, you guys, over here!"

"Piplup!"

Immediately, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Holly, May, and Max turn their heads to see Dawn and Piplup happily running towards them with Dawn waving her hand in the air. Everyone but Holly smiles brightly and runs to meet up with the blunette and her partner.

"Dawn, it's so good to see you!" Serena exclaims as she and May run over to hug their friend.

"It's great to see you too," Dawn replies as she hugs Serena and May back. "Are you guys taking the ferry to Cinnabar Island too?"

"We sure are," Ash answers. "We're going for Serena to compete in the contest while Max and Holly challenge the gym."

"Wonderful! Piplup and I are going for the contest too!" Dawn says excitedly before she looks confused. "But who is Holly?"

"That would be me," Holly says, stepping in.

Dawn stares at Holly in shock.

"Hey, I remember you! You were Brock's partner at the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle Tournament! Brock was really devastated that you left!" She exclaims before she realizes that Brock and Holly are standing close together. "Wait...does that mean the two of you are an item?"

"No, not yet," Holly answers with a smile. "But we're planning to become one after I compete in the Indigo League."

"What?!" Dawn shouts frantically. "Are you serious?!"

"Very," Holly says, taking Brock's hand. "And I can't wait until then."

"I'm counting the moments myself," Brock squeaks while giving Holly a loving look.

Holly chuckles, amused with Brock's declaration while Dawn, Max, and May stare at the pair befuddled. Suddenly, their thoughts are interrupted by a loud horn, and they turn to realize it's coming from the ferry.

"Guys, the ferry's about to leave soon!" Max exclaims. "Let's get in now and talk later!"

Everyone says words of agreement before they all race toward the ship heading to Cinnabar Island.

The group manages to catch the ferry before it sets sail to its destination. They are able to get rooms close to each other with one room for the girls and the other for the guys. Shortly afterward, May learns from one of the crew members that the ship has an outside pool and so everyone excitedly agrees to change into their swimsuits and check it out. Before long, Ash, Max, Brock, Holly, Pikachu, and Piplup are swimming in the pool with the two Pokemon splashing water at each other playfully, Ash and Max racing each other from different sides of the pool and Brock and Holly just swimming together.

Meanwhile, Serena, May, and Dawn decide to lay down on beach chairs in their swimsuits. Absol is out of its Pokeball and is lying down next to Serena, who pets its head affectionately while the three girls lay down with their eyes closed, feeling the sun on their skin.

"Ah, this is the life. Right, guys?" Dawn says with a blissful sigh.

"You said it, Dawn," May says.

"I can't remember the last time I've bathed in the sun like this," Serena says as she pets Absol's head. "In fact, the last time I relaxed at the beach like this was with my mom before I went on my journey with Ash and our friends, Clemont and Bonnie."

"Sol," Absol says while enjoying being pet by its mother figure.

Dawn's open her eyes and turns to Serena with a teasing smirk.

"Oh yeah, speaking of which, Serena, how's it going for you and Mr. Dense over there?" She asks.

Serena's eyes snap open, and her cheeks heat up, knowing exactly who Dawn is referring to.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to ask about that at the gym," May says, opening her eyes and turning to Serena. "Have you had any luck coming through to him?"

Serena freezes in place, realizing she is outnumbered and surrounded with May and Dawn sitting next to her on both sides. Then she sighs, knowing what she has to say.

"No, I'm afraid it's just the same," she says.

The two other girls groan in disappointment.

"Seriously?" Dawn ridicules. "Have you tried to make any progress since I last saw you guys at Saffron City?"

"Um… not really," Serena admits.

May gives a sad frown while Dawn huffs, annoyed.

"Honestly, Serena, when do you plan to tell him how you feel? When you guys are in your sixties or something?" Dawn rebukes.

"No, it's not like that," Serena says, waving her hands. "There just isn't a good moment to try to tell him how I feel. And besides, we've been so focused on me competing in contests and him rechallenging gyms that it doesn't seem right to tell him."

"Serena, there may never be a good time if you keep making excuses like that," May says with a sympathetic look. "If this is how you're going to be with just confessing your feelings, how long will it be before you're finally going out with him or kissing him?"

Serena's cheeks turn red again, but this time she smiles and looks down, playing with her fingers. Dawn and May look at her confused until it hits them.

"Have you...kissed Ash?" Dawn asks.

Serena's blush grows, and she hesitantly says, "On...the...cheek."

Dawn and May look at her in shock, unable to believe what they just heard.

"How did Ash react to that?" May asks.

"Uh...he didn't," Serena says, her face turning redder. "You see we were going back to our rooms at the Pokemon Center after having dinner with the Frontier Brain, Lucy and her sisters and Ash was getting sleepy from eating a lot of sweets I made. I carried him to bed, and he said that I make the best sweets in the world before he passed out and...I was so touched by his kind words that I…"

"Kissed him while he was sleeping," Dawn finishes with a smirk. "Girl, you have some nerve."

Serena whimpers in embarrassment, and Absol looks at her in confusion.

"I know! I know! I know!" She exclaims. "I just couldn't help myself! He was so sweet, and I really wanted to thank him and I just...wanted to kiss him!"

May and Dawn sigh and shake their heads.

"Well, I guess it's something better than nothing," May sighs. "Though you should have waited until he was awake to thank him."

"I know," Serena whines. "I just couldn't wait until then. It really means a lot to hear him say things like that or hear him cheer me on when I'm competing in contests. I just had to thank him on the spot."

"That still doesn't raise your chances of getting through that dense mind of his," Dawn counters.

"Yeah, if you really want to thank him, you have to do it when he's wide awake and can say everything you have to say," May says.

"But that was two weeks ago, so there's no point," Serena protests.

May and Dawn frown disapprovingly and think of a way to give their shy friend a push. Then, May's eyes widen, and she starts to blush after getting an idea. After a moment of debating, she shuts her eyes and shakes her head before turning to Serena with a determined look.

"Then we will have to force a proper "thank you" kiss out of you," she says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Serena says with her, Absol and Dawn looking at May confused.

"Well, since you apparently have faced Dawn in a contest battle but not me, then we should fix that," May suggests. "I noticed there's a battlefield inside, so let's have a little wager."

"A wager?" Dawn asks.

"Yes," May says. "If you beat me in a contest battle, then you have to walk straight over to Ash and kiss him on the cheek and thank him for all the nice things he's done for you in front of everyone."

Serena's cheeks heat up, and she says, "I have to do that? But...but what happens if I lose?"

May's face turns red, and she grabs the sides of her beach chair to muster the courage to answer.

"If I win…then…" she begins before taking a huge breath and spits out, "Then I'm going to kiss Ash!"

"What?!" Serena and Dawn scream at the same time.

"I mean it," May claims with her face beet red. "If I beat you, then I'm going to give a Ash peck on the cheek in front of everyone."

"May, that's crazy," Dawn says. "How are you going to explain it to him if you actually do it?"

"Uh...um… I don't know," May says nervously. "I'll make something up. He'll probably believe anything because he's so dense."

"That's ridiculous," Serena rebukes. "I'll just refuse and no one kisses him."

"You can't. If you refuse, then I'll just hop in the pool and kiss him right now," May counters.

"Oh come on," Serena protests. "You can't be serious."

"Yes, I am," May claims. "As of right now, someone is going to kiss the guy you like today right here on this ship. It's all up to you as to who is going to do it. So what will it be, Serena?"

Serena becomes uncomfortable, feeling on the spot. She turns to Dawn who only shrugs, unsure as to whether or not May will do what she says. The honey blonde girl debates with herself until she suddenly imagines another girl kissing Ash, and her heart sinks.

"Alright! Alright!" She screams. "I'll take your wager!"

Dawn looks at Serena, shocked while May smiles, trying to hide the fact that she's equally nervous.

"Good," she says. "Then let's head over there now."

Serena reluctantly obeys, taking her bag containing her Pokeballs before the three girls and Absol all stand up and walk to the other side of the ship where there is a Pokemon battlefield. May takes a deep breath before turning to Dawn.

"Dawn, why don't you be referee," she says.

"Huh? Why me?" Dawn asks.

"Because I'm trusting you to judge this battle like a contest battle," May says. "That, and you can set a timer on your Poketch, right?"

"Oh, that's true," Dawn admits. "Alright then, if we're using my Poketch, then let's use it to decide who will make the first move."

"Sound good to me," Serena says despite feeling nervous on the inside.

"Okay," Dawn says, opening coin toss on her Poketch. "May, you call it; heads or tails?"

"Heads," May answers.

Dawn touches the coin on the screen, and it flips into the air. All three girls watch in anticipation until it shows a side.

"It's tails, so Serena gets to make the first move," Dawn declares.

"Great," Serena says, smiling.

"Alright, girls, get into positions," Dawn declares.

May and Serena nod and walk over to opposite sides of the arena while Dawn stands on the sidelines.

"Just so you know, Serena, even if I'm using this match to give you a push, I'm not gonna go easy on you," May warns while taking out a Pokeball from her bag. "You're still a rival for the Grand Festival, so I'm going to treat you like one."

"That's fair enough," Serena says despite feeling a little intimidated that it will be that hard to stop her opponent from kissing Ash.

"Alright then, Glaceon, let's go!" May shouts.

A Glaceon comes out of the Pokeball, and Serena smirks at it.

"A Glaceon, huh?" She says before turning to Absol. "Absol, I think I will use Sylveon since it's also an evolved form of Eevee, okay?"

"Absol," Absol says, nodding in understanding.

"Alright, Sylveon, come on out!" Serena calls out.

Sylveon comes out of its Pokeball with a cheerful smile while Dawn adjusts her Poketch to be a timer.

"Alright, battle begin!" she declares as she starts her timer.

"Sylveon, use Swift!" Serena commands.

Sylveon jumps and flips while sending several golden stars toward its opponent.

"Counter with Ice Shard," May commands.

Glaceon opens its mouth and fires multiple shards of ice from its mouth. The shards collide with the golden stars, and they explode into tiny golden and light-blue sparkles.

"Ooo, nice one, May," Dawn compliments. "Serena, that means you lose some points."

"Understood," Serena says determinedly. "Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!"

"Glaceon, use Mirror Coat!" May shouts.

Glaceon's body becomes surrounded in a glowing, reflective substance while Sylveon unleashes Fairy Wind. The pink wind hits Glaceon, and it grunts in pain, shocking May.

"What? Why didn't Mirror Coat work?" she asks.

"Because Fairy Wind is a special attack that isn't affected by Mirror Coat or Counter since it isn't a physical attack," Serena says, smirking.

"Really? That's awesome, Serena," Dawn says. "That's a few points off of you, May."

May smirks back and nods at Dawn before turning to Serena.

"That is a nifty move. Now let's see how you handle Secret Power!" May calls out.

Glaceon grins as its body glows sparkling pink, and it charges at Sylveon.

"Dodge with Double Team!" Serena shouts.

Sylveon creates multiple copies of itself, and Glaceon stops running to find itself surrounded by multiple copies.

"Jump up in the air and spin while taking them out with Ice Shard!" May commands.

Glaceon jumps in the air and starts spinning as it fires multiple ice shards at the copies of Sylveon. All of the images disappear, but the real Sylveon jumps high into the air until it's at the same height as Glaceon.

"Now, use Swift!" Serena commands.

"Stop it with Shadow Ball!" May barks.

Glaceon summons a Shadow Ball with its mouth and fires at Sylveon before it can use Swift. The Shadow Ball hits Sylveon directly, and it crashes into the ground.

"Don't let up! Use Secret Power!" May commands.

Glaceon's body glows in pink sparkles again, and it lands safely on the ground before it rams into the downed Sylveon, sending it rolling away close to Serena's feet with yellow sparks surrounding its body.

"Sylveon!" Serena cries out worriedly.

"Absol!" Absol shouts, concerned for its fellow Pokemon.

"I'm afraid that's a lot of points taken away from Serena after that successful combo," Dawn announces.

May's smirk grows and says, "Good strategy, Serena, but I know that use of Double Team all too well. No doubt Ash has taught you how to use Double Team to sneak on your opponent."

Serena grows uneasy, realizing that May figured out what she was trying to do. She looks at Sylveon, who slowly gets up despite the yellow sparks still appearing all over its body and makes another battle stance despite the pain it's in.

"I guess I should have guessed you would know after traveling with Ash before me," she admits. "And I haven't seen a move like Secret Power before. I would have liked to have known it could paralyze Sylveon."

"Actually, the effects of Secret Power vary by location," May says. "Depending on where you are, Secret Power can also cause the victim to be burned, confused, poisoned, fall asleep, or have its speed, attack, or defenses lowered. Since we're in a plain terrain inside a ship, I guess that is reason enough to cause paralysis in this case."

"Interesting," Serena says. "But it won't be enough to stop us if we can help it."

"Sylveon!" Sylveon calls out confidently.

"We'll see," May says. "Glaceon, use Secret Power again!"

Glaceon's body is surrounded in pink sparkles once more, and it charges at Sylveon.

"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind on the ground and then use Swift!" Serena commands.

Sylveon uses Fairy Wind on the ground underneath it, and it propels the intertwining Pokemon into the air, causing Glaceon to miss. Sylveon then flips in the air before throwing several golden stars at its opponent, successfully hitting it.

"Wow, what a creative use of Fairy Wind!" Dawn says in amazement. "That's a few points taken away from you, May."

"Oh yeah?" May says, growing more determined. "Glaceon, use Shadow Ball!"

"Sylveon, use Protect!" Serena calls out.

Sylveon lands on the ground and prepares to summon a blue force field, but then yellow sparks appear on its body again. It winces in pain giving Glaceon the opportunity to hit it hard with another Shadow Ball.

"Now, use Ice Shard!" May orders.

Glaceon fire several shards of ice from its mouth, and they hit Sylveon hard.

"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind!" Serena shouts.

"Glaceon, dodge it and use Shadow Ball!" May calls out.

Sylveon fires Fairy Wind once more, but Glaceon jumps out of Sylveon's line of fire and fires another Shadow Ball. Sylveon only has a moment to realize what is happening before it gets hit, and Serena's heart sinks as she watches her dear Pokemon howl in pain as it is sent flying into the air and crashing into the ground, fainted.

"Sylveon is unable to continue, so the winner of this contest battle is May!" Dawn announces.

"Alright!" May shouts triumphantly.

"Glaceon," Glaceon says with a cocky smirk.

Serena and Absol rush to Sylveon's side. The honey blonde girl picks up her Pokemon sadly, and Sylveon opens its light-blue eyes to look at Serena.

"Sylve…" it says weakly.

"You were great, Sylveon," Serena says with a sad smile on her face. "Get a good rest."

Sylveon smiles weakly before Serena returns it back into its Pokeball. May does the same with Glaceon and walks over to Serena with an encouraging smile.

"That was a good battle, Serena." She compliments. "It's honestly been a while since I've had a contest battle like that."

"Thank you, May," Serena says with an appreciative smile as she stands up. "You are a very tough and creative opponent."

"You have a pretty imaginative mind yourself, Serena," Dawn days while walking over to Serena, May, and Absol. "I think May is just a little more experienced than you are like me."

"Well, yeah, but I also managed to beat you at the Saffron City contest, didn't I?" Serena points out.

"Well, that's true," Dawn chuckles while scratching the back of her head.

May looks at the two girls and thinks for a moment before turning to Serena with a skeptical look.

"Come to think of it, how many contests have you competed in now, Serena?" She asks.

Serena turns to May and says, "Well, I guess the contest at Cinnabar Island will be my sixth."

"And how many ribbons do you have?" May queries.

"Four," Serena replies. "I only need one more to enter the Grand Festival."

"Really? So do I," Dawn says excitedly. "Looks like we'll be competing for our last ribbon."

"Great! I'm looking forward to it," Serena says with a cheerful smile.

May also smiles for a moment before her skeptical look returns.

"One last thing, Serena; how tough would you say your opponents at the final have been in Pokemon contests compared to Dawn and me?" She queries.

Serena looks at May, confused before she scratches her chin in thought.

"Well...if I had to judge them skeptically, I'd say they weren't particularly skilled," she confesses. "I won my second ribbon because the person I was against in the final round, Giselle treated it more like a normal Pokemon battle than a contest battle. The third win was against a woman named Jessalia who relied too much on countering moves, and during my fourth win, the biggest threat was a woman named Abigail, who also relied more on her Pokemon's strength than putting on a show. So I guess I haven't come across someone so professional as you two since Saffron City."

"I see," May says. "That might be a problem for you at the Grand Festival."

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"Serena, when Dawn and I first started to become coordinators, we had to learn a lot from our rivals who are stronger than us," May explains. "We had to face coordinators who had been participating in contests before we first left home, and they helped us learn a lot to be as talented as we are."

Dawn looks at May, confused before she thinks about it, and nods.

"That's true," she says.

"So what are you saying?" Serena asks.

"I'm saying I think you have a lot to learn in order to be the best coordinator you can be," May says. "You clearly have the talent, imagination, and strong bonds with your Pokemon, but you need to be more."

Serena frowns, feeling disheartened by May's words.

"So, what do you suggest I do?" She asks.

"Well, since we got a long way until Cinnabar Island, I think now would be a good time as any for Dawn and I to teach you a few things," May says with a smile.

"Really?" Serena asks, smiling. "You'd do that?"

"Of course!" May responds cheerfully. "After all, if we're all going to compete together, we gotta make sure that we're all at our very best. Right, Dawn?"

"Right," Dawn says with a smile. "Though, while I agree with this idea, you better come up with your own strategies and stuff to show you are your own coordinator, Serena."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Serena says.

"Absol!" Absol says cheerfully, sharing its trainer's excitement

"Excellent," May says. "Now that everything is settled, we should -"

"Wait a minute!" Dawn says in realization. "Not everything is settled. You still have to fulfill your part of the wager!"

Serena and May turn to the blunette in confusion until their eyes widen and their pupils shrink.

"Oh yeah," May says with her cheeks turning red. "Now, I have to kiss Ash."

Just as soon as she said those words, Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, Max, Brock, and Holly walk over to the three girls and Absol still in their swimsuits.

"Hey guys, we're about to take a break from swimming and grab some lunch," Ash calls out. "Are you in?"

May's blush grows, and Serena's heart sinks further at the sight of the raven-haired boy.

"Uh...yeah, that sounds great," Dawn answers for them with a nervous grin.

Ash smiles and says, "Okay, then come on and -"

"Wait!" May spits out.

Everyone turns to May, who is still blushing. She awkwardly walks over to the group with Serena, Absol, and Dawn following behind. Serena watches May carefully with a look of dread and her hand close to her neck as if her ribbon is there. May stops when she's only a couple feet away from Ash and takes a deep breath.

"A-ash...t-t-there's something I need to...to tell you," she stutters.

Max, Brock, Holly, Pikachu, and Piplup look at her in confusion while Ash gives her a friendly smile.

"Okay, so what is it?" he asks obliviously.

May silently whines with her mouth closed, and her face turns redder. She takes a step closer to Ash who starts to become uneasy with the way she's acting. May puts her hands on Ash's shoulders and snaps her eyes shut before she takes a deep breath, puckers up her lips and slowly leans in until…

"Stop!"

May lets go of Ash, and everyone turns to Serena, who abruptly steps in front of May and Ash with her cheeks beet red.

"Ash, there's something very important I need to tell you," Serena says hurriedly.

"Uh...what?" Ash asks awkwardly.

Serena takes a moment to muster her courage before she places her hand on Ash's left cheek and kisses his right cheek.

Everyone stares at the display in shock. Brock, Holly, May, and Dawn's mouths hang open while Pikachu's ears stand up, and it puts its paws on its cheeks and shock. Piplup lets out a shocked squeak, and Max stares at Serena dumbfounded. Absol, on the other hand, is beaming to see its trainer display such affection at the boy she likes. The kiss only lasts for five seconds before Serena pulls her head back with her face red all over to see a taken aback Ash.

"Ash," she begins hastily. "I just want to say thank you very much for all your support during my showcases and Pokemon contests! I deeply appreciate hearing you cheer for me every time and having you help me train Absol for facing Abigail and her Nidoqueen! Also, when you were falling asleep after we went to Lucy's dinner party, you said I make the best sweets in the world! That was a very kind thing to say, and it meant a lot to me, so thank you!"

For ten seconds, no one says a word. Serena stares at Ash with her face still red, and Ash is slowly processing everything Serena just said while everyone else is still shocked over the kiss. Finally, Ash snaps out of it and smiles warmly at Serena.

"You're welcome, Serena," he says. "Though you don't need to thank me at all. I will support you anytime, just like you've always been there to support me."

Serena's heart skips a beat, and she smiles back at Ash. Ash then takes out his fist in front of Serena and Serena takes a moment to realize what he's doing before she bumps his fist with her own.

"Anyway, what was it you had to say, May?" Ash asks.

May drops her look of shock and chuckles nervously while waving her hands.

"Oh, it's nothing important," she says.

Ash blinks before he smiles and says, "Okay. Now that's cleared up, let's go eat."

With that, Ash walks away with Pikachu and Max following him. Brock gives Serena a teasing grin, and Holly smirks and winks at her, making her blush again before the two adults follow the two boys and Pikachu. Serena, May, Dawn, Absol, and Piplup, on the other hand, stay where they are in silence until everyone else is far enough that they can't hear Serena letting out a loud whimper before bowing to May apologetically.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She squeals with her face red all over. "You won the match, and so you were supposed to kiss him, but I just couldn't bear to let you do it!"

"No, no, please, it's fine," May says, waving her hands. "If anything, I'm relieved. Ash is a good guy, but I don't care for him that way. I was just trying to get you out of your shell a little."

"Really?" Serena asks, lifting her head in surprise. "So, you wouldn't have kissed him?"

May grows uncomfortable and awkwardly scratches her nose, saying, "I-I-if that's what it takes to get my friend to stand up for her feelings, then yes."

Serena and smiles at the brunette girl, touched.

"Thank you, May," she says kindly. "I really appreciate it."

May gives the honey blonde girl a friendly smile as a way of saying, "You're welcome."

"So how does it feel to give him a 'thank you' kiss when he's wide awake and in front of everybody?" Dawn says with a teasing grin.

Serena's cheeks turn pink, and she smiles while putting her fingers on her lips.

"I feel much better letting out all of my appreciation like that," she confesses. "Part of me wanted the kiss to last longer to express my feelings a little too."

"Well, then you're braver than I am," May says with a smirk. "I was so nervous that I was starting to think of making Dawn kiss his cheek for me."

"What?! Me kissing Ash?!" Dawn shrieks hysterically before frantically waving her arms. "Oh, no! Nonononononononononono! Serena can kiss him all over his face for all I care!"

"Ah! Don't say that!" Serena screams in a high-pitched voice with her face deep red and her hands on her cheeks. "It took everything I had just for that one kiss!"

The girls pause what they are doing and start looking at each other before they burst into laughter. The three of them begin to walk together to the ship's cafeteria with Piplup and Absol following behind. As Dawn, May, and Serena laugh and talk together, the honey blonde girl's heart grows warm, and she feels thankful to have such thoughtful and encouraging friends by her side.


	38. Chapter 38

For the next few days, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, May, and Max enjoy relaxing on the ferry to Cinnabar Island. True to May's words, she and Dawn started giving Serena tips to practice contest battles with her Pokemon. Some were hard for her to understand, but she and Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol do their best while making their own plans for the contest in Cinnabar Island once May and Dawn leave the room. Apart from that, everyone mostly just relaxes as if they were on vacation as opposed to traveling to the next gym battles or Pokemon contest.

Finally, late afternoon on the sixth day, the ship arrives at the dock on Cinnabar Island. Everyone exits the ferry only for Serena, May, Dawn, and Holly to smile brightly at the sight of the town.

"Wow, look at this place," Dawn says excitedly.

"It's beautiful," Serena says with a blissful sigh.

"Yeah, it is," Ash says, smirking. "And this whole place is just a small part of the island."

"Really?" May asks, surprised.

"Yeah, this only covers a fraction of the island," Brock says. "The town is a great place for tourists, though. There's a lot of souvenir shops, hotels, hot springs, restaurants and food stalls. In fact, the gym leader, Blaine, runs a hotel where he has the gym hiding behind the building.

"You had me at souvenir shops and restaurants," Holly says ecstatically while wrapping her arms around Brock's arm. "Let's go browsing shops and trying out some restaurants, just the two of us."

Brock's tan face turns pink, and he makes a goofy grin before taking both of Holly's hands and says, "For you, I'd browse through any shop and try every restaurant in the world together."

The two adults giggle happily while staring at each other's eyes. Serena smiles fondly at their affection, and even Dawn and May are smiling, having gotten used to the way Brock and Holly act around each other at the ferry. Ash is still oblivious to what is going on but is happy that Brock is happy. Max, on the other hand, frowns and takes it upon himself to yank both Brock and Holly by the ears.

"Augh! What's with you, Max?" Holly cries out in pain.

"Have you two forgotten why we came all this way here?" Max rebukes. "Serena and Dawn are competing in the Pokemon contest, and you and I need to challenge the gym leader, Holly."

Holly swats Max's hands away from her and Brock, and the two of them rub their ears.

"We can do all that and still find plenty of special time for Brock and me," she says, annoyed before going back to hugging Brock's arm while giving him a flirtatious look. "And besides, I looked it up, and the contest isn't for another two days."

The rest of the gang looks at her confused until Serena takes out her tablet and looks up the information on Cinnabar Island's Pokemon contest.

"Wow, what do you know? The contest isn't until the day after tomorrow," she says. "I guess our ship arrived earlier than scheduled."

"That's great," May says. "Looks like the three of us coordinators have more time to practice for the contest or the Grand Festival and even some time to go shopping and check out the hot springs."

"Alright!" Serena and Dawn cheerfully shout at the same time.

"Piplup!" Piplup shouts, sharing the girls' enthusiasm.

"Great, and I can use the time to do a lot more training with my Pokemon," Ash says. "Timothy promised me that we will have another battle the next time we meet, and I want to show him how much I've learned since our last battle."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts in eagerness.

Max looks at everyone and sighs, knowing he's the only one determined to do what he came to the island for.

"Well, can we let least go the gym now so that both you and I have it out of the way, Holly?" He pleads. "That way, you can do everything you want with Brock to your heart's content."

"Oh, but how can I be eager to get my badge right away when shopping and eating out dates await the two of us right now?" Holly coos while she and Brock hold both of each other's hands and rub their cheeks together, giggling while hearts appear above their heads.

"Gee, I don't know," Max says with a sly grin. "Maybe because you promised you wouldn't become boyfriend and girlfriend officially until after you compete in the Indigo League, and you can't do that without a badge from here?"

Brock and Holly's happy moment disappears, and the two of them sigh in defeat.

"He has a point, Holly," Brock begrudgingly admits. "Besides, defeating Blaine might be very difficult."

"Yeah, Brock's right," Ash testifies. "Next to Agatha, Blaine is the toughest gym leader in the Kanto region. It took me two tries to beat him, and even then, it was kind of luck that Charizard listened to me and learned Seismic Toss to win the match."

"Really?" Holly says, surprised. "Well, then if I lose, I have plenty of time to try again before the contest. But I don't intend to lose when spending quality time with Brock is on the line."

"That's the spirit," Max encourages, knowing he's won. "So who's up for watching Holly and me defeating the Cinnabar Island gym?"

"I'm in," Ash says with a grin.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says.

May hesitates before she sighs.

"Well, I promised Mom and Dad that I would be cheering Max on through all of his gym battles, so I guess I have to go," she says.

Serena and Dawn look at each other with sad smiles on their faces.

"Well, if May is going, then we might as well go too," Serena says.

"Yeah, shopping won't be as fun without all of us girls," Dawn admits.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"Alright, then let's go!" Max shouts excitedly while pumping his fist into the air.

"Yeah!" Ash says while he and Pikachu also shake their fists into the air.

"Yay," everyone else says half-heartedly before the entire group leaves.

After several minutes of walking, Brock and Ash lead the group to a hotel called Big Riddle Inn. When they enter the building, Holly, Serena, May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup look at the inside in awe before Holly turns to Brock.

"So the gym is hidden behind this hotel?" she asks.

"Yeah, and this is also where Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and I stayed when we came here for Ash's gym battle," Brock says.

"No, kidding. This place looks nice," Dawn says, smiling.

"Why, thank you, young lady," says a voice from behind.

Dawn screams and jumps from behind to see a tall man with sunglasses and long hair. Piplup steps in front of Dawn defensively, and Holly, May, Max, and Serena are taken aback at the man's abrupt appearance while Ash, Pikachu, and Brock give the man a friendly smile.

"Hey, Blaine, good to see you," Ash greets.

"Wait, this is the Cinnabar Island gym leader?" Dawn asks, alarmed.

The man notices Ash, Pikachu, and Brock and smiles warmly.

"Why, Ash, Brock, how nice to see you," he says. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

"Yep, it sure has," Brock says with a nod. "How have you been? Has the gym been repaired since we were here last?"

"Oh, I'm quite fine, thank you for asking. And it took a while, but I have managed to repair the gym to its former glory," Blaine says with a nod. "But enough about me. Who are your friends?"

"Uh.. my name is Dawn," Dawn answers while still creeped out. "And this is my partner, Piplup."

"Piplup," Piplup introduces.

"I'm Serena. Nice to meet you," Serena says with a kind smile.

"I'm May, and this is my brother, Max," May says.

"Yeah, and I want to challenge you to a gym battle, Mr. Blaine," Max says, bluntly with a smirk.

"Don't forget me," Holly says determinedly. "I'm Holly, and I want to challenge you to a gym battle as well."

Blaine looks at Max and Holly and chuckles in amusement.

"My, my, so Ash and Brock brought me two challengers to face," he says. "Well, that sounds fine by me, but you see, I only have three Pokemon, so my gym battles are only three on three."

Max and Holly look at each other concerned before Max says, "So how do we decide who should get to battle?"

Blaine smirks and says, "Tell you what, I will give you two a riddle, and the person who figures out the answer first will battle me first. If the first person fails to defeat me, I will give the other person the chance to battle me. Otherwise, the second person will have to wait until tomorrow to battle me."

Max and Holly hesitate at the idea of leaving who will get to battle the gym to chance. They look at each other and reluctantly shrug before Max says, "Okay, what is the riddle?"

Blaine grins mischievously before he clears his throat and says, "This one is about Pokemon types. It goes, "I am quite strong at hardness' peak. To the fire type, I am am very weak.'"

Max scratches his chin in thought while Holly stares at the old man befuddled. After a few seconds, Max's eyes widen, and he snaps his fingers with a confident grin on his face.

"The answer is Steel-type," he says in a matter-of-factly tone.

"That is correct!" Blaine declares enthusiastically. "That means you get to battle me first!"

"Alright!" Max shouts.

"Aw," Holly whines in defeat. "Oh well, at least that means more time touring with you, Brock."

"Actually, I hate to say it, Holly, but I think we should watch Max's battle first," Brock says.

"What? But why?" Holly asks, shocked.

"Because you will be better prepared knowing what Pokemon Blaine has and what attacks they use," Brock says. "Blaine caught Ash off guard real good when he first challenged him, and I would rather you use Max's battle to know what you're getting into."

"But I really want to go do stuff with you," Holly protests with a pout.

"I do too," Brock says with a sad smile. "But remember, you need to win the Volcano Badge for you to compete in the Indigo League so that we can be together officially like we planned. Besides, we can still find time to go look at souvenir shops right after the battle. I promise."

Holly frowns, reluctantly admitting that Brock has a point. She huffs and grabs Brock's arm possessively with both arms, surprising the tan-skinned man.

"Fine, but I'm holding your arm hostage until we get to do things...and while we do things too," she says, firmly.

Brock's face turns bright pink, and he starts giggling like a little boy.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he squeaks in a soft, high-pitched voice.

Ash looks at Brock, feeling concerned for the way his friend is acting. The girls, on the other hand, smile at the young adults while Blaine chuckles lightly, and Max rolls his eyes.

"Alright, enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. Let's get my battle going," he says impatiently.

Blaine nods and says, "Very well, then. Follow me."

Thus, everyone silently obeys and follows Blaine down the hall to the back of the hotel where the hot springs are. Blaine walks over to a Gyarados statue and presses down on it. The fence between the two spring moves and a secret door on the rock opens. Everyone but Ash, Brock, and Pikachu gasp in surprise before they follow Blaine inside and walk down the stairs.

"Whew, it's getting hot in here," May says while fanning herself with her hand.

"Yeah, no kidding," Dawn agrees while taking off her beanie.

"Piplup," Piplup whines.

"Ugh, I must admit I've forgotten how hot it gets in here," Ash moans while using his hat to fan his and Pikachu's face.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu groans.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say we are heading inside the volcano," Serena comments while taking her hat off.

"That's because we are," Blaine says plainly.

"What?!" Everyone but Ash and Brock exclaims.

"Yep. My gym is right inside the volcano," Blaine says.

Sure enough, the group reaches a door, and Blaine opens it to reveal a large pool of lava where he has a Pokemon battlefield residing right above it. Holly, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena stare in awe while Blaine walks over to the other side of the field. Then, the old man removes his wig and sunglasses to show his bald head and old but determined eyes much to the surprise of most of the group. Then he glares at Max and starts talking with his voice sounding raspy.

"Alright, young man, step forward," he commands with his arms crossed. "This will be a three on three battle. The battle will be over when all three Pokemon from either side are unable to battle, and only you can make substitutes. Furthermore, I have no judge for this gym, so we will judge from our own accord. Are you ready?"

"I am ready!" Max answers as he walks to the other side of the battlefield.

"Okay, Ninetales, let's go!" Blaine shouts while throwing a Pokeball.

"Kabuto, I choose you!" Max yells while throwing a Pokeball as well.

The two balls open, and a Ninetales and Kabuto come out ready for battle.

"Wow, Max has a Kabuto?" Dawn asks, amazed.

"He sure does," May answers, smiling.

"Kabuto?" Serena asks in confusion while she takes out her Pokedex.

"_Kabuto, the ancient Pokemon,_" her Pokedex says. "_Though this Pokemon is believed to be extinct, it had a hard shell that protected its body and is believed to have been a powerful swimmer._"

"Believed to be extinct?" Serena asks in confusion.

"Yeah, but Max found a fossil a while back, and we came across this fossil laboratory that revived the fossil into a Kabuto," May explains. "That's pretty much the only way you can see one today."

"That's right," Ash says. "In fact, I think I recall seeing a Kabuto fossil when we were at the Ambrette Town fossil laboratory with Clemont and Bonnie, Serena."

"Oh yeah. I think I remember that too," Serena ways with a smile.

"Enough talking. Let's begin the battle," Blaine says. "Ninetales, use Fire Spin!"

Ninetales opens its mouth and releases a stream of spinning red-orange fire with a yellow flame spiraling around it.

"Kabuto, use your shell to protect yourself!" Max commands.

Kabuto hides inside its shell right as the Fire Spin is about to hit. The attack engulfs the shell in a large ball of fire for a moment before it disappears to show Kabuto's shell is badly burnt.

"Kabuto, are you okay?" Max asks worriedly.

Kabuto comes out of hiding and lets out a soft groan to show that it was hurt a little despite its shell protecting it.

"How is that even possible?" Max asks in disbelief. "Even if Fire Spin could hurt Kabuto despite being protected by its shell, it's still a little resistant to fire."

"I'm afraid it's not that easy," Ash says with a frown. "Blaine's fire Pokemon are stronger because of the hot environment inside the volcano. Because of that, fire attacks are much more effective than they normally are."

"Ash is right," Brock says seriously. "Ninetales' Fire Spin is so powerful that it took down Ash's Squirtle in one hit even though it also protected itself with its shell. Your Kabuto might have managed to stay up, Max, but there's no guarantee that it can endure another hit."

"Understood," Max says, nodding. "Kabuto, use Rock Throw!"

Kabuto's shell glows white, and several tiny rocks appear floating in the air above it. Then the rocks fly straight at Ninetales, who shuts its eyes and endures the rock hitting it all over its body, causing several scratches and bruises.

"Ninetales, use Fire Spin again!" Blaine shouts.

"Dodge using Aqua Jet!" Max shouts.

Kabuto surrounds itself in water and shoots itself like a rocket to avoid Fire Spin before ramming into Ninetales. The fox Pokemon howls in pain after getting hit before it rolls over the ground and lies down unconscious. Blaine frowns and sighs, disappointed.

"Well, it appears the first victory goes to you, Max," he admits.

"Alright!" Max shouts happily while shaking his fist into the air.

"Way to go, Max," Ash calls out.

"Keep it up, Max," May says supportively.

"Whew, I'm glad Max won," Holly says with a smile before her face drops, "But that first Fire Spin was incredible. I can't believe it would be that powerful against a rock and water type like Kabuto."

Max smiles at the group while everyone else says words of encouragement. Blaine returns Ninetales back into its Pokeball and glares at his opponent as he takes out another one.

"I must admit that was well done, Max, but you won't be so lucky with my next Pokemon," he claims before throwing the Pokeball into the air. "Go, Rhydon!"

The Pokeball opens, and Blaine's Rhyhorn appears looking ready to crush Kabuto underneath its feet. Max grows uneasy at the way Rhydon is looking at his small Pokemon and takes out its Pokeball.

"Kabuto, get a good rest," he says as he returns Kabuto before taking out another ball. "Rhyhorn, let's go!"

Rhyhorn comes out of its Pokeball, looking ready to battle. But suddenly, it turns its head to see Serena standing behind Max with the rest of the group. The spike Pokemon growls excitedly, and its eyes turn into giant pink hearts as it turns around and starts running toward the honey blonde girl until Max stands in its way with a disapproving look, causing Rhyhorn to stop running.

"Rhyhorn, this is not the time to start licking Serena," he rebukes. "We have a gym battle to win, and we are not stopping for any reason. Understand?"

Rhyhorn frowns sadly like a little child that is being talked down to by a parent and reluctantly obeys, turning around to face its opponent.

"What was that about?" Dawn asks, confused.

"You see, Serena was raised to be a Rhyhorn racer," Ash explains. "So, Rhyhorn, like Max's Rhyhorn, like to chase after her and lick her a lot."

"Yeah, you should have seen Max's Rhyhorn when he was battling Koga, the Fuchsia City gym leader," Brock says. "It tackled Serena and started licking her almost as soon as it came out of its Pokeball."

"Wow. Rhyhorn, get that crazy over Serena?" Dawn asks.

"You have no idea," Ash says.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says with a sigh.

Max sighs in relief and turns to Serena with an annoyed look.

"No offense, Serena, but maybe you shouldn't be around when I'm battling with Rhyhorn from now on," he says.

"Oh, none taken. I completely understand," Serena says, chuckling while waving her hands with her eyes closed. "Though if it helps, Rhyhorn usually stop acting that way after they evolve. That's why Blaine's Rhydon isn't acting that way towards me."

"Great. Now I have another reason to help Rhyhorn evolve besides helping it grow stronger," Max grumbles.

"Enough talking!" Blaine shouts impatiently. "Rhydon, use Horn Drill!"

Max snaps out his train of thought and shouts, "Rhyhorn, you use Horn Drill as well!"

Both Rhyhorn and Rhydon charge at each other and hit each other with their horns. The two of them wrestle each other with their horns for a few seconds before Rhydon forces Rhyhorn back with a strong push that sends its evolved form sliding several feet away from it.

"Oh man, it looks like Rhydon is slightly stronger than Rhyhorn," Dawn observes.

"True, but I think it all comes down to what attacks both Pokemon can use against the other," Brock says. "Even though they are both rock and ground types, they are both weak against ground attacks. If I remember correctly, Rhydon only knows Fury Attack and Horn Drill, so Max should use a ground attack to gain the upper hand."

Max overhears Brock's explanation and grins.

"Excellent idea, Brock," he says.

"Rhydon, use Fury Attack!" Blaine shouts, not hearing the conversation from the other side of the battlefield.

Rhydon lowers its head and charges at Rhyhorn with its horn ready to strike. Max, however, smirks at the drill Pokemon with a plan in his mind.

"Rhyhorn, use Earthquake!" He commands.

Rhyhorn raises its front legs in the air before it slams its feet at the ground. The platform begins to shake, and Rhydon loses its footing and falls down flat on its front.

"Don't let up! Use Earthquake again!" Max shouts.

Rhyhorn slams its feet into the ground again, and the platform shakes once more. The shockwaves hit Rhydon again and send it rolling a few feet away with its body covered with scratches and bruises.

"Rhydon, get up, quick!" Blaine orders.

"I don't think so," Max says. "Rhyhorn, use Drill Horn at full speed!"

Rhyhorn charges at Rhydon with its horn ready to attack just as the latter is slowly getting up. Rhyhorn rams into Rhydon hard in the stomach with its horn. Rhydon howls in pain and tumbles to the ground, falling down on its back and having lost consciousness.

Blaine sighs and says, "Well done, you have managed to best my Rhydon with your Rhyhorn's ground attack."

"Thanks," Max says with a smirk.

"Blaine only has one Pokemon left while Max still had all three of his Pokemon," Serena says excitedly.

"Go, little brother! You got this!" May cheers.

"I have to say, while Ninetales seemed to be pretty tough, it didn't take much to take down Rhydon," Holly says while still keeping a grip on Brock's arm. "But with the way you and Ash advertised this gym, Brock, I get the feeling that Blaine's last Pokemon is going to be the toughest."

"You are absolutely right," Blaine says with a determined glare. "Max is to be commended for making it this far, but this is where his victories end. Come out, Magmar!"

Everyone in the group but Ash, Pikachu, and Brock stare at Blaine in confusion, noticing he's not taking out a Pokeball. Suddenly, they notice the lava below the battlefield beginning to shake violently before a fiery figure shoots out from the lava and lands perfectly on the battlefield with an intimidating look on its face. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock's faces turn serious as they stare at the fire- type Pokemon.

"Magmar," Ash says.

"Pika," Pikachu says seriously, remembering the last time it saw Blaine's final Pokemon.

"Magmar? I've never heard of that Pokemon," May says.

"Me neither," Max admits.

"Hmmm. Let's see," Serena says, taking out her Pokedex again.

"_Magmar, the spitfire Pokemon,_" it says. "_Its body is like a furnace making Magmar a living inferno. It has been discovered living in active volcanoes._"

"Well, that explains what it was doing in the pool of lava," May says, looking at the Pokedex from behind Serena's shoulder. "It looks pretty powerful too."

"We'll see about that," Max says with a determined look. "Rhyhorn, use Earthquake."

"Magmar, stop it with Flamethrower!" Blaine orders.

Rhyhorn once again raises its front legs to cause another earthquake, but Magmar fires a Flamethrower from its beak, and it hits the Spike Pokemon right as it is about to slam its front feet to the ground. The impact causes Rhyhorn to lose its balance and fall down on its backside. Max panics as he watches his Pokemon kick its feet in the air, trying to roll over and stand back up.

"Magmar, use a series of Fire Punches and finish it off with Fire Blast!" Blaine commands.

"Rhyhorn, get back up, quick!" Max calls out pleadingly.

But they as it might, Rhyhorn can barely move at all while Magmar runs over to it with its fists engulfed in flames and starts repeatedly punching Rhyhorn furiously. Rhyhorn grunts in pain from each punch, growing weaker from each attack. Finally, Magmar takes a deep breath and fires a Fire Blast directly at its opponent. Rhyhorn roars upon impact of the attack before it lies on its back motionless and with swirly eyes.

"And that is it for your Rhyhorn," Blaine says plainly.

Max sighs and returns Rhyhorn to its Pokeball before taking out Kabuto's Pokeball.

"Get 'em, Kabuto!" He shouts as he throws the ball into the air, and it opens to reveal Kabuto looking fairly rested despite its shell burnt.

Blaine frowns menacingly at the ancient Pokemon and scoffs.

"Your Kabuto won't get away so easily this time," he says. "Magmar, Flamethrower!"

"Kabuto, throw it off with Sand Attack!" Max commands.

Kabuto digs a small hole in the ground and starts throwing sand at Magmar just as it's about to release another Flamethrower. The sand hits Magmar in the eyes, and it lifts its head to rub its eyes just as it uses Flamethrower, missing its target completely.

"Alright!" Max says, confidently. "Now, use Aqua Jet!"

Kabuto surrounds itself in water and shoots toward Magmar like a rocket. By the time Magmar gets the sand out of its eyes, Kabuto hits it in the stomach, and Magmar falls to the ground with its arms cradling its gut.

"Don't let up! Use Aqua Jet again!" Max shouts.

"Magmar, get up and use Skull Bash!" Blaine orders.

Magmar gets up and hurdles at Kabuto, who is heading straight toward it with another Aqua Jet. The spitfire Pokemon rams its opponent with its head, and it sends Kabuto flying straight into a wall with a crash.

"Kabuto!" Max cries out.

"Finish it with Fire Blast!" Blaine barks.

Magmar uses Fire Blast, and the attack hits Kabuto with a powerful force. Max and the rest of the group can do nothing but watch as the flames clear away to show Kabuto lying on the floor with pink, swirly eyes.

"That makes two of your Pokemon, so now we both have one left," Blaine says with his arms still crossed.

"Poor Kabuto," Serena says sadly while Max returns Kabuto to its Pokeball.

"And it was starting to do well against Magmar too," Dawn says.

Holly, on the other hand, stares at Magmar, feeling intimidated by the fire Pokemon's power. The fact that it was able to finish Kabuto off with a powerful fire attack despite Kabuto being a water and ground type sent shivers down her spine.

"Holly, are you okay?" Brock asks.

"Not really," Holly answers while tightening her grip on Brock's arm like a frightened child holding a teddy bear.

Max puts away Kabuto's Pokeball and scratches his chin in thought. He carefully thinks of what Pokemon to use next now that he can only use one more to win the match. Eventually, he groans in irritation while taking out a Pokeball.

"It's probably the best chance I got," he says to himself before throwing the ball into the air. "Karlia, I choose you!"

The ball opens, and a Karlia appears on the battlefield, glaring at Magmar.

"Magmar, end this battle now with Flamethrower!" Blaine barks.

"Kirlia, use Teleport, quick!" Max shouts.

Magmar shoots another Flamethrower, but Kirlia disappears before it could be hit Magmar. Blaine and Magmar look around in confusion until they see Kirlia reappearing on the left corner of Max's side of the field.

"Keep using Flamethrower!" Blaine commands.

"You keep using Teleport and then use Confusion!" Max shouts.

Kirlia keeps using Teleport every time Magmar shoots Flamethrower at it. Blaine grows agitated at the psychic-type Pokemon constantly dodging each attack Magmar throws at it. Finally, he sees Kirlia appear a couple of feet behind Magmar, preparing to use Confusion and grins.

"Magmar, use Fire Punch behind you!" He shouts.

Magmar decides to trust in its trainer, and with its fist on fire, it throws a big punch and hits Karlia before its psychic attack can take effect. Max watches his emotion Pokemon fall down with its right cheek burnt.

"Karlia!" He shouts. "Get up and use Heal Pulse!"

"Don't give it a chance and keep using Fire Punch!" Blaine commands.

Kirlia gets up and is about to use Heal Pulse until it sees Magmar running towards it to throw another fiery punch. It quickly dodged the attack only to barely miss another Fire Punch from Magmar's other fist. The smaller of the two Pokemon finds itself needing to dodge back and forth while its opponent keeps trying to hit it again relentlessly.

"Keep going, Kirlia. Just keep dodging," Max calls out.

"Wow, looks at Kirlia go," Dawn says. "Good thing it decided to dodge right away when it did."

"Yeah, but notice how it's moving its feet to dodge," Brock said. "Kirlia normally are using their feet gracefully when they dodge, but Max's Kirlia is moving differently."

Ash looks at Brock in confusion until he looks at Kiria carefully and says, "Hey, yeah, you're right. It's dodging as if it's in a boxing match kind of like Primeape."

Max looks at Ash, confused, and turns back to adjust his glasses and watch the fight carefully. He sees in Kirlia's eyes that its gaze is fixed on Magmar's eyes like a boxer refusing to look away from its opponent. Its legs are close together, never more than a couple feet apart from each other, and its feet quickly move from one step to the other like it's on a jog. Max doesn't know what to think of this, but his focus soon changes to Magmar who is starting to tire. Its punches grow slow and sloppy, making it easier for Kirlia to dodge. The young boy grins mischievously as he realizes he has his opportunity.

"Kirlia, pick the right moment when Magmar is about to punch and use Disarming Voice!" He orders.

Kirlia's squints its eyes in readiness before it easily dodges another Fire Punch and shrieks at the top of its lungs. Purple hearts come out of its mouth and hit Magmar, who groans and backs away on impact, disoriented.

"Magmar, snap out of it!" Blaine shouts.

"But aren't fairy type moves like Disarming Voice not very effective against a fire type like Magmar?" Serena asks, confused.

"Yeah, Magmar can resist half the damage from Fairy-type moves," Brock confirms. "But with Teleport abd Heal Pulse in mind, Disarming Voice is the only move Kirlia knows that doesn't require concentration like Confusion."

"And it probably doesn't help that Magmar has already taken a serious hit with Aqua Jet and is clearly fatigued," Holly adds. "So, I guess it doesn't matter if it can resist some of the damage while it's still hurt and tired as long as Disarming Voice can knock it out of its pursuit to hit Kirlia."

"Correct," Brock says.

"Kirlia, finish it with Confusion!" Max calls out.

Kirlia's eyes glow blue, and the dazed Magmar is lifted from the ground. The spitfire Pokemon can do nothing but stay limp while Kirlia uses its power to send it crashing from one wall to another. Blaine's eyes widen as he helplessly watches his partner get tossed around like a ragdoll until Kirlia releases Magmar, and it falls to the ground with swirly eyes. The old man stares at Magmar for a moment before he smirks and shakes his head with his eyes closed.

"It appears I have been bested by another trainer," he says humbly while taking out Magmar's Pokeball. "Congratulations, Max. Magmar is beaten, which makes you the winner of this match."

"Yes!" Max shouts at the told his lungs as he jumps up and down and shakes his fists in the air.

"Kiria!" Kirlia cries out joyfully while it runs over to Max and jumps into his arms happily.

"Way to go, little brother!" May cheers.

"Good job, Max!" Dawn shouts.

"Piplup!" Piplup happily calls out.

"Great job, Max!" Serena shouts happily.

"Awesome job!" Ash shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheers.

"Nice work, Max," Brock says while Holly nods with a smile.

After returning Magmar back into its Pokeball, Blaine walks over to Max and gives them a friendly smile.

"Well done, Max. You deserve the Volcano Badge," Blaine says, handing the badge to the boy.

"Thank you!" Max says happily before he presents his new badge to the group. "Alright! I got the Volcano Badge!"

"Karlia!" Karlia cheers.

Everyone cheers for their friend, and May gives her little brother a hug much to his embarrassment. Blaine smiles at the celebration before turning to Holly.

"As for you, young lady, Nurse Joy should have my Pokemon healed up and in perfect condition by tomorrow," he says. "But since I will have some business to attend at my hotel, why don't we have our battle sometime late in the afternoon?"

"That would be great," Holly says with her arms still wrapped tightly around Brock's arm. "That means more than enough time for touring. Right, Brock?"

"Absolutely," Brock says with a happy grin.

"Well, until then, you're all welcome to stay at my hotel during your stay in Cinnabar Island," Blaine says. "It's probably getting late anyway, so you won't be able to do much in town for the rest of the day."

"Great. Thanks a lot, Blaine," Ash says thankfully.

"Yeah, thanks so much," Serena says kindly.

"If you all follow me, I will show you to your rooms," Blaine says before he starts leading the group back up the stairs.

"Oh, yes, please do," Dawn groans eagerly. "I can't stand this heat anymore."

"Piplup!" Piplup squawks, agreeing with its partner.

"And hey, Kirlia, maybe after dinner, you can show us again how you were dodging Magmar's attacks," Max says as Kirlia walks beside him. "I get the feeling that if we practice on that, that could come in handy for future battles."

"Good idea," Ash says. "I bet I can have Primeape help with that."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

"That would be great," Max says before turning to Karlia. "If what I'm thinking is true, then this might be a sign that we should find a Dawn Stone so that you can evolve into a Gallade, Karlia."

"Kirlia," Kirlia says, nodding at its trainer.

As the group exit the gym, however, Holly glances at the battlefield before she and Brock start going up the stairs. The auburn-haired woman grows uneasy after witnessing how powerful the gym leader is despite losing to Max. She tightens her grip on Brook's arm and slowly begins to dread her upcoming match.


	39. Chapter 39

After preparing rooms for the group, Blaine took the group out to dinner. Later, Max and Kirlia started training the psychic-type Pokemon's method of dodging with Ash and Primeape's help. The pig monkey Pokemon kept attacking Kirlia by with all of its fighting moves, but the shorter Pokemon proved to be quick and on its feet, just like with its fight against Magmar. Ash and Max were amazed at how easily Kirlia avoided each attack and began to wonder if it really means that Max should try to evolve it into a Gallade.

The next day, Ash, Brock, and Max sleep soundly in their hotel room as the sun began to shine through their window. Brock lies down on his back while resting peacefully on his bed. His moment of rest is interrupted, however, when he feels a soft finger poking the tip of his nose. The tan-skinned man frowns and moans softly for a moment before he starts snoring quietly again.

"Brooooock," says a soft voice. "Time to get up."

Once again, Brock moans and moves his body to lie down on his side, facing away from the voice. He starts snoring a third time until he feels a pillow hitting him on the head.

"Ah! I'm up. I'm up. I'm up." He says, immediately sitting up.

He rubs his eyes and lets out a long yawn before he checks his surroundings and finds Holly sitting next to him on his bed with a soft smile. Brock stares at her for a moment before he smiles back.

"I must still be dreaming," he says.

Holly giggles quietly before she pinches the tip of Brock's nose and wiggles it playfully.

"Then you're having a wonderful dream," she says.

The two of them chuckle quietly before Brock sees Ash and Max still asleep and the morning sun shining through the window.

"What time is it?" he asks.

"About 8:30," Holly says.

"8:30?" Brock says before he yawns again. "Why are you waking me up so early?"

"Because I want to start the day with you," Holly says, scooting closer to Brock. "Since we weren't able to go anywhere last night because of Max's battle, I want the two of us to start going places right now. Serena let me borrow her tablet for the day, and there's a cute little pastry shop not far from here we can go to for breakfast before we go looking at shops and other places."

Brock frowns slightly and asks, "Not that I don't want that, but shouldn't you be getting ready with your battle with Blaine?"

Holly winces before she quickly brings back her cheerful demeanor.

"I have plenty of time to do that," she says. "Besides, you promised me we would go touring after Max's battle, and it was too late by the time he and Blaine were done. You owe your future girlfriend a day in the town, mister."

Brock looks at Holly skeptically, having caught her wincing at the mention of her upcoming gym battle. He silently decides to let it go for now and smiles brightly.

"Very well. As you wish, my lady," he says.

Holly's smile brightens, and she stands up to face Brock with her hands on her hips.

"Then you better get dressed before Ash and Max wake up," she instructs. "A whole day together awaits."

After quietly leaving the hotel before their friends could wake up, the two adults grab bags of doughnuts and cups of coffee at the pastry shop and begin exploring the town. It isn't long before they find the plaza already filled with people crowding the various souvenir shops, so Brock and Holly decide to eat their breakfast sitting down at the fountain in the center of the plaza. After that, Holly takes the tan young man by the hand and starts dragging him from shop to shop.

The two of them start by browsing through a street full of all sorts of dress shops. Holly giddily looks through various dresses, blouses, skirts, pants, swimsuits, and handed the ones she liked to Brock to carry them to the fitting room for her. Every time she tries out a dress, swimsuit, or a blouse and skirt/pair of pants together she shows herself to Brock asking how she looks. Each time she does, however, he gives the same, lovestruck looks and says that she looks beautiful or gorgeous or wonderful. Not once does he say that a certain outfit looks better or worse than the ones before. Holly grows irked the more Brock does this, eager to find a new dress or swimsuit or outfit to buy that will draw the attention of the guy she likes more than any other outfit she can find on the island. At the same time, however, she secretly relishes how Brock sees her no matter what she wears.

After deciding to buy whatever outfits she loves the most, the two of them begin looking through souvenir shops. Some of them contain only statues of Cinnabar Island or the volcano itself while others were selling t-shirts and hats of Cinnabar Island. Finally, a little after noon, they find a small souvenir shop containing necklaces and jewelry. Holly happily browses through the store like a little child in a candy store.

"Oh, everything here looks gorgeous," she says. "They have shell necklaces, earrings, even cute little rings made with shells. How adorable."

Brock chuckles lightly with his mouth closed until he hears a sharp gasp from Holly. He turns to her and sees her staring at a glass case beside the register. Inside is a collection of necklaces, rings, earrings, and other accessories made with pearls.

"Oh, I love pearls," Holly coos. "They have them in so many different colors too. Oh, if only these weren't so above my price range."

"You really like pearls that much?" Brock asks.

"I do," Holly says with her hands clasped together. "I think they're the prettiest things in the world. If I had enough money to buy just one of these, I don't know what I would choose."

Brock smiles as he watches the woman he likes admire the jewelry fondly for a few minutes before she sighs and reluctantly looks away from the pearls.

"Alright, I think I've stared long enough. We might not have time to look anywhere else if we stay," Holly says while not meaning it. "It's probably time to get some lunch anyway. Wouldn't you say, Brock?"

Brock gives a sad smile, knowing Holly wants to stay and nods. Thus, the two of them exit the shop with Brock still carrying Holly's bags. Once they're back at the center of town, Holly steps in front of Brock and gives him a big smile with her hands behind her back.

"Alright, where shall we go for lunch?" She asks.

"Hmmm, I guess I'm open for anything," Brock says. "Does Serena's tablet recommend anything?"

Holly thinks a moment before taking out Serena's tablet and searches before she smiles.

"There's a noodle restaurant that has great ratings," she says. "And it's not far from a bunch of other shops we can look at right after."

Brock frowns and says, "But how are you going to get around to preparing for your gym battle if we keep exploring?"

Holly winces again and opens her mouth to answer, but no words come out of her mouth. Brock looks at her seriously before he puts down her bags and crosses his arms.

"What's going on, Holly?" He asks. "You don't seem to want to face Blaine."

Holly stutters in response, trying to say something to deny Brock's accusation, but in the end, she sighs in defeat and looks at him ashamed.

"Okay, you're right," she admits. "I'm worried that I don't have a chance against Blaine."

"What?" Brock says, surprised. "Why do you say that. You saw Max defeat him. It's not impossible."

"Yeah, barely," Holly says. "He was lucky that his Kirlia was dodging the way it did so he could tire out Magmar. Even then, I don't have a Pokemon as strong as his Rhyhorn or as quick on their feet like Kirlia or have a durable shell-like Kabuto."

"And who says you have to?" Brock challenges.

"But how can I face Blaine and his Pokemon when they are so powerful just like you said?" Holly asks.

Brock stares at Holly before he scratches his chin in thought. Then he snaps his fingers and says, "I have an idea. Do you have your Pokemon with you right now?"

"No, I left all of my Pokeballs in my hotel room," Holly answers.

Brock smirks and says, "Okay, tell you what; after lunch, let's go back to the hotel, drop off your new clothes and grab your Pokeballs. We'll go to the woods near the hotel. You can show me all of your Pokemon, and we can strategize which Pokemon to use in your battle while we eat. Sound good?"

Holly hesitates and says, "I don't know. I'd rather we just spend the whole day together."

"We can still do that," Brock says."I'll be right there, cheering for you all the way. Besides, the sooner you get all of your badges, the sooner you can compete in the Indigo League, and we can be officially together, right?"

Holly sighs, knowing that Brock a point before she smiles and says, "Right."

Brock smiles back and says, "Then lead the way, my lady. Lunch and training awaits."

Holly covers her mouth and giggles at the way Brock called her his lady. With her spirits slightly lifted, she nods and takes out the tablet again to leads Brock to the noodle restaurant.

Just as planned, Brock and Holly get bowls of noodles at the restaurant before going back to the hotel. As Holly was retrieving her Pokeballs, they noticed Ash and Max training their Pokemon, and when they ask where Serena, Dawn, and May are, they just simply say they went out to relax in the hot springs. After they quickly drop by the girls' hotel room where Holly drops off all of her new clothes and takes her Pokeballs, the two of them go into the forest near the hotel. Once Brock decides that they are far enough into the forest, he smiles and turns to Holly.

"Okay, let's get started," he says. "Time to show me your entire party."

Holly nods and tosses her Pokeballs into the air, shouting, "Come out, everyone!"

The Pokeballs open and Toxicroak and Probopass appear followed by a Pelipper, Farfetch'd, and Wigglytuff. Brock examines all five Pokemon with a smile before he frowns slightly and turns to Holly.

"Do you only have five Pokemon?" He asks. "Cause you know you need six Pokemon for the league."

"Really? But I thought there's only three on three battles at most in a Pokemon league," Holly says.

"It starts that way, yes, but it goes up to six on six during the last four rounds," Brock explains.

"Oh," Holly says, feeling uneasy again. "Then, I guess I better catch a sixth Pokemon before I compete, huh?"

"Fraid so," Brock says before he pats Holly on the shoulder and says, "Don't worry, you have plenty of time. But for now, let's just focus on getting your seventh badge."

Holly smiles again, feeling better and says, "Okay, so what do you think of the Pokemon I have right now?"

Brock turns back to her Pokemon and scratches her chin.

"Well, apart from the fact that I'm glad to see your Wingull evolved into a Pelipper and that you also caught yourself a Wigglytuff, I think I can see why you feel intimidated by Blaine and his Pokemon," Brock answers honestly. "You thought it was going to be an easy win with your Pelipper using water attacks until you saw what Ninetales and Magmar did to Kabuto and hearing what happened to Ash's Squirtle. Right?"

Holly nods.

"Well, the good news is Pelipper is not your only advantage against fire Pokemon," Brock says.

"What? Really?" Holly says, surprised.

"Yep," Brock answers, smirking. "If I remember correctly, Probopass knows Rock Slide, a rock-type move, and Earth Power, a ground-type move - both of which are very effective against fire types."

"Oh, wow, I did not know that," Holly admits. "I guess I usually think fire Pokemon are only weak against water Pokemon for...obvious reasons."

"Don't beat yourself up. A lot of people think that," Brock says. "So with Pelipper and Probopass that makes two Pokemon, you have a type advantage, so you just need to choose one more Pokemon. So what should your last Pokemon be?"

Holly frowns and thinks for a moment.

"I guess it shouldn't be Wigglytuff since fire Pokemon are resistant to Fairy-types," she admits before turning to her Pokemon. "Sorry, Wigglytuff."

"Wiggly," Wigglytuff replies with a nod to show that it understands.

Holly thinks some more before she asks, "Are fire Pokemon resistant to Flying-type like Farfetch'd?"

"No, but Rhydon is," Brock answers. "So you may want to avoid using flying attacks when facing that Pokemon if you're using Farfetch'd or Pelipper."

"Okay, that's good to know," Holly says. "Then, I guess that makes Toxicroak my best choice for a third Pokemon."

"Crock," Toxicroak bellows.

"Makes sense," Brock says before giving Holly a serious look. "Now Holly, I have some ideas with how to face all three of Blaine's Pokemon, but if you're going to win, you have to trust in yourself and your Pokemon. If you don't, you and your Pokemon might not stand a chance no matter what advantage you do or do not have. You understand?"

Holly becomes nervous and says, "But what if things get out of hand?"

Brock steps in front of Holly and places his hands on both of her shoulders and says, "Then don't panic. Just take a deep breath and think of a way to overcome the situation. Remember, you made it this far determined to show that you have gotten stronger. You've trusted your Pokemon this far, and I can see you have improved since back when we battled together at Hearthome City. Just believe that you and your Pokemon are going to win no matter what. Okay?"

Holly stares at Brock, taken aback by his words. Then she closes her eyes and looks down for a moment before she looks back up, smiling again.

"Okay," she says. "I will trust in myself and my Pokemon, and I'm going to win that Volcano Badge."

Brock smiles warmly and says, "That's the spirit."

For the next couple of hours, Brock and Holly discuss some strategy ideas and practice them before returning all of Holly's Pokemon back in their Pokeballs and head back to the hotel. When they come inside, Blaine is at the front desk at the main hall, having finished helping another customer. The old man turns to them and smiles, knowing what's on their minds.

"So, are you ready for your battle against me?" Blaine asks.

"I am," Holly says confidently. "I, Holly, challenge you to a gym battle."

Blaine grins and nods in acknowledgment.

"I accept your challenge," he says plainly. "But I have a condition."

Holly and Brock look at Blaine, confused before the former asks, "What's that?"

Blaine gives the auburn-haired woman a hard glare and announces, "You must face me without Brock in my gym to cheer you on and give you advice."

The two adults look at Blaine in shock, unable to believe what they just heard.

"Why?" Brock asks. "You've never prohibited our friends or me from watching your matches before."

"True, but I saw how you were telling her all sorts of information during my battle with Max," Blaine states. "I can't have her battling me when you can give her advice on something she needs to do herself."

"Oh, please, Blaine. Let Brock come with," Holly begs with her together like she's praying. "We promise Brock will just cheer for me during the entire battle."

"No," Blaine says sharply. "If you can't face me trusting in yourself and your Pokemon, then what makes you worthy to compete in the Indigo League much less earn my badge? Challenging gyms isn't about couples working together, it's about showing the strengths of a trainer and his or her Pokemon. Brock has to stay and that's my final word."

Holly stares at the gym leader devastated. She turns to Brock, hoping he will come up with something to change Blaine's mind, but the tan-skinned man shakes his head and gives her a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Holly, but he has a point," he says.

"Oh come on," Holly protests. "This is supposed to be our day. I want you to be rooting for me when I battle."

"So do I, but Blaine's right. This is your battle. Not ours," Brock says. "Don't worry. I'll be here waiting for you when you're done to celebrate or comfort you the rest of the day. I promise."

Holly frowns bitterly before she sighs in defeat again and pulls Brock into a hug.

"You better stay true to your promise this time," she says. "And you better be here when I get back."

Brock makes a silly smile and blushes from the hug before he snaps out of it and pushes her back to give her a sincere smile.

"I'll be here," he says. "Just remember what I've told you."

Holly smiles and nods, satisfied before she reluctantly lets go of the man she wants to be with and turns to Blaine.

"Okay, I'm ready," she says.

"Very well," Blaine says. "Follow me, challenger."

Holly gives Brock a doleful look before she reluctantly obeys. She hears Brock call out, "Good luck, Holly!" as she walks away. She turns her head to give him one last smile before she and Blaine are out of Brock's line of sight.

The auburn-haired woman follows Blaine to the secret passage behind the hot springs and down the steps to the gym. Holly swipes her brow, already beginning to sweat from the heat. Blaine walks over to his side of the battlefield while Holly steps on the challenger side before Blaine clears his throat.

"This will be a three on three battle between the two of us," he declares. "The battle will be over when all three Pokemon from either side are unable to battle. Furthermore, only you can substitute Pokemon. Are you ready?"

Holly closes her eyes and takes a large, deep breath before she takes out a Pokeball and glares at her opponent determinedly.

"Bring it on!" She shouts.

Blaine smirks, slightly amused, and throws a Pokeball into the air.

"Go, Ninetales!" He shouts.

"Go, Probopass!" Holly shouts while throwing her Pokeball.

Ninetales and Probopass come out of their respective Pokeballs and glare at each other, ready to fight.

"Ninetales, use Fire Spin!" Blaine commands.

Ninetales releases a red-orange flame spiraling from out of its mouth, and it hits Probopass, which grunts from the hit.

"Fight back with Rock Slide!" Holly orders.

Probopass' body becomes outlined in blue, and a large rock lying against the volcano wall becomes outlined in blue and floats above Ninetales. The gym leader's Pokemon only has a moment to realize what is happening before the rock breaks into pieces and falls right on top of it, injuring the fox Pokemon.

"Now, use Earth Power!" Holly shouts.

Probopass glows gold, and the ground shakes, causing gold-glowing cracks appearing. Before Blaine or Ninetales can do anything, the cracks hit Ninetales, and it howls in pain before falling down unconscious.

"Alright!" Holly shouts, happily shaking her fist in the air. "Way to go, Probopass!"

"Probo," Probopass responds, giving its trainer a smile.

Blaine silently returns Ninetales to its Pokeball and takes out another one saying, "Well done, Holly, but I'm just getting started. Go, Rhydon!"

He tosses the ball into the air, and it opens to reveal Rhydon looking ready to crush Probopass. Holly becomes uneasy and scratches her chin in thought.

"_Okay, so if I remember correctly, Rhydon only knows Horn Drill and Fury Swipes, both of which are normal attacks which Probopass is resistant to,_" she says in her mind. "_So, I should be okay if I just keep using Earth Power to take it down._"

Holly smiles confidently and calls out, "Probopass, use Earth Power again!"

One again, Probopass glows gold, and gold-glowing cracks emerge from the ground and hits Rhydon. Rhydon roars in pain with scratches appearing on its body, but Blaine doesn't appear worried.

"Rhydon, use Sand Attack," he commands.

"What?" Holly says, alarmed.

Rhydon suddenly ignores the pain that it's in and starts kicking sand at its opponent. The sand gets into Probopass' eyes, and the large, compass Pokemon shuts its eyes and groans.

"Did you really think Rhydon only knows two moves?" Blaine rebukes. "It maybe be weak against ground attacks, but Probopass is even weaker as a rock and steel type. Rhydon, use Earthquake!"

"Probopass, dodge it!" Holly cries out.

But her cries are of no use. Probopass can do nothing but float a little above the ground incapacitated while Rhydon slams its foot into the Ground, and the battlefield shakes violently. Several shock waves hit Probopass relentlessly, and it lets out a painful howl. Before the earthquake stops and it lies down on its back.

"Probopass!" Holly calls out.

"Probopass isn't going to get up from that," Blaine says plainly. "Choose your next Pokemon."

Holly frowns and begrudgingly returns Probopass before throwing another Pokeball in the air.

"Pelipper, you're up!" She calls out.

The ball opens, and Pelipper comes flying in the air with a cheerful smile.

"Rhydon, use Sand Attack again!" Blaine orders.

"Pelipper, fly up to dodge!" Holly commands.

Pelipper flies straight up in the air, easily dodging the sand that was heading toward it. Blaine frowns while Holly smirks triumphantly.

"_Just as Brock suggested, Rhydon is powerless,_" she thinks. "_With Sand Attack being the closest thing to a ranged move, Rhydon can't do anything while Pelipper is in the air._"

"Now, Pelipper, use Hydro Pump!" Holly shouts.

Pelipper shoots out a large stream of water that directly hits Rhydon. The drill Pokemon grows weak from the attack, but it stays standing, refusing to give.

"Pelipper, finish with Surf!" Holly commands.

Pelipper swoops down until it's just a couple inches from the ground. Then it lifts its wings into the air, and a giant wave of water emerges from the ground. Blaine and Rhydon's eyes widen as they helplessly watch the wave crash down under the large rock-and-ground-type Pokemon. When the water clears, Rhydon is lying on the floor motionless with swirly eyes.

"Yes!" Holly shouts happily again. "Great job, Pelipper! Just one more Pokemon to go!"

"Pelipper!" Pelipper replies happily.

Once again, Blaine silently returns his Pokemon back into its Pokeball. Then he turns to Holly again with his face looking serious.

"A clever way to best my Rhydon, Holly," he compliments. "I wonder if Brock gave you that idea."

Holly frowns and says, "No, we came up with the idea together. But even if it was only Brock, I still believe in myself and my team that we will beat you."

"Pelipper!" Pelipper calls out proudly.

"Humph, I'm sure you think that," Blaine says unconvinced. "But regardless, I know for a fact that you will fail where Max succeeded. Come out, Magmar!"

Holly's face turns serious as she and Pelipper wait for what's going to happen. Suddenly, just like before, the lava below the battlefield begins to shake violently before Magmar shoots out from the lava and lands perfectly on the battlefield. Holly feels goosebumps all over her body at the sight of Magmar standing there on the field and coldly glaring at her and Pelipper with a clear intent to pulverize any opponent it is up against. Holly takes a deep breath to keep herself from looking nervous before giving the spitfire Pokemon her own glare and stretches out her arm, pointing at Magmar.

"Pelipper, don't give it an inch!" She calls out. "Use Surf!"

Pelipper summons another large wave of water, and it heads straight toward Magmar.

"Charge through that Surf with Skull Bash!" Blaine commands.

Magmar lowers its head and runs straight toward the wave at great speed. The spitfire Pokemon bursts through the water and rams into a surprised Pelipper head first. Pelipper is sent flying a few feet away from Magmar, who appears to have taken some damage from the Surf attack.

"What?!" Holly shouts flabbergasted.

"You're gonna have to do more than using Surf to stop us, Holly," Blaine says. "Magmar, use Flamethrower!"

"Pelipper, fly up to dodge!" Holly orders.

Pelipper ascends high into the air just in time to avoid getting it by Flamethrower. Magmar starts using Flamethrower again and again, eager to shoot the water bird Pokemon down.

"Now, Pelipper, use Hydro Pump!" Holly commands.

"Hmmm, big mistake," Blaine says skeptically, confusing his opponent.

Pelipper slows down its flying and prepares to use Hydro Pump, but the moment is all Magmar needs to get a clear shot. Using Flamethrower one more time, Magmar hits the water bird Pokemon, sending it crashing into the ground. Holly stares in shock as Pelipper lies on the ground with scorch marks all over its body.

"Now, finish it off with Fire Blast!" Blaine shouts.

Magmar doesn't hesitate to release a Fire Blast that consumes Pelipper with ease. Holly can only watch as the fire disappears with her poor Pokemon inert.

"That's two Pokemon on both sides, but your Pokemon have hardly done anything to my Magmar," Blaine states. "I hope you have something up your sleeve, because I seriously doubt you will win."

Holly frowns sadly as she returns Pelipper to its Pokeball.

"_I don't know how I'm going to win,_" she thinks to herself. "_I know I agreed that Toxicroak should be my third Pokemon, but I don't know how we're going to win when Magmar is so strong._"

She looks down to look at the Pokeball worriedly, but then her mind goes to when she first caught Toxicroak. She was still at the Sinnoh region but was on her way to a ship heading to the Hoenn region when she stumbled upon a Croagunk. The Pokemon instantly reminded her of Brock's Croagunk, who easily defeated any opponent during the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament. At that moment, she wanted to catch it no matter what. The Croagunk took down her Wingull and Farfetch'd with ease, but Holly was able to beat it with Nosepass and finally catch it. Ever since then, the Croagunk has been a treasure to the auburn-haired woman, reminding her of Brock even when it evolved. As she stares at the Pokeball, Holly smiles fondly, before she glares at Magmar.

"_I can't let my worries get to me_," she thinks. "_I won't. I made it this far already, even without Brock there to support me. Right now, he's waiting for me, hoping I won the badge for this gym. I have to trust that I won't let him down. Toxicroak and I are going to take down our opponent for ourselves. For the Indigo League…_"

"For Brock and me!" She suddenly shouts while throwing the Pokeball into the air. The ball opens, and with a flash, Toxicroak stands several feet away from Magmar. Blaine makes a soft hum before he points at the Poison-type Pokemon with a relentless look.

"Magmar, use Flamethrower," he commands.

"Dodge and use Poison Jab!" Holly shouts.

Toxicroak dodges the Flamethrower with a quick sprint and charges at Magmar with the large horn on its right hand glowing purple.

"Magmar, dodge, and use Fire Punch!" Blaine orders.

Magmar's fist catches fire, and it moves back to dodge the Poison Jab before punching Toxicroak hard in the gut. The toad-like Pokemon drops to the floor, and Magmar prepares to punch it again with another Fire Punch.

"Toxicroak, quick, use Revenge, followed by Poison Jab!" Holly orders.

Toxicroak's eyes snap open, and it rolls over just in time to dodge Magmar's attack. Then, with its body glowing orange, it jumps back up and strikes Magmar fiercely before the horn on Toxicroak's hand glow purple again, and it pricks its opponent with it. Magmar shoves Toxicroak away from it and makes a fighting stance, but suddenly, it groans and gets down on one knee while purple bubbles appear on its body.

"Yes! It's poisoned!" Holly says triumphantly.

"That won't help you for long," Blaine claims. "Magmar, use Skull Bash!"

"Dodge and use Brick Break!" Holly shouts.

Magmar lowers its head again, and charges at Toxicroak, but the toxic mouth Pokemon dodges Magmar and karate chops it in the back. Magmar falls to the ground and groans while purple bubbles still appear all over its body.

"Now, use Brick Break again!" Holly commands.

"Get up and use Fire Blast!" Blaine commands.

Toxicroak prepares to karate chop its opponent again, but before it can attack, Magmar rolls over to face it and unleashes a powerful Fire Blast. The attack hits Toxicroak hard and sends it flying a few feet away from Magmar, landing on it's back. After a moment, the two Pokemon slowly get up, both looking weak. Holly frowns as she sees Toxicroak looking badly damaged, and Magmar only has a few scratches while still badly poisoned.

"_What do I do?_" She thinks. "_Toxicroak can't last much longer, and it looks like we've barely done anything to that Magmar. It's still poisoned, but I don't know how else I can badly damage it with Poison Jab, Brick Break, Revenge, and Mu - wait, that's it!_"

Holly's face lights up in realization and starts laughing excitedly. Her moment is interrupted, however, when she hears Blaine making another command.

"Magmar, end this with another Fire Blast!" He yells.

Holly's face turns serious and glares at Blaine and Magmar while shouting, "Toxicroak, dodge and use Mud Bomb!"

Toxicroak jumps out of Magmar's line of fire, just barely missing the Fire Blast. Then it opens its mouth and fires a large ball of mud. The Mud Bomb hits Magmar on the chest, and it cries out in pain. The spitfire Pokemon walks back a couple of steps and bends a knee.

"Yes!" Holly shouts happily. "Thank you, Brock, for letting me know that fire Pokemon are weak against ground attacks like Mud Bomb."

For the first time in the entire battle, Blaine is unsure of whether or not he is going to win. With Magmar badly hurt from the Mud Bomb and its body growing weaker from the poisoning, it appears that Holly has the upper hand. Blaine shakes the thought out of his head and tries to focus on the battle.

"Enough of this!" He yells. "Magmar, Fire Blast once more!"

"I don't think so," Holly says confidently. "Toxicroak, finish it with another Mud Bomb!"

Magmar pauses for a moment before it fights through the pain and stands up to face Toxicroak. As its opponent opens its mouth to release another ball of mud, Magmar takes a large breath, ready to use Fire Blast. But as it is about to release, the poison inside its body takes further effect, and the affliction ruins its focus, causing Magmar to use Fire Blast with its mouth aimed a couple inches to the left from its intended target. The large stream of fire shaped like a kanji misses Toxicroak, who opens its mouth, and a Mud Bomb comes out to hit Magmar square on the face. Blaine's Pokemon stays standing for a moment before it falls down on it's back unconscious.

"We won?" Holly asks in surprise before she smiles and joyously shouts. "We won! Toxicroak, we did it!"

"Croak," Toxicroak bellows while giving its trainer a happy grin.

Blaine sighs in defeat and returns Magmar to its Pokeball. He walks over to Holly's side of the battlefield just in time to see her dancing happily with her Pokemon until the two of them see him and stop.

"Congratulations, Holly," Blaine says bluntly. "It seems I underestimated you."

Holly smiles and says, "Thank you, Blaine."

Blaine gets a small nod and crosses his arms before he speaks again.

"That said, I overheard you shouting that 'for Brock and me' when you were taking out your last Pokemon and shouting that he told you that fire Pokemon are weak against ground-type moves," he states, making Holly blush. "I thought I made it clear that gym battles are about trainers and their Pokemon and not for couples to cheer for each other."

Holly looks away bashfully before she collects herself and stands up to face Blaine.

"You did," she says honestly. "But it can't be helped if I battled with both myself and Brock in mind. I know Pokemon battles are meant for showing the worth of a trainer and his or her Pokemon, but that's not the only reason I battle. The fact is, my desire to compete in the Indigo League is for something much more valuable than to simply prove that I'm the best. You may disapprove all you want, but you can't make me ashamed of what I battle for."

For a minute, Blaine doesn't do anything but stare at Holly. She starts to grow uneasy until Blaine sighs and smiles.

"Well, I can't say I approve, but you still defeated me without Brock here to help you," he says before taking out a Volcano Badge. "Here is your badge to show you have beaten me."

"Thanks so much," Holly says, taking the badge before she happily shouts, "Yes! I have to Volcano Badge!"

"Croak!" Toxicroak says happily.

Blaine smile grows, and he says, "That means you only need one more to enter the league, doesn't it?"

"It sure does," Holly says. "Now, if you'll please excuse me, I need to show my new badge to Brock. Come on, Toxicroak."

Blaine merely nods as Holly and Toxicroak start racing up the stairs. Holly's smile grows, the more excited she gets to tell the young, tan-skinned man the good news. She and Toxicroak make it to the top of the steps and barge back inside the hotel all the way to the front desk.

"Brock!" She calls out. "Brock, I did it! I -"

Holly and Toxicroak stop running and look to see no one near the front desk. Holly stares at where she last saw Brock confused and hurt.

"Where is he?" She asks herself. "I told him to wait for me."

Suddenly, the front doors burst open to reveal Brock bargaining in, panting and carrying a shopping bag.

"I'm here! I'm here!" He pants.

Holly frowns and walks over to Brock and firmly yanks him by the ear.

"Where were you?!" She barks. "I told you to stay here!"

"Augh! Sorry!" Brock yells in pain. "I just had to leave to get you something while you were battling!"

Holly looks confused again, and let's go of Brock's ear.

"You left to get something for me?" She asks. "What is it?"

Brock rubs his ear and gives Holly a small smile.

"Before I answer, did you win?" He asks.

Holly gives Brock a suspicious look before she plainly shows him her Volcano Badge. Brock's face lights up, and he spontaneously pulls Holly into a hug, lifting her up in the air.

"I knew you could do it!" He shouts cheerfully.

Holly can't help but laugh at his enthusiasm and hug him back until he puts her down.

"Yes, yes, I won," she chuckles. "Though I have you as well as my Pokemon to thank for it. If you hadn't told me that fire Pokemon are weak against ground type attacks, I would never have realized that I could have had Toxicroak use Mud Bomb against Magmar."

"Croak," Toxicroak says.

Brock smiles and says, "Then I'm glad I was able to help even though I couldn't cheer for you down there."

"Me too," Holly says before she gives Brock a pout. "But you better be there for me when I'm going against the Viridian City gym and the entire time I compete in the Indigo League. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Brock says calmly with a smile. "But I have something that should cheer you up if we're ever apart."

Without another word, Brock reaches into the bag he's carrying and takes out Holly's gift making her gasp and cover her mouth with both hands at the sight of it. In his hand is a small but shiny, pink pearl embedded on a light-brown rock hanging on a silver chain. Holly stares at the necklace with her eyes wide open for a moment before she looks up at Brock.

"You did say you love pearls," he said. "And my family runs a gym that revolves around rock Pokemon, so when I saw this at the jewelry store, I thought this necklace kind of shows both of us together. So if we're separated again or you need something to cheer you up, just wear this necklace, so a part of me is still with you."

Holly continues to just stare at Brock, and her eyes begin to water. Suddenly she throws herself to Brock and gives him a big kiss on the cheek. Brock freezes in place, and his face turns bright pink while Holly gives him a sweet smile.

"It's perfect," she says. "I couldn't ask for a better gift."

Brock lets out a soft giggle before he snaps out of his trance and smiles back at Holly. The two of them stare at each other for a while before Holly turns around and moves her hair back. It takes a second before Brock realizes what she's doing and happily takes off the necklace Holly was wearing and puts her new one on. Holly stares at the rock-and-pearl necklace hanging around her neck before giving Brock another hug.

"I'll keep it with me always," she says.

"I know you will," Brock smiles back before he breaks the hug and says, "Come on, we still have a lot of the plaza to explore, let's drop off your Pokemon at the Pokemon Center so they can heal up while we look at more shops."

"You read my mind," Holly says, smiling brightly as she puts her old necklace in her shorts pocket. "Come on, Toxicroak."

"Croak," Toxicroak says with a grin.

Thus, the three of them exit the hotel and begin walking to the Pokemon Center, with Holly holding Brock's arm. As they do, Holly gives her new necklace a fond look and rests her head on Brock's shoulder, believing she can take on anything for her final badge and the Indigo League, and nothing in the world will try to keep her and Brock from staying together.

Unknown to either of them, however, Lucy is thinking of Brock while she's enjoying a day off with her squint-eyed Pokemon.


	40. Chapter 40

Serena groans softly and opens her eyes to see the sun shining through the hotel room window. She sits up to yawn and stretch before turning to Absol who is sleeping next to her and shakes it gently.

"Wake up, Absol. It's morning," she says softly.

The disaster Pokemon slowly wakes up and lets out a cute yawn before smiling at Serena and giving her brief lick in the face. Serena giggles quietly and pets her young Pokemon.

"Did you sleep well?" She asks.

"Absol," Absol says, nodding.

"I'm glad," Serena says happily. "Now, let's start the day. We have my fifth and final ribbon to win today."

"Absol," Absol says excitedly.

"Don't you mean my final ribbon?"

Serena and Absol turn their heads to see Dawn and Piplup slowly waking up in their own bed. The blunette girl gives the honey blonde girl a tired but competitive look that Serena returns.

"We'll see who wins their final ribbon first," she says.

Dawn nods and says, "We sure will."

"Will you two keep it down?"

The two girls and their Pokemon turn their heads to see May and Holly getting up with groggy looks.

"Some of us don't have a contest to compete in today," Holly whines.

"Same here," May groans.

Serena and Dawn chuckle quietly, and the former says, "Sorry," before the two of them quietly get dressed and exit the hotel room with Absol and Piplup following. They walk to the hotel's cafeteria on the bottom floor in silence until Serena decides to speak.

"You know, speaking of the contest, what will you do if you win?" She asks.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Dawn asks.

"I mean, will you stay with the group until it's time to head to the Indigo Plateau?" Serena clarifies.

Dawn stares at Serena as they walk for a moment before she looks away.

"That's a good question," she says. "I do like to travel alone sometimes so that I can practice without people knowing what tricks I have up my sleeve, but at the same time I really enjoy traveling with you, Ash, Pikachu, Holly, May, Max, and Brock."

Serena smiles and says, "Same here. It's been fun traveling with you."

Dawn nods and thinks for a moment.

"Tell you what," she says. "If I win, I'll travel with you guys until you get your last ribbon. But if you win, you guys have to take me to the nearest contest for mine."

"Okay, it's a deal," Serena says before taking out her tablet and searching for upcoming contest. "The nearest contest that's happening soon is one in Cremini Town near the border between the Kanto and Johto regions. It looks like there's a ferry that will be heading there tomorrow, so we can just stay here for one more night and then sail to Cremini Town. Sound good?"

"Perfect," Dawn says, smirking. "We'll tell the others on the way to the contest."

"Sounds good," Serena says.

Before long, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, May, and Max go downstairs to have breakfast in the cafeteria with Serena and Dawn. Once everyone finishes their meals, the group decides to head over to the contest hall as Serena and Dawn decide to bring up their plan as they walk.

"But what about Max and me going to Viridian City for our last badges?" Holly asks. "And doesn't Ash plan to re-challenge that gym?"

"Don't worry, Holly. You'll have more than plenty of time for that." Serena says assuredly. "After all, we'll only be there for just one more ribbon, and then it's straight to Viridian City from there."

"Yeah, Serena's right," Ash says with a smirk. "Besides, the Indigo League doesn't start until about a month after the Grand Festival. Right?"

"Right," Serena and Dawn say simultaneously.

"Be that as it may, I'm afraid you'll have to count Max and me out," May says with a sad smile.

"Yeah, we already booked a ship heading back to the mainland," Max says. "I want to get my badge in Viridian City right away, and May wants to start practicing hard for the Grand Festival."

"That's a shame," Brock says. "I was starting to get used to us all together."

"I know. So have we," May says with a sad smile.

Ash scratches his chin in thought before his face lights up, and he says, "Well, since about half of us are going to compete in the league, why don't we all stay at my house after the Grand Festival, and we can all go back to Indigo Plateau together for the Pokemon League?"

"That sounds like a great idea, Ash," Brock says. "But are you sure your mom won't mind?"

"Nah, she'll love the idea," Ash says confidently.

"Well, as long as your mom doesn't mind, I'm in," Holly says.

"I'd love to," Dawn says happily.

"Count me in," Max says.

"Me too," May agrees.

"How can I say no to that?" Serena says with a cheerful smile and a wink.

"Then it's settled," Ash says.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says happily on Ash's shoulder.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps beside Dawn.

With the plan made, the group continues walking until they make it to the contest hall. Once Serena and Dawn are signed in, they split ways with the others and join the other coordinators backstage. The two girls sit at a bench with Piplup on Dawn's lap, and Serena taking Absol out of its Pokeball as they wait patiently for the contest to begin.

"Now let's knock them dead at the appeal stage. Okay, Piplup?" Dawn says.

"Pip, Piplup," Piplup replies cutely.

"Absol, I'm going to have Sylveon in the appeal stage so you can compete in the battle stage. Okay?" Serena says.

"Sol," Absol says with an understanding nod.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"

Serena's eyes widen, and her blood freezes before she and Dawn look up. Standing in front of them tall and proud with her hand on her hip is Giselle giving Serena a cold, unamused look.

"Fancy seeing you all the way here, Serena," Giselle says.

Serena sighs and begrudgingly says, "Fancy seeing you too, Giselle."

Dawn and Piplup look back and forth at the two girls confused before Dawn asks, "How do you know this girl, Serena?"

Giselle turns to Dawn and raises an eyebrow.

"And who are you?" She asks.

"I'm Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup," Dawn answers.

"Piplup," Piplup squeaks.

"I see," Giselle says unimpressed. "Well, Dawn, Serena is the person who humiliated me during the Celadon City contest. Her Poliwag used my Golem as a giant ball to balance on taking all of my points."

"No way!" Dawn exclaims, turning to Serena half shocked and half impressed. "This is the Giselle girl you faced to win your second ribbon?"

"Uh...yes," Serena admits.

"And that's how you beat her?" Dawn asks.

"Guilty," Serena says.

"Wow, that sounds like a cute idea," Dawn says. "I wish I saw it."

"Yeah, well, you won't get a chance today," Giselle claims while taking out a ribbon case. "I've learned my lesson from that day, and now I already have half the ribbons I need to compete in the Grand Festival."

She opens the case and proudly shows off three contest ribbons inside to Serena, Absol, Dawn, and Piplup. Then she closes it and gives the two girls and their Pokemon a boastful look.

"You may as well give up, Serena, because the Cinnabar Island ribbon is as good as mine," she claims before turning to Dawn. "And that goes for you too."

Dawn stands up and glares at Giselle, saying, "Excuse you, I'm a professional coordinator. You can't just claim you can beat me with the little experience you have under your belt."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that," Giselle says unfazed. "Until then, ladies."

With that, she turns around and leaves. Dawn huffs in irritation before turning to Serena.

"Now I see why you couldn't stand being anywhere near that girl," she says. "She's so full of herself."

Serena frowns and says, "Tell me about it."

"I guess she let her new contest ribbons go to her head," Dawn comments. "Still, though, we'll have to see if she has improved as a coordinator as much as she claims."

Serena nods and starts petting Absol again to keep her cool.

After about twenty minutes of waiting, the TVs installed against the walls in the waiting room turn on to reveal the stage and Lilian entering. Thunderous applause can be heard from the tv speakers while she waves her hands in the air before she takes out a microphone.

"_Hello, Cinnabar Island!_" She shouts. "_How are we doing this morning?_"

The audience cheers loudly again, and Lillian lets out a giggle before she speaks again.

"_That's great!_" She says. "_We have a great competition for you today. So many competitors have already won a lot of ribbons, but only one can win the ribbon for this contest. Now, who's ready to see some performances?_"

The audience cheers again.

"_That's what I like to hear,_" Lilian says. "_So, without further ado, let's hear it for our first contestant, Giselle!_"

"Oh, of course, the rival ends up going first. How fickle," Dawn bellows.

Serena stays silent and intently stares at the TV to see Giselle entering the stage and waving at the audience proudly like a movie star. Then, with a flick of a wrist, she tosses a Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal an Espeon.

"Wow, so she has an Espeon," Serena says, surprised. "I thought she only uses ground and rock-type Pokemon."

"Guess she's after a little variety," Dawn says.

The girls and their Pokemon watch silently while they hear Giselle order Espeon to use Baby-Doll Eyes, followed by Swift through the TV speakers. Espeon winks at the audience, and countless little, pink hearts appear from its open eyes and float up into the air. Then it opens its mouth, and dozens of yellow stars come out of its mouth and float into the air together with the hearts. Finally, Giselle tells her Pokemon to use Psybeam, and Espeon fires a Psybeam at all the hearts and stars in the air. The move causes a giant explosion of all sorts of beautiful colors, and the audience "oooo"s and "ahhh"s loudly. With a final pose from Giselle and Espeon, the audience roars in applause before the girl and her Pokemon leave the stage. The judges are so amazed that they gave Giselle high marks.

"Wow," Dawn says in awe. "I hate to say it, but that was amazing."

"Yes, it was," Serena says reluctantly. "Looks like she's improved an awful lot since Celadon City."

"I sure have," Giselle says proudly, overhearing Serena as she re-enters the waiting room. "So, you better hope we don't meet at the battle stage, Serena, because it's going to take more than your cute little Poliwag to beat me."

Serena and Dawn glare daggers at Giselle as she and her Espeon walk past them and Absol and Piplup. Once Giselle is out of sight, Serena lets out a big sigh and frowns until Dawn pats her on the back.

"Don't let her get to you, Serena," she says with a friendly smile. "Just focus on your own performance, and you'll be fine."

Serena smiles at Dawn, feeling slightly better.

"You're right," she says. "I just have to focus on making everyone in the audience smile with everything my Pokemon and I have."

"There you go," Dawn says encouragingly before she gives the honey blonde girl a competitive look. "But let's kick her arrogant butt anyway, alright?"

"Right," Serena agrees with a smirk. "Don't give up until it's over."

Dawn nods before she realizes something.

"You know, you tend to say that a lot," she says. "Did you come up with that saying yourself?"

"Nope, it's what Ash told me when we were little," Serena answers.

"What, really?" Dawn asks, shocked.

Serena nods and opens her mouth to elaborate until there is a ding on the intercom, and someone says, "_Serena, please report to the backstage in 2 minutes please, Serena._"

Serena sighs and says, "Well, it looks like it's my time to shine. Could you look after Absol for me? I think it would like to watch me and Sylveon perform."

"You can count on me," Dawn says with a wink.

Serena smiles back and gives Absol one last pet before she leaves the room. By the time she makes it backstage, one of the competitors has just finished his performance with his Metapod.

"And now attempting to win her fifth and final ribbon, give it up for Serena!" Lilian announces.

Serena smiles and enters the stage, happily waving at the applauding crowd. At a distance, she can see Brock, Holly, May, Max, Pikachu, and Ash cheering for her in the middle row, and her smile brightens at the sight of Ash clapping and cheering loudly. Then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath and with a twirl, she tosses a Pokeball into the air.

"Sylveon, let's go!" She calls out.

Sylveon comes out of her Pokeball and does a flip before it lands perfectly on the ground. The audience applauds at the Pokemon's entrance.

"Alright, let's show them how it's done," Serena says. "Create a big ball using Fairy Wind."

Sylveon brings all of its feelers in front of its face and starts creating a round vortex of pink wind at the center. It slowly spreads its feelers and holds them up in the air as the ball of pink wind grows bigger and bigger until it's as big as twice Serena's height.

"Now lift it into the air and use Swift," Serena commands.

With a light push, Sylveon lifts the ball of Fairy Wind high into the air and then jumps up and throws several yellows stars with a swish of its tail. The stars get sucked into the round vortex and starts spinning around inside the ball. The audience and the judges look amused at the display, curious with how Serena and Sylveon are going to finish it.

"Alright, now let's do it just like we practiced," Serena says.

"Sylveon," Sylveon says.

Sylveon runs over to Serena, and Serena lowers her right arm and lifts her left arm high, pointing at the ball. Sylveon jumps into Serena's right arm and without stopping runs all the way past Serena's head and up her left arm. It makes a jump right from Serena's left hand and heads straight toward the ball with a blue forcefield appearing in front of it. Sylveon rams through the ball with its forcefield, and the ball breaks into millions of tiny pink and yellow pieces. The intertwining Pokemon does two more flips before landing on the ground a few feet away from Serena, and the two of them make a final pose.

"Ta-da! All finished!" Serena declares.

The audience happily cheers at the performance, and Serena and Sylveon smile at each other, pleased to see so many people happy. The judges also applauded and gave her high marks as well. After giving the crowd a bow, the two of them exit the stage and head back to the waiting room where Absol, Dawn, and Piplup are waiting for them. Absol runs over to its mother figure and starts rubbing its head against her legs, making her smile while Dawn walks over to her, carrying Piplup.

"Wow, that was a pretty performance, Serena," Dawn compliments. "I didn't know you can do that with Fairy Wind, Swift, and Protect."

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"Thank you, Dawn," Serena says while petting Absol back. "It was a hard combo to perform. We must have practiced that a hundred times before we got it right. Didn't we, Sylveon?"

"Sylveon," Sylveon replies cutely with a nod.

"Well, I'm willing to bet you secured a place in the next stage," Dawn says confidently with her hands turned into fists. "So now I just need to secure my spot, and then we'll see who gets their fifth ribbon.

"Right," Serena agreed.

After several other people perform including Dawn with her Quilava, the judges tally up the points and make their decision. Serena and Dawn both clasp their hands and mentally pray while they nervously watch the screen reveal who is going to continue to the next stage. Thankfully, their pictures appear in the middle row of the screen, and they both let out breaths they didn't know they were holding.

"Every time they reveal who's going to continue by revealing only one picture at a time, I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest," Dawn says.

"Mine too," Serena says, giving her blue-haired friend a smile. "But the important thing is we're both going to continue, and it's time for Absol and me to go win our final ribbon."

"Sol," Absol says with a determined grin.

"Not if I get my last ribbon first," Dawn says. "And remember, Serena; if we face each other, there's no holding back. I wanna get back at you for beating me at Saffron City."

"Absolutely," Serena says. "But I don't plan on losing to you."

Dawn nods and the two girls glare at each other in a friendly competitive way until they hear a ding, and they turn their heads to see that the remaining competitors have been revealed.

"Oh no," Serena whines. "Giselle made it too."

Dawn sighs and says, "Well. That's hardly a surprise. She got really good marks."

"I know," Serena says, "But I still hoped it wasn't going to be the case."

Dawn opens her mouth to reply, but she is interrupted by Lilian speaking again.

"_Let's hear it for everyone who made it to the next stag_e," she said, earning another applause. "_And now for a special treat, the battle stage is going to be...a double-battle stage!_"

Serena's face drops, and her blood freezes in shock. Dawn, however, looks thrilled with this news.

"Wow, a double battle stage," she says. "I haven't had one in ages. This should be fun."

"Uh...yeah...fun…," Serena says hesitantly.

"Huh? Is something wrong?" Dawn asks, noticing Serena's change in demeanor.

"Well...you see...I've never done a contest double battle," Serena admits, scratching her chin.

"Oh. I guess that's something May and I should have brought up on the ferry ride here," Dawn says in realization. "Well, it's nothing to worry too much about. It's basically the same idea as a normal battle stage, but you're doing it with two Pokemon. You've fought in double battles before, right?"

Serena hesitates and nervously says, "Once."

"Once?" Dawn says, shocked.

"Yeah, I had a double battle with my friend Aria," Serena explains. "It was a little difficult, but Pancham, Fennekin, and I were starting to get the hang of it when Fennekin evolved into a Braixen. Unfortunately, Aria had to leave before we could continue."

"So you've only had one double battle in your life, and you didn't even finish it?" Dawn asks, worriedly.

Serena gives Dawn a sad look and nods. Dawn opens her mouth, but once again, she is interrupted by Lilian.

"_We will now choose at random who will go against who in the first round,_" she announces.

As soon as Lilian finishes her sentence, a large bracket appears on the screen. Serena's heart stops when she looks to find her picture appear on the very top left bracket with Giselle. She and Dawn look at each other with Dawn looking unsettled for her friend and Serena looking like she's on the verge of panicking.

"_The first battle in the double battle stage will be Giselle against Serena!_" Lilian shouts.

"But...but...but...but…" Serena stutters before Dawn puts her hands on Serena's shoulder.

"Calm down, Serena. Just calm down," she says. "Take deep breaths."

Serena obeys and takes several long breaks, feeling slightly better.

"Now you gotta focus," Dawn says seriously. "Just keep your head at the moment, and don't panic. You can beat her? Don't give up until it's over, right?"

Serena takes one last long breath and gives Dawn a timid smile.

"Right," she says. "I...I got this."

"You bet you do," Dawn says, grinning. "And hey, I'm in the bracket below you, so if we both win, we'll get to face each other already. We don't want this stuck-up girl to keep us from that, now do we?"

Serena can't help but chuckle lightly before she says, "No, Of course not."

"Then, get out there and show Giselle how it's done!" Dawn exclaims.

Serena gulps and nods before standing up and exiting the waiting room with Absol following. The disaster Pokemon frowns and gives the honey blonde girl a slight nudge with its head as they walk. Serena turns to her Pokemon and smiles while petting it, appreciative of the gesture.

"_Okay, no use fretting, Serena,_" she thinks to herself. "_Just stay focused and do your best._"

She takes one last deep breath before she enters the stage and stands on one side of the battlefield. Giselle is already standing on the other side of the field with a cocky smirk and her hands on her hips.

"Amusing performance with your Sylveon, Serena," she mocks. "Too bad, I have the better one with my precious Espeon."

Serena glares daggers at Giselle while Lilian shouts, "Ladies, call out your Pokemon!"

"Gladly," Giselle says as she tosses two Pokeballs into the air. "Espeon, Rhyhorn, time for battle!"

Her Pokemon come out of their Pokeballs and give Serena battle-hungry looks. Serena turns to Absol, and the two of them nod before she takes out a Pokeball.

"Braixen, Absol, I choose you!" She shouts, throwing her Pokeball into the air.

Braixen comes out of her Pokeball with the tip of its stick already set ablaze and Absol runs to stand next to it. Giselle's smirk grows, amused with Serena's Absol.

"So you decide to use a Pokemon that Espeon and Rhyhorn are weak against?" She teases. "Smart, but that won't be enough."

"We'll see about that, Giselle!" Serena shouts.

"Battle begin!" Lilian shouts, and the timer on the screen starts counting down.

"Braixen, use Flamethrower on Rhyhorn! Absol, use Night Slash on Espeon!" Serena shouts.

"Rhyhorn, dodge, and protect Espeon! Espeon, use Psybeam!" Giselle commands.

Rhyhorn quickly dodges Braixen's attack and steps in front of Espeon, allowing it to get hit by Absol's Night Slash. Then, Espeon climbs on top of Rhyhorn and fires a Psybeam at Braixen, hitting it square in the chest. Serena turns to her partner worriedly while the judges take away some of her points.

"Braixen, are you okay?" She asks.

Braixen groans before it fights through the pain and stands up to take another fighting stance.

"Well, well, well, I'm impressed that it could get up so quickly," Giselle says. "No matter. Rhyhorn, use Drill Run on Absol, and Espeon, you use Psybeam again on Braixen."

"Braixen, dodge, and use Fire Blast on Espeon and Absol, dodge Rhyhorn using Double Team!" Serena calls out.

Braixen does a backflip, dodging another Psybeam and unleashes a Fire Blast that successfully hits Espeon. As the judges take away some of Giselle's points, Absol creates multiple copies of itself, and Rhyhorn runs into one of them, completely missing its target. But instead of stopping, the spikes Pokemon keeps running straight toward Serena, confusing Giselle.

"Rhyhorn, where are you going?" She calls out.

But instead of responding, Rhyhorn keeps running toward the honey blonde girl, and Serena grows uneasy. She screams in fear until Rhyhorn tackles her and starts vigorously licking her in the face.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! Stop that! That tickles!" Serena giggles.

Giselle, Espeon, Braixen, Absol, Lilian, the judges, and the audience stare at Serena and Rhyhorn baffled. The entire auditorium is completely silent except for the sound of Rhyhorn licking and Serena screaming in laughter.

"Rhyhorn, what are you doing?!" Giselle growls angrily. "Stop licking her and get back to the battle!"

But her command falls on deaf ears. Rhyhorn just happily licks Serena away like a little child eating ice cream. After a moment, Max shouts from the stands, "Yes! That's what it feels like!" After a couple more seconds, the rest of the audience and the judges begin to laugh awkwardly, slightly amused by the display. Giselle's face turns hot red in frustration, Espeon is embarrassed for its battling partner, and Braixen rolls its eyes, having seen this happen to its partner before. Absol, on the other hand, growls angrily and prepares to attack Rhyhorn so that it backs away from its mother figure.

"N-n-n-no, d-d-don't, Absol!" Serena manages to say in mid-laughter. "F-f-f-focus on Espeon! B-b-b-both of you!"

Absol stops and tilts its head in confusion. Then it hits the Dark-type Pokemon, and it turns to Braixen to share a mischievous grin. The two of them turn around and make battle stances against Espeon, who just realizes that it's now two against one.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Giselle shouts, turning to the judges. "She can't do that."

"It seems clear to me that this is not really Serena's fault," Mr. Contesta says.

"You need to regain control of your Rhyhorn, or Espeon will have to fight alone," Nurse Joy says.

"Yes, I'm afraid there's nothing in the rules against this rather remarkable turn of events," Mr. Sukizo says.

Giselle screams irritated and shouts, "Fine! Espeon, we'll have to deal with this without Rhyhorn."

Espeon appears hesitant but reluctantly obeys, making a battle stance.

"Espeon, use Swift on Absol!" Giselle commands.

"B-b-b-braixen, destroy the Swift with Flamethrower, then use Night Slash, Absol," Serena commands, fighting through the laughter.

Espeon fires several yellows stars at Absol, but with a large stream of flame, Braixen destroys them all, creating a blast of flame and yellow sparkles. Then, with its horn glowing white, Absol charges at Espeon and slashes at the eeveelution Pokemon, knocking it a couple feet back. The audience "aahhhh"s at the display while the judges take away more points from Giselle.

"Uh, Espeon, use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Giselle says, desperately.

Espeon winks and several pink hearts appear and hit Braixen and Absol making their bodies glow blue briefly.

"Ha! Their attacks are lowered," Giselle says, trying to sound confident. "What are you going to do now, Serena?"

Serena tries to concentrate despite Rhyhorn licking her with its tongue and calls out, "Braixen, use Hidden Power and Absol, use Night Slash!"

"Ha! Dodge them both!" Gisele orders.

Braixen uses Hidden Power, but Espeon dodges it. Right as it's about to land, however, Absol pounces and slashes at Espeon's face. The sun Pokemon whimpers in pain and collapses on the floor, making Giselle's fear grow.

"N-n-now, B-b-Braixen! U-u-use, Fire Blast!" Serena manages to say.

Without hesitating, Braixen releases a powerful Fire Blast that consumes Espeon. When the fires die down, Espeon is completely unconscious, with its body covered in burns.

"Espeon is down, so Giselle loses half of her points!" Lilian announces.

Giselle grows frustrated at the sight of her points bar shrinking dramatically and glares at Rhyhorn, who is still licking Serena.

"Rhyhorn, get back here right now!" She barks.

But still, Rhyhorn doesn't listen. It stays in its own little world of showing affection to the honey blonde girl. Serena still struggles to try to get it away from her, but the spikes Pokemon is too strong. Braixen and Absol turn to each other and grin, knowing they have a chance for an easy knock out against their opponent.

"B-b-Braixen, A-a-Absol, u-u-use Flamethrower and Night Slash r-r-repeatedly!" Serena says in mid laughter.

"Dodge them both, Rhyhorn!" Giselle screams.

Without hesitation, Serena's Pokemon hit Rhyhorn on both sides with Braixen using Flamethrower on its left side and Absol scratching it ferociously on its right side. The spikes Pokemon stops licking Serena and howls in pain, giving the honey blonde girl the chance to get up. Rhyhorn keeps roaring in pain while its opponents hit it relentlessly until it stops in mid roar and falls off its left side with swirly eyes. Giselle stares at Rhyhorn in shock while the judges press their buzzards.

"Looks like Espeon and Rhyhorn are down for the count!" Lilian says. "So the winner of this battle is Serena with her Braixen and Absol!"

The crowd cheers, and Serena happily runs over to hug Braixen and Absol. Giselle lets out a frustrated scream before she returns her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs and storms out of the stage. Serena can't help but smile at her opponent's demeanor before she turns to her Pokemon.

"Guys, get a good rest until the next round," she says as she returns Braixen and Absol. After that, she gives the crowd one last wave before exiting the stage and walking back to the waiting room where a gratified Dawn is waiting for her with Piplup.

"Oh my gosh, that was so humiliating!" She laughs. "I completely forgot that Ash told me Rhyhorn act like that around you!"

"Yeah, I kind of forgot myself," Serena admits. "I feel a little bad for Giselle, to be honest."

"You should."

Serena jumps and turns around to see Giselle glaring venomously at her. Her eyes are twitching, and her hands are balls of fists.

"That's twice in a row you have humiliated me," she snarls. "You better watch yourself, Serena, because next time I'm going to crush you!"

With that, Giselle bitterly storms out of the waiting room, grumbling as she leaves. Serena, Dawn, and Piplup stare at where she was until Dawn decides to speak.

"Is it weird to say that she kind of reminds me of Jessie when she storms out like that?" She asks.

Serena thinks for a second until she says, "A little bit."

Dawn shrugs and says, "Well, anyway. I guess this means if I win this battle, we'll be facing each other in the second round."

"Yeah, I guess so," Serena says. "You better get out there if you're going to try and beat me, though."

"Oh, I will beat you. Mark my words," Dawn says with a grin.

As expected, Dawn easily defeats her opponent in the first round with Piplup and Quilava. Serena grows more nervous as she watched her blue-haired friend easily knock out her opponent's Pokemon within only two minutes. She tries to hide it after Dawn comes back from the battle, but Dawn can tell she is still worried.

Finally, the last battle in the first round ends, and Lilian steps in front of the stage and says, "_And now, let's begin our second round of battle!_"

Serena hears the crowd cheering through the TV speakers, and she takes a deep breath before turning to Dawn.

"Well, that's our cue," she says.

"Yep," Dawn says as they stand up from their seats. "Now remember, Serena, no holding back. Just give it your best shot."

"Right, same goes for you," Serena says, trying to sound confident.

"Serena, Dawn, you're up," a backstage person calls out.

The two girls nod and exit the waiting room. As they back it backstage, Dawn walks ahead to enter from stage right while Serena stands near stage left. The honey blonde girl sighs with her eyes closed and slaps her cheeks and shakes her head to snap out of her edgy state.

"_Come on, Serena, get it together,_" she thinks to herself. "_You got this. You've beaten Dawn before, and you can do it again. She is not going to stop you from this next step towards your dream. You can do this._"

"And now to start off the second round, it's Dawn vs. Serena!" Lilian announces.

Serena takes one last breath through her nose and opens her eyes before entering the stage with a bright smile on her face. She gives the audience a wave before turning to Dawn, who is standing on the other side of the battlefield. The two of them give a competitive glare that lasts until Lilian shouts, "Battle begin!" and the clock starts counting down.

"Braixen, Absol, let's go!" Serena calls out, throwing two Pokeballs into the air.

"Piplup, Quilava, spotlight!" Dawn shows tossing out two Pokeballs into the air as well.

The four balls open to reveal their respective pairs of Pokemon, all looking ready for battle.

"Alright, let's not waste any time, guys!" Serena says determinedly. "Absol, use Night Slash on Piplup and Braixen, use Hidden Power on Quilava!"

Dawn smirks at her opponent's eagerness before she commands, "Piplup, dodge and use Ice Beam on Braixen's attack, then Quilava, you knock them back with Swift!"

Piplup does a quick side flip to dodge Absol's attack and releases an Ice Beam from its beak. Braixen fires Hidden Power, but the Ice Beam freezes the three light blue balls in mid-air. Right as they are about to fall into the ground, Quilava knocks them back with Swift, causing one to hit Braixen and two of them to hit Absol. Serena's point bar lowers slightly, but she keeps a brave face.

"Absol, use Feint on Quilava and Braixen, use Scratch on Piplup!" She orders.

"Quilava, use Smokescreen and Piplup, start making a big bubble with Bubble Beam!" Dawn shouts.

Quilava releases a thick, black cloud of smoke that covers the entire battlefield. Braixen and Absol stop what they're doing and look around, trying to find their opponents. Serena tries to do the same but grows uneasy as she can clearly hear Piplup doing something. She looks back and forth until she sees something above the cloud of smoke. She looks up and gasps to see a giant bubble floating right above her Pokemon.

"Braixen, Absol, move away!" She cries out.

But as soon as her Pokemon acknowledge what she said, the bubble lands right on top of Braixen and Absol and bursts, causing a large amount of water to fall on them. Absol groans and shakes the water off its fur, but Braixen gets down on one knee and relies on its stick for support, shaking uncontrollably.

"Braixen, are you alright?!" Serena calls out.

"Piplup, use Hydro Pump!" Dawn calls out.

Without any further warning, a large stream of water hits Braixen square in the chest and sends it flying into the wall. Serena's heart sinks as she watches her dear partner plummet to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Braixen is down for the count, so that means Serena loses half of her points!" Lilian announces. "Will she manage to win the battle with just Absol?"

Serena grows nervous again as she returns Braixen and stares at the large cloud of smoke that still hides Dawn, Piplup, and Quilava. She turns to Absol, who is just as unsettled as she is and turns to its trainer for hope. Serena realizes how her worries are affecting Absol and quickly shakes her head and smiles kindly.

"Don't worry about it, Absol," she says. "We can do this. Don't give up until it's over, okay?"

Absol realizes what she's doing and gives her a smirk and a nod. The two of them face the cloud of smoke and wait for Dawn to make her move.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel!" They hear her say.

"Dodge it with Double Team!" Serena orders.

Absol makes multiple copies of itself just in time for Quilava to appear spinning toward it with its body engulfed in fire. The volcano Pokemon rams through one of the copies and stops to search for the real Absol among the crowd of fake ones.

"Take all of them down with Flame Wheel!" Serena hears Dawn command. "Piplup, you help out with Ice Beam!"

Serena smirks, knowing what Dawn is thinking and orders, "Absol, make more copies of yourself and wait until you see Piplup or Quilava to use Feint!"

More copies of Absol appear all over the battlefield while Quilava starts spinning again and rams as much of the copies as possible with Flame Wheel. Serena sees several Ice Beams come out of the cloud of smoke and take out other copies. Suddenly, one Ice Beam phases through a copy of Absol and hits Quilava. The fire type Pokemon howls in pain and tumbles to the ground with a block of ice appearing on its right front paw.

"Quilava? Quilava, are you okay?" Dawn calls out.

Serena's eyes widen, and she realizes this is her chance.

"Now, Absol, use Feint on Piplup!" She calls out.

Serena waits for a moment until she hears a hard smack and Piplup squealing in pain. Her confidence rises slightly while Dawn loses a slight fraction of her points. As she is about to make another command, the Smokescreen finally fades to reveal a shocked Dawn staring at Absol standing next to an injured Piplup and Quilava struggling to stay up with its paw covered in ice.

"Now's your chance, Absol!" Serena calls out with a smile. "Use Night Slash on Quilava!"

With a confident grin, Absol charges toward Quilava, who is still selling with its leg. The disaster Pokemon's front claws start to glow whitish-purple and it slashes at the volcano Pokemon

"Alright, use Night Slash one more time on Quilava!" Serena shouts confidently.

All too willing to obey, Absol grins and charges at Quilava again with claws already glowing whitish-purple.

"I don't think so," Dawn says. "Quilava, use Flamethrower, and Piplup, follow it with another Ice Beam!"

Quilava quickly stands up despite its paw still covered in ice and releases a Flamethrower. The attack hits Absol and sends it crashing to the middle of the field where Piplup unleashes Ice Beam. The attack hits and covers Absol in a block of ice, completely freezing it.

"Absol!" Serena cries out.

"Now, let's finish this off," Dawn says with a grin. "Quilava, Piplup, time for a Bubble Beam and Swift combo!"

"A what?!" Serena exclaims worriedly.

Piplup jumps on top of Quilava and unleashes Bubblebeam into the air. The bubbles form into a large circle spinning above Absol. Quilava opens its mouth, and white stars come out and float above the center of the circle of bubbles, creating its own circle. The two circles slowly mesh together and form into a vortex of stars and bubbles directly above Absol. The vortex slams right on top of the frozen Pokemon, causing an explosion of dust mixed with white and blue sparkles. When it all clears, Absol is found free from its ice prison but is also lying on the floor unconscious. Serena stares at her poor Pokemon in shock while the judges press their buzzers.

"And that's both of Serena's Pokemon," Lilian declares. "Dawn moves to the next round!"

The crowd cheers and Dawn gives a friendly wave to them. Then she returns her Pokemon and turns over to Serena, who sadly returns Absol to its Pokeball and walks over to her. Serena looks up to see Dawn in front of her.

"Good battle, Serena," she compliments. "I must admit, you and Absol put up a good fight. That was a cunning way of using Smokescreen against Piplup and Quilava."

Serena smiles slightly, feeling better by Dawn's compliment.

"Yeah, you too, Dawn," she says.

The two girls shake hands, and the crowd cheers again. After giving the audience one last wave, they exit the stage and make their way back to the waiting room. Dawn goes back to her seat on the bench and lets out a loud sigh.

"Ahhh, what an exciting battle," she says. "I feel like I can take on anybody after that."

Serena gives a sad smile and says, "Come on, Dawn, you're exaggerating."

"Am not," Dawn claims. "I watched the other contestants compete in the first round. I bet I can beat them all with Piplup and Quilava, no doubt. As long as I don't have a tough opponent like you or May or even some of my rivals from Sinnoh like Zoey or Kenny, that ribbon is as good as mine."

Serena's smile grows slightly from Dawn's enthusiasm, but it is quickly replaced with a frown as she lowers her head.

"But I feel like I barely did anything to you," she says. "Absol managed to get a hit against Piplup and Quilava, but that was after you quickly took out Braixen. I guess if anything, it shows I'm still better at handling just one Pokemon than battling with two."

"Then, you'll need to learn to properly battle with two Pokemon."

Serena and Dawn turn around to find May entering the room with a soft smile on her face.

"May? What are you doing here?" Dawn asks.

"I thought I should have another talk with Serena after she lost," May explains.

"So, you knew I was going to lose?" Serena asks, a little hurt.

"I had a feeling," May answers. "You looked like you have a fair idea of how to battle with two Pokemon but not enough to handle a pro like Dawn."

Serena frowns and looks down, saying, "Yeah. It's like I said to Dawn earlier; I've only had one double battle in my life up till today, and I didn't even finish it, so I felt so unprepared to do it in a Pokemon contest. I guess commanding more than one Pokemon is easier for me in a Pokemon showcase where you and your Pokemon have a whole routine planned and practiced hundreds of times, and you don't have to battle against other people and their Pokemon."

"I see. So we should have gone over that with you," May says before giving the honey blonde girl a supportive smile. "Don't worry about it, Serena. You didn't know about double battles in Pokemon contests, but now you do. You just have to learn from this experience. That's all. I know it can be hard to learn something you're not prepared for in the middle of a competition. Believe me, I've been there."

"Me too," Dawn says assuredly. "Just ask Ash and Brock. They'll tell you all about how I competed in some contests where I didn't even make it past the appeal round."

"Really?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Yup," Dawn answers. "That's just the tough life of being a coordinator."

Serena smiles slightly, feeling a little better before she frowns and turns to May.

"So, is it normal for there to be combos during a double battle in the second stage?" She asks.

"Not quite, but it's a good thing to have with your Pokemon," May says. "If done right, they can cause a lot of damage to your opponent's team and earn a lot of appeal from the judges. Not to mention, the audience loves them."

Serena smiles and says, "Then I think that's something I want to work on next. I decided to compete in Pokemon contests so that I can grow more with my Pokemon and make people and Pokemon smile through my performances. I think - no, I know if I can figure out how to create combos with my Pokemon like I did in Kalos that entertains the crowd while at the same time helps me with battling other competitors, not only will it help me improve as a coordinator, but I'll come closer to my dream."

May and Dawn smile warmly at their honey blonde friend. Then May puts her hand on Serena's shoulder and gives her a friendly but serious look.

"Then, from one girl to another, you better work very hard, Serena," she says honestly. "Because you are a wonderful performer, but you still have much to learn about being a coordinator."

Serena is taken aback from May's words for a moment before she smiles and says, "Right."

May nods, and the three of them stay silent for a moment before Serena sighs.

"Well, if I'm going to do what you suggest, then I better head to the Pokemon Center," she says. "Hopefully, Braixen and Absol will be healed up by the time the contest is over."

"Sounds good," May says approvingly.

"Be quick, though," Dawn says with a playful pout. "Don't you dare miss me winning my final ribbon."

"Right, and don't you dare win your ribbon before I get back," Serena calls out as she races out of the room and exits the building.

By the time Serena comes back from dropping off her Pokemon, the semifinals had started, and Dawn is battling against an old man who has a Houndoom and Raticate. The old man tries to do a Flamethrower and Super Fang combo, but it ended up blowing up in his face and give Dawn an easy chance to knock out his Pokemon.

The final match, however, is against a woman who appears to be much more prepared with her Jolteon and Grimer. She proves to be much more cunning by creatively blocking Piplup and Quilava's attacks with Sludge and Pin Missiles. Serena watches in awe as Dawn's opponent orders a Sludge Bomb and Thunder combo where Grimer belches out a giant ball of mud and Jolteon hits it with Thunder, creating a powerful orb of mud and electricity that badly hurts Quilava and Piplup and takes away a good amount of Dawn's points.

Fortunately, halfway through the battle, Dawn starts to strike back. First, she has Quilava use Flame Wheel to create a long trail of fire and circle around Jolteon and Grimer to trap them, then she has Quilava use Flamethrower, and Piplup uses Bubble Beam on their opponents. Then Piplup and Quilava make a Flame Wheel and Drill Peck combo where the pair charges at their opponents close together and ram them with their respective moves. Finally, Dawn orders a Flamethrower and Bubble Beam combo and so Quilava and Piplup created a large stream of both attacks that hit Jolteon and Grimer hard. The Pokemon didn't faint, but they were badly hurt, and the judges took away a lot of the woman's points. In the end, time ran out, and the woman lost the majority of her points where Dawn only lost a little more than half, making her the winner of the contest.

Serena was amazed during the entire battle. The way the two coordinators managed to both create beautiful spectacles while trying to take down each other's Pokemon with two Pokemon was remarkable to her. At the same time, however, she still felt a little intimidated at how much she would have to focus on performing and battling at the same time with two Pokemon, thus sinking in how much she still has to learn.

After the contest ends, the entire group met up and went to the docks to see May and Max off.

"So, Max, are you ready to get your final badge?" Ash asks.

"What do you mean try, Ash?" Max asks. "I'm going to beat the gym leader without breaking a sweat."

"I don't' know. I don't think it will be that easy," Ash says. "Agatha runs the Viridian City gym and is also one of the members of the Elite Four. Pikachu and I had a brief battle with her, and boy was she tough. Right, buddy?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a nod.

"Good," Max says confidently. "That means I'll have an idea of what to expect when I face the Elite Four after I win the Indigo League. Besides, the bigger the opponent, the greater the challenge, right, Ash?"

It takes a second before Ash realizes that Max is using his own words against him, and he starts laughing out loud.

"Right," he chuckles. "Still, though, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Of course," Max says with a nod.

May smiles at her brother before turning to Dawn and Serena.

"Well, I guess the next time I see you guys, it will be at Indigo Plateau," she says.

"Looks like it," Dawn says. "So you better be ready when we do, because victory at the Grand Festival is as good as mine."

"We'll see who defeats who, Dawn," May says before turning to Serena. "And Serena, remember what I said."

Serena nods with a smile and says, "I will. I'm going to get my last ribbon, and you'll see me at the top of my game at Indigo Plateau. You'll see."

"I'm looking forward to it," May says, smiling back.

The group hears the ferry let out its loud horn, and May and Max turn to each other, knowing it's time to get on.

"Alright. Take care, everyone," May says.

"You too, May," Brock says with a smile.

"And Max, don't forget I'm aiming to get my last badge at Viridian City too," Holly says with a smirk. "So don't forget that you'll have me to deal with also at the Indigo League."

"You got it, Holly," Max says with a smile as he and Max leave to get on the ship.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup wave May and Max goodbye as the ferry begins its journey back to the mainland. Once they are out of sight, the group stays quiet for a moment until they turn to each other.

"So, do we have a plan for Cremini Town?" Ash asks, turning to Serena.

Serena takes out her tablet and looks through it before she says, "It looks like the ferry heading there is leaving at 10:30 sharp tomorrow. So we better get up really early to head there."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Holly says with a smile before turning to Brock with a flirty look. "In the meantime, I say the two of us should check out as many remaining tourist spots as we can for the rest of the day."

Brock smiles with his cheeks turning pink and says, "Lead the way, my lady."

The two adults giggle as they walk side by side, leaving the others behind without another word.

"I guess it's time to train some more for me," Ash says. "I gotta be at my best for the next time Timothy and I battle, and I know Boldore wants to get strong enough to evolve. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu agrees.

The raven-haired boy and his partner turn and leave to find a spot to train, leaving only Serena, Dawn, and Piplup left. Dawn sighs and shakes her head before turning to Serena.

"Typical Ash, ready to start training again" she says before giving Serena a teasing grin. "Just the way you like the guy of your dreams, right?"

Serena blushes furiously and give the bluenette girl a frustrated pout.

"Dawn, stop that!" she shouts.

Dawn, however, giggles in response, and Serena slowly releases her angry glare to a smile and turns to where Ash and Pikachu disappeared.

"You're right, though. Ash is always eager to get stronger with his Pokemon," she says. "I can't wait until he faces Agatha again and feel ready to compete in the Indigo League again."

Dawn smiles at the way Serena stares at the direction where Ash and Pikachu left with a fond and blissful look. Then she picks up Piplup and nudges Serena.

"Well, too bad because fawning over him will have to wait," she says. "I need to tell my mom that I have all five of my ribbons and then practice for the Grand Festival, and you have to get ready to win your last ribbon."

Serena turns to Dawn and gives her a smirk and a nod.

"You're right," she said. "Braixen and Absol should be healed up at the Pokemon Center by now, so we need to get ready for the Pokemon contest at Cremini Town."

With that, the two girls and Piplup start making their way to do what they plan to do, determined to rehearse with their Pokemon for the rest of the day. As Serena heads to the Pokemon Center, she sees Dawn admiring her ribbon case containing all five of her contest ribbons and hopes that her final ribbon is not too far away.


	41. Chapter 41

It is early in the morning when the loud horn on the ferry wakes Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu up, informing them that they have reached Cinnabar Island. The trio goofily get up from their beds and exits the ship as soon as it entered the dock. They walk over to the information desk at the dock and buy tickets for a ferry leaving at 10:30 for Cremini Town. So after looking at the clock post next to the information center and says that it's 9:10, the two men and the Raichu decide to head into town to find a place to grab breakfast before boarding the next ferry. As the two of them look around town, Timothy looks around the town center in amazement, which Coovers notices.

"Something wrong, Timothy?" He asks.

Timothy keeps his eyes on the various tourist attractions before answering his Unovian friend.

"This island has changed a lot over the past 18 years," he says plainly. "There were hardly any tourist attractions in sight here. If anything, this used to be a town hardly any bigger than Pallet Town. Right, Electchu?"

"Raichu," Electchu answers with a nod.

Coovers gives his friend a sad smile and asks, "Do you miss collecting badges?"

Timothy stays silent for a moment before he answers, "A little."

"I thought so," Coovers says. "At least the Battle Frontier is kind of like collecting gym badges, right?"

Timothy shrugs and says, "I suppose, but I don't feel like I've learned as much as Scott and Ash advertised."

Coovers frowns seriously and says, "That's because you haven't been giving it a real chance. Remember what Spenser said about you and your pride."

"I know what Spenser said, and I admit I was a little arrogant during that battle, but that doesn't change how I feel," Timothy says. "So far, I've battled five out of the seven Frontier Brains, and there have only been two moments where any of my Pokemon have fainted, and it's only because one got poisoned and the other collapsed after taking down its opponent. To put this in perspective, I had multiple moments where an opponent's Pokemon nearly wiped out all of mine during each battle against the Elite Four. Heck, Electchu was all I had left when I defeated Lance. I know some Frontier Brains like Spenser did surprise me at some moments, but long term I don't feel very challenged as a trainer."

Coovers looks at his friend disapprovingly and stops walking.

"So you were lying when you said you'll be careful with your pride or keep in mind Scott's warning about how tough the sixth brain is?" He asks skeptically.

"Yes. No. Kind of," Timothy replies, trying to hide the fact that his friend is on to him. "The point is that I'm still winning with little to no problems. Maybe something like the Battle Frontier is important for younger people like Ash, but apart from helping you keep the Gieldanstone from you-know-who, it's hardly doing much for me. The way I see it, I get some semi-tough opponents to warm up my Pokemon for the Indigo League, and that's it. I know how mildly opinionated that sounds, but it's how I honestly feel. It's like I told you when we left Pallet Town, Coovers; everyone makes claims that someone is very tough, but that doesn't always make them someone to be worried about like I'm just some Pokemon trainer."

"But you are a Pokemon trainer," Coovers states.

"Yeah, a trainer that's done more than most trainers do in their lifetime," Timothy boasts. "I've taken down a Team Rocket operation, I've hunted down a poacher with you, I'm on this big mission against Team Rocket with you, and I won a Pokemon league and defeated a region's Elite Four and champion. Who else can say they've done even half of those things? Right, Electchu?"

"Rai," Electchu says with a grin, sharing its trainer's prideful feelings.

Coovers sighs, feeling like he's not getting anywhere.

"Look, Timothy, I get where you're coming from, and you're right that very few people accomplish what you've done with your life. That much being said, I'm really worried that your arrogance will be your downfall. You may not believe Scott when he says this Frontier Brain at Tohjo Falls is tough to beat, but I do. Don't let your past wins get the better of you when you only need to win against one more person before Scott leads us right to Brandon. Remember, time may or may not be a factor in getting the Gieldanstone before Team Rocket does."

Timothy stays silent for a moment before he lets out a sigh.

"You're right," he says sincerely. "I only need one more win so that we can stop the organization. That's more important than be getting better challenges."

Coovers smiles slightly, glad to hear some sense from his Kantoian friend.

"Good," he says plainly before he realizes something. "But we should be talking less about the mission in public. We might attract the wrong people if we're not careful."

Timothy smirks at Coovers and says, "Coovers, I know it's a secret mission and all, but we're miles away from the mainland. What could possibly happen out - OOUF!"

Someone tackles Timothy to the ground, and he groans painfully from his head hitting the cement. He hears Coovers and Electchu get tackled right next to him. Timothy's mind instantly goes into thinking they're publicly attacked by Team Rocket, and he tries to get up and punch the person who tackled him.

"You have a lot of nerve to -" he begins before his anger instantly changes to a look of surprise at the sight of two familiar, ocean-blue eyes.

"Serena?"

The honey blonde girl shakes her head before opening her eyes to see him and smiles.

"Oh, hey, Timothy," she greets.

Timothy stares for a moment before turning his head to see that Ash tackled Coovers, and Electchu has just shoved Pikachu off of it.

"Ash, it's Timothy," Serena says as she gets off Timothy and stands up.

Ash turns his head and smiles brightly.

"Hey, Timothy," he greets.

"Get off me," Coovers growls as he pushes Ash off of him and gets up. "What's the big idea, ramming right into us?"

But before Ash or Serena can answer, Brock runs over to them and shouts in a panic, "Guys, we gotta move!" before running past them with Dawn, Piplup, and an auburn-haired woman running behind.

"Oh man, that's right!" Ash says in realization. "Sorry, guys, but we need to run! The ferry to Cremini Town leaves in seven minutes."

Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu look at Ash, shocked before Timothy says, "What do you mean? The ship leaves at 10:30, and it's probably 9:20 since last we looked."

"What are you talking about?" Serena rebukes before taking out her tablet. "It's 10:23, and the ferry is leaving almost now!"

The two men and the Raichu look at her tablet to see that it is approximately a few minutes until 10:30. Since the clock on tablets are always precise, neither of them dare question the accuracy of Serena's device. They hear the sound of a ship horn blowing, announcing that a ship is going to leave soon, and Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu look at each other with one thought in mind.

"Run!" The two men shout.

They start running as fast as they can with Ash, Serena, and Pikachu running in front of them. The four trainers and the two Pokemon race their way past bystanders, desperate to reach their destination.

"Why are you guys chasing the ship too?" Ash huffs. "Are you guys trying to get to Cremini Town too?"

"Obviously!" Timothy shouts. "I'm trying to get to the second to last Frontier Brain. What's your reason?"

"I have a contest to compete in there," Serena calls out. "I still need to win my last ribbon before I can compete in the Grand Festival."

"But we all overslept, and that's why we're chasing after the ship," Ash says. "Why did you think it was 9:20?"

"Well, that's what the clock post said when we bought our tickets," Coovers retorts. "We've only been on the island for all of thirty minutes or so!"

"Then that clock post must have been an hour behind because I can see the ship getting ready to depart!" Serena shouts in a panic.

The six of them continue to run as fast as they can to the docks. By the time they make it to the platform to the ship, Brock, Dawn, Piplup, and the auburn-haired woman have already boarded, and they're waving their hands and shouting to hurry up. Timothy, Coovers, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Electchu climb up the stairs and quickly show their tickets to the conductor who lets them in just seconds before the ship begins to move. Once they're on board, everyone simultaneously lets out a long sigh of relief.

"That was way too close," Dawn groans. "We should get an alarm clock or something for mornings like this."

"Yeah, and maybe we should double-check with the ticket salesman whether or not a clock post is right or something," Timothy huffs before turning to the blunette girl. "Nice to see you again, by the way, Dawn."

"Yeah, same here," Dawn says with a chuckle. "Same to you, Electchu and Coovers."

But as she was greeting, Dawn notices that Coovers isn't standing next to Timothy like he was a moment ago. Timothy, Electchu, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu notice this as well, and they all look around only see Coovers on one knee, holding the auburn-haired woman's hand with a kittenish look.

"Hello, gorgeous," he says. "Do you believe in fate? Because I believe we were meant to - AUGH!"

Timothy walks over and grabs Coovers firmly by the ear and starts dragging him away. The auburn-haired woman acts uncomfortable until Brock steps in front of her and takes both of her hands with a dopey smile.

"My dear, a thousand apologies for my friend's behavior," he says.

Timothy rolls his eyes and huffs in annoyance before he grabs Brock by the ear with his free hand and also pulls him away.

"I am so sorry for both of my friends' behaviors, madame," he says while Coovers and Brock try to free their ears from his grip.

The woman chuckles lightly and says, "Actually, Brock and I are technically a thing, so I would appreciate it if you let him go."

Coovers stops trying to free himself, and both he and Timothy look at the woman with their eyes wide open. Timothy robotically lets go of Brock's ear, and the tan man happily walks over to the woman's side and puts his arm over her shoulder.

"That's right, fellas, Holly is with me," he states proudly. "So, you better stay away from my future girlfriend, Coovers."

"Oh, so this is Coovers and Timothy," the woman named Holly says instantly intrigued before turning to Electchu. "And this cute guy must be Electchu, right?"

"Chhaaaa," Electchu coos as she pets its head affectionately.

Timothy finally let's go of Coovers' ear, and they look at each other puzzled.

"I'm confused," Coovers says. "You are Brock's future girlfriend, and yet you say you're technically a thing? How does that work?"

But before anyone can answer, the sound of loud rumbling is heard, and Ash chuckles embarrassed.

"Sorry, guys," he said.

Serena shakes her head at the raven-haired boy and says, "Well, we did miss breakfast. Why don't we see if the dining room is open for some brunch?"

"Sounds good to me," Ash says. "Then, we can explain everything about Brock and Holly."

Timothy and Coovers look at each other and smile.

"Sounds good. We were on our way to grab breakfast before you ran into us anyway," Coovers says.

Fortunately, the ship's dining hall is open until late at night, so the seven trainers and the three Pokemon help themselves to some brunch. Before long, Ash is stuffing his face with food vigorously, leaving Timothy and Coovers to chuckle, having forgotten what a big eater he is. After about ten minutes of eating, Brock and Holly begin their tale of how they met at the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle Tournament, why Holly left after they were disqualified, how they bumped into each other at Neon City and the deal they made. Timothy and Electchu find the deal to be odd, but Coovers is touched by the time the story ends.

"So even though she doesn't have to prove how strong she is, she wants to hold off you guys starting to date officially until after she competes in the Indigo League?" He asks.

"That's the plan," Brock answers with a smile.

"That's why we're going to Viridian City after Serena wins her last ribbon," Holly says, sitting next to Brock as they eat. "And we just can't wait until after the league."

Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers stare at the pair silently for a minute, processing their story. Timothy and Electchu look at each other with skeptical looks while the latter eats its bowl of Pokemon food before they turn back to their friends.

"I'm sorry," Timothy begins in a skeptical tone. "But that has to be the most -"

"Romantic thing I've ever heard!" Coovers finishes with his eyes watery.

Everyone turns to the man from Unova to find him shedding tears of joy and taking Brock's hand with a smile.

"If she wins the tournament, she wins the trophy and your heart!" he sobs in a giddy voice. "But if she loses, she still wins something far more important than a Pokemon league!"

Brock grins happily and says, "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It really is!" Coovers says. "You're the luckiest man in the world!"

"I know!" Brock exclaims.

With that, the two men get up from their seats and walk over to each other to cry in each other's arms. Ash looks at them confused while Serena and Holly chuckle awkwardly. Timothy stares at Brock and Coovers with a mixture of disbelief and annoyance before turning to Dawn, who is sitting next to him.

"You know, I want Coovers to find happiness like any good friend should, but moments like this make me worried about what he will be like when he does," he mutters to her.

Dawn chuckles and says, "How do you think I feel with Brock finally finding a lady in his life?"

Timothy can't help but chuckle back at her response before turning to Serena, who is eating next to Dawn.

"So, you only have to win one more ribbon since last we've seen you guys?" He asks.

"I'm afraid so," Serena answers with a sad smile. "I competed in the Pokemon contest at Cinnabar Island yesterday, but Dawn knocked me out on the second round."

"I sure did," Dawn says proudly. "That's why Serena is practicing to improve on her double battle skills in case she has to do it again during the contest at Cremini Town."

"Oh, so there can be double battles in the battle stage in Pokemon contests?" Timothy asks, intrigued.

"Yep," Dawn answers. "It's just like a normal battle stage where you have to create spectacles while still trying to take down your opponent's Pokemon in under five minutes."

"But the battling part lies in the problem for me," Serena explains. "I can handle commanding more than one Pokemon during a performance where I have a whole routine practiced, but to command two Pokemon to take down two other Pokemon while still trying to wow the audience is beyond my experience. You see up until yesterday, I've only ever had one double battle, and I didn't even finish it."

"Hmmm, I see," Timothy says. "Well, if you ever need advice on how to better handle a double battle, I'd be more than happy to teach you a thing or two while we're here, Serena."

Serena is taken aback for a moment before she smiles at Timothy.

"That's very kind of you, Timothy, bu -"

"No way."

Everyone turns to Ash, who stands up with a grin and says, "I've been helping Serena out as best as I can ever since we left Pallet Town. I should be helping Serena with her double battle skills."

Serena turns to Ash in awe, and her cheeks turn pink.

"Ash is right," Dawn says, stepping in. "Why I'm willing to bet Serena owes at least half of her ribbons to her teachings from Ash just like how he owes her for almost half the badges he won for the Kalos league."

Serena turns to Dawn, who gives her a wink. The honey blonde girl smiles appreciatively at her friend, knowing what she's up too.

"Now, now, you two, don't be hasty," Holly says calmly with a grin. "After all, Timothy has won a Pokemon league and defeated a regional champion, right? So maybe it would be more beneficial to train with someone like him."

Brock and Coovers overhear them and stop crying just in time to say their two cents.

"Now hang on, Holly, I think Ash would make a better teacher," Brock says. "He does know Serena better than any of us."

"That may be, but Timothy's been in so many double battles that he has his personal favorite pairs of Pokemon to choose from," Coovers points out.

Serena is looking back and forth between everyone. The group appears evenly divided on who thinks should help her practice. Before the discussion continues, she stands up, gaining everyone's attention.

"Both Ash and Timothy should help me," she states. "If both have their respective experience, then it's best I learn from both of them to get stronger."

Everyone stays silent for several seconds. Then Ash gives her a grin and a thumbs up.

"Great idea, Serena," he praises.

Serena smiles the raven-haired boy and turns to Timothy, who nods.

"If that is what you want," he says with a shrug. "Two heads are better than one, I suppose."

"Three," Dawn corrects with a pout. "Don't forget that I'm the only professional coordinator here."

"Piplup," Piplup says, backing up its partner.

"Good point, Dawn," Brock says.

"Aww, but we were so evenly divided that I thought we were gonna have a battle to sort this out," Holly says with a playful pout.

Timothy lets out a chuckle, and boastfully says, "If we did that, then the right to help Serena would instantly go to me anyway."

Coovers frowns at his friend's sudden prideful attitude while Ash gives Timothy a cooperative glare.

"Hey, I've been getting stronger since we've last seen each other," he claims.

"Indeed?" Timothy asks, unimpressed. "How many battles have you done since we last saw each other at Fuchsia City?"

Ash's competitive face turns into an embarrassed one, and he scratches the back of his head, saying, "Well...just one."

"Ha! Just one?" Timothy mocks.

"What are you making fun of him for? You've only had one battle since we left Fuchsia City too," Coovers says flatly.

Timothy's eyes widen, and he also acts embarrassed like a child caught in a lie. But then he shakes his head and regains his proud attitude.

"So? At least my battle was against a Frontier Brain," he says.

"Who you said didn't bring much of a challenge, nor any of the other Brains for that matter," Coovers says.

Ash looks at Timothy, shocked to hear this.

"You said that?" He asks.

Timothy hesitates before he says, "Well yeah. If I'm being honest, I've been winning against everyone at the Battle Frontier with little problem, so I don't feel like I've been growing at all as a trainer."

Ash frowns and stays silent for a moment before he says, "I can understand that. I also defeated the first five Frontier Brains within my first try, but I also experienced a lot of things that I've never experienced before, like what Tucker could do combining a fire and water attack or using an entire island as a battlefield. Besides, the last two Brains are much harder."

"Ash is right," Brock says seriously. "He lost pretty bad against the last two. In fact, he lost to Brandon twice. So you should be careful with them because Brandon, in particular, will use your arrogance against you like he did to Ash."

Timothy raises his eyebrow, intrigued, and turns to Coovers, who still looks concerned for his friend.

"That's good to know," Timothy says. "But back to the subject, I hope you have improved since our last battle Ash."

Ash grins excitedly and says, "I know I have."

"Really?" Timothy says with a smirk. "In that case, since we're done with brunch, let's have that battle we promised to each other. I noticed that there is an outside battlefield at the front of the ship, so let's go there. We'll go three rounds, and the one who wins the most rounds wins the match."

"You're on," Ash says immediately. "I'm going to win, no doubt."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaims, feeling pumped.

"We'll see, young man, because I will be impressed if you take down any of my Pokemon," Timothy days with a confident smirk.

"Rai!" Electchu snarls with a battle-hungry grin.

Coovers rolls his eyes while the rest of the group are excited about the battle.

"What are we waiting for?" Holly says. "Let's go."

Everyone says words of agreement, and they leave the dining hall together and head to the ship's battlefield. While they're walking, Coovers walks side by side with Timothy and whispers in his ear.

"Hey, what happened to not letting your past wins get the better of you?" He hisses.

"I agreed to do that for the mission, not for Ash," Timothy replies plainly. "Besides, Ash couldn't even hurt my Pokemon last time, so even if battling him is essential to getting the stone, we have nothing to fear."

Coovers groans and says, "I hope Ash does win to put you in your place."

"Thanks for your support," Timothy says sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup are walking behind everyone else. The blunette girl walks beside her friend in silence before she decides to strike up a quiet conversation.

"You know, I'm surprised at you," she says.

"Huh? Why?" Serena asks, confused.

"You had the perfect moment to openly choose Ash to help you with your training, and instead, you choose him and Timothy," Dawn answers. "I thought you'd want some alone time with him."

Serena frowns sadly and looks down with her hands behind her back.

"I wanted to choose Ash," she admits. "I was really touched when he went and stood up like that."

"So why didn't you?" Dawn asks.

"Because my dream has to come first this time," Serena answers. "I need to improve as a coordinator if I'm going to get my last ribbon or have any chance of winning the Grand Festival. To do that, I should learn whatever I can from more than one person experienced in double battles. You saw the way Ash and Timothy had their double battle shortly before Absol hatched. Ash is very skilled, but Timothy has enough experience that he had his own personal choice of Pokemon to use in a double battle. I want to learn what both of them have to teach me as a trainer and as a coordinator."

Dawn looks at the honey blonde girl sadly for a moment and sighs.

"Yeah, you're right," she says. "You need to learn everything that you can."

Serena smiles, glad that Dawn understands her decision. But then Dawn gives her a teasing smile and says, "But for the record, I kind of wish you had let them decide who helps you on a Pokemon battle."

"Really? Why's that?" Serena asks.

"Think about it, Serena. Not only does Ash stand up for his spot as your teacher, but he has a battle to keep that title," Dawn says with a grin. "So technically, that means you were that close to watching him battle to spend time with you."

Serena's eyes widen in shock, realizing Dawn has a point. Her cheeks turn pink again, and she smiles slightly at the thought.

"That does sound nice," she admits, playing with her fingers.

Dawn chuckles quietly and nudges Serena with her elbow saying, "Ah well, better luck next time with Mr. Dense."

Serena chuckles nervously and nods just as the group makes it to the battlefield. Timothy and Electchu stand on one side of the field with Ash and Pikachu standing on the other while everyone stands on the sidelines.

"Shall we have Brock referee again?" Ash asks.

"That's fine with me," Timothy replies.

"You were the referee for their last battle?" Holly asks, slightly surprised.

"Oh, I referee all the time when traveling with Ash and the others," Brock answers with a smirk.

"It's true," Dawn says. "Brock is the best person to judge a battle when we're not in a contest or gym battle."

"Oh, really?" Holly says with a happy grin before she turns to Brock and whispers in his ear, "I like learning new things about you."

Brock makes a silly, bashful giggle, and his cheeks turn pink for a moment before he shakes his head and clears his throat. Holly watches him with a delighted look in her eyes as Brock steps forward and raises his hand.

"This will be a three-round battle between Ash and Timothy!" he announces. "The winner will be decided on who wins the most rounds. Are the participants ready?"

"Ready," Ash and Timothy say simultaneously.

"Then battle begin!" Brock shouts.

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash shouts.

"Pika!" Pikachu yells as it hops into the field.

"Starting off with Pikachu, eh?" Timothy says with a smirk before turning to his partner. "What do you think, pal? Want to see what your little buddy's got?"

"Rai!" Electchu growls with an eager grin.

"Alright then, Electchu, time for battle!" Timothy declares as Electchu runs to the field.

Ash gives an exuberant grin and says, "I was hoping you'd pick Electchu."

"Oh, I'm sure you were," Timothy replies. "Admittingly, I, for one, think we're overdue finding out how Pikachu and Electchu will do against each other."

"Then you're in for a surprise," Ash says confidently. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu springs into action and runs toward its opponent at incredible speed. Timothy and Electchu stay still and watch the little mouse Pokemon charge until it's close enough.

"Electchu, send Pikachu back with Iron Tail," Timothy commands.

Electchu's long tail turns into iron, and it spins around once before hitting Pikachu right on the face with its tail right as it is about to pounce. The move sends Pikachu flying, and it squeals as it flies past Ash and slams into a wall.

"Pikachu!" Ash calls out.

Pikachu falls into the ground and moans in pain before it slowly gets up and makes another battle stance.

"Pika!" It shouts, still ready to fight.

Ash smirks and says, "Alright, Pikachu, use Electro Ball!"

"Electchu, use Electro Ball right as Pikachu is about to throw it!" Timothy instructs.

Pikachu's body becomes surrounded in sparks of electricity while it charges at Electchu again. Then the electricity moves to its tail and forms an orange-yellow orb. Pikachu jumps high in the air and is about to fling the orb to Electchu, but the Raichu quickly summons its own ball of electricity and throws it. The orb of electricity hits Pikachu's Electro Ball right as Pikachu is about to throw it to explode on impact and send Pikachu crashing into the ground with several scratches all over its body. Ash, Serena, Dawn, Holly, and Brock stare in shock until Pikachu gets back up.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

"Electchu, counter with Thunder!" Timothy shouts.

The two mouse Pokemon release their respective attacks at the same time, and the attacks collide and explode, covering the battlefield with smoke. Ash grins again, with a plan already in motion in his mind.

"Now use Quick Attack followed by Iron Tail!" He shouts.

Timothy overhears his opponent's command and smirks while hearing Pikachu race toward his Pokemon again through the smoke.

"Electchu, close your eyes and wait until Pikachu is close enough, then use Iron Tail to defend and knock Pikachu down!" He orders.

Electchu closes its eyes as instructed, and it listens closely to Pikachu's rapid footsteps that grow louder and louder. Pikachu runs until it's only a couple feet away from Electchu, and its tail turns into iron. But as Pikachu gets ready to strike, Electchu's eyes snap open and uses Iron Tail to deflect Pikachu's attack. Pikachu only has a moment to react before the Raichu spins and uses its tail to swat Pikachu hard on the head, causing it to slam into the ground. The smoke clears, and Ash is shocked to see his plan didn't work.

"Alright, let's wrap this up!" Timothy says. "Electchu, use Hyper Beam!"

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash calls out desperately.

Pikachu slowly tries to stand up with its eyes shut, but it can barely start to lift itself in all four as its opponent summons an orange ball of energy from out of its mouth. Electchu fires a large beam from the ball, and it hits Pikachu, sending it rolling all the way back to Ash, and it lies on it's back in front of his feet with swirly eyes.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Electchu wins!" Brock announces.

Ash frowns and picks up Pikachu, who opens its eyes weakly to look at him.

"Don't worry, buddy. We'll get them next time," Ash promises with a sad smile.

"Pika," Pikachu moans, trying to smile back.

Serena walks over to Ash and gently takes Pikachu into her arms.

"I'll watch over Pikachu while you battle, Ash," she says.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash says appreciatively before turning to Timothy and Electchu. "I gotta admit you two took us off guard."

"We sure did," Timothy says with a proud smile as Electchu walks over to his side. "I must admit you had a good idea of using the smoke as a distraction, but unfortunately - just like with Poliwrath, I trained Electchu with handling situations where smoke or mist keeps us from seeing our opponent."

"I guess I should have considered that," Ash says, scratching the back of his head. "Plus, I was totally surprised that Electchu knows Hyper Beam."

"I bet," Timothy says. "It's a move that Electchu and I only use on occasion because we don't want to rely solely on it despite its massive power."

"Raichu," Electchu says with a nod.

"Well, you may have taken me off guard this time, but I'm going to win the next round," Ash claims with a smirk as he takes out another Pokeball and throws it. "Primeape, I choose you!"

The ball opens, and Primeape comes out, bumping its fists and glaring menacingly at Timothy, eager to meet its opponent.

"Ah, I remember your Primeape," Timothy says. "Didn't you call it a true champion or something?"

"Sure did," Ash says proudly. "Primeape here has won the P1 Grand Prix tournament twice in Celadon City. It has spent years to be the best fighting-type Pokemon it can be."

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts.

Timothy smirks and takes out a Pokeball.

"Is that so? Then why don't we test that," he says before throwing his Pokeball. "Odyssey, let's go!"

Odyssey comes out of its Pokeball and makes a fighting stance. The Lucario and the Primeape glare menacingly at each other, really to beat the other senselessly.

"Ah, so Timothy decided to test Primeape's skill with another fighting type," Dawn observes.

"So does that mean they're evenly matched type-wise just like Pikachu and Electchu?" Serena asks while she cradles Pikachu.

"Not exactly," Brock says. "Odyssey is not only a fighting type, but it's also a steel type which is weak against fighting attacks. So while its moves don't have a special advantage against a complete fighting type like Primeape, it's actually weak against fighting moves. So in terms of Pokemon types, Primeape has the advantage."

Coovers frowns, knowing that Brock is right. He can see in Timothy's eyes that he is knowingly gambling with a disadvantage just to show his skill again, similar to his battle against Spenser's Claydol.

"Timothy, you idiot," he mumbles to himself.

"Alright, Primeape, let's show them how it's done with Thrash!" Ash shouts.

Primeape stomps on the ground angrily and runs toward Odyssey, but the Lucario looks at its opponent unfazed while its trainer smirks.

"Dodge it, Odyssey," Timothy says plainly.

Without uttering a sound, Odyssey moves its upper body back and forth, dodging every punch and kick Primeape throws in its direction. Primeape grows angrier, desperate to land a hit, but its frustration only makes it easier for the Lucario to dodge.

"Primeape, don't let Odyssey get to you!" Ash calls out. "Just calm down and use Karate Chop!"

Primeape stops attacking and obediently takes a large breath. Then it bumps its fists and gets ready to attack again.

"Odyssey, deflect its attack with Bone Rush!" Timothy commands.

Odyssey creates a large bone of green energy and uses it to block Primeape from karate-chopping its side. The pig monkey Pokemon tries to hit its opponent several more times, but Odyssey continues to hold its bone like a duel-bladed weapon and deflect every single attack.

"Primeape, use Mega Kick!" Ash shouts.

But Timothy grins and says, "Dodge and use Strength!"

Primeape takes a step back and tries to hit Odyssey with a powerful kick, but the Lucario dodges the attack, and with its body surrounded in red aura, it picks up Primeape and tosses it high into the air.

"Now, batter up!" Timothy commands.

Odyssey summons another Bone Rush and swings it like a bat just as Primeape is about to crash into the ground. Primeape flies through the air and lands right next to Ash.

"Primeape, are you okay?" Ash asks worriedly.

Primeape groans before it slowly gets up and makes a fighting stance.

"Primeape!" It growls.

Ash grins and says, "Alright, use Thrash one more time!"

Timothy grins again and says, "Block and then attack with Bone Rush!"

Primeape charges at Odyssey, who holds on to its bone, ready for its opponent. Once again, Primeape swiftly throws countless punches and kicks at its opponent, but the aura Pokemon blocks every attack with its bone. The process goes on for several seconds until the Lucario finds an opening and jabs Primeape in the face with the end of its bone. Primeape steps back in a daze, giving Odyssey the chance to furiously hit its opponent all over its body. When it finishes attacking, the pig money has scratches all over its body, and it's struggling to stay standing.

"Now, finish it off with Aura Sphere!" Timothy shouts.

"Primeape, dodge it!" Ash yells.

But despite its trainer's wishes, Primeape is too dazed to move. Odyssey fires Aura Sphere, and it knocks Primeape off its feet and sends it crashing into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Primeape is unable to battle!" Brock declares. "Odyssey is the winner, which means the battle goes to Timothy!"

Timothy pumps his fist into the air proudly and turns to Odyssey and Electchu, saying, "Nice work, you guys."

"Raichu," Electchu says happily.

"Luca," Odyssey says with a smirk.

"Wow, I can't believe Ash lost so quickly," Holly says, amazed.

"Me neither. He didn't even land a hit on any of Timothy's Pokemon just like before," Dawn says.

"Yeah, it's really shocking," Serena says worryingly. "I can't believe Odyssey took down Primeape so easily."

"Pika," Pikachu says sadly while being held by Serena.

Ash runs over to Primeape's side and gives it a sad smile.

"Don't worry, Primeape. We'll get them next time. Promise," he says.

"Prime," Primeape groans before giving Odyssey a menacing glare as Ash returns it back into its Pokeball.

"Well, Ash, that was a good battle," Timothy compliments. "I'm only sorry we couldn't make it last longer."

Ash's eyes widen, and he turns to Timothy with a desperate look.

"Wait!" He shouts. "I wanna have another round!"

Timothy looks at the raven-haired boy, confused, and asks, "Why? I already won the match."

"I know, but I want to battle with one more Pokemon," Ash pleads. "I know that I can beat one of your Pokemon if we have one last round."

Timothy raises his eyebrow and says, "No offense, Ash, but your other two Pokemon didn't land a hit on either of mine. What makes you so sure you can defeat any Pokemon in my team?"

"Please, Timothy," Ash pleads again. "I know I can win this one."

Timothy looks at Ash skeptically. The raven-haired boy stares at him with both desperation and determination in his eyes. He turns to Electchu, who merely shrugs in response and then to Odyssey, who gives him a nod. Finally, Timothy smiles and takes out another Pokeball.

"Very well," he says. "But don't say I didn't warn you."

Ash smiles excitedly and quickly takes out another Pokeball.

"Thanks, but I know it when I say I won't lose," he says.

Timothy nods and turns to Brock.

"Do you mind if you judge for a little while longer?" He asks.

"No at all," Brock says with a smile before he raises his hand and shouts, "Battle continue!"

"Alright, Boldore, let's go!" Ash shouts.

"Blitzwing, let's do this!" Timothy yells.

The two of them throw their Pokeballs, and Boldore, and Blitzwing come out. Serena smiles at the sight of Ash's third Pokemon.

"I knew it," she says. "Ash wanted one more round so that he can use Boldore."

"And now Ash has the type advantage, doesn't he, Brock?" Dawn says.

"True, most of Boldore's moves are rock type which are very effective against a flying type like Blitzwing," Brock says. "But it won't mean anything if Boldore fails to land a hit like Pikachu and Primeape."

"Boldore, use Rock Smash!" Ash commands.

"Dodge it using Brave Bird!" Timothy orders.

Blitzwing's body is surrounded in blue flames, and it dodges Boldore's Rock Smash with ease before ramming into its opponent. Boldore grunts slightly, but it stands its ground.

"Now, use Aerial Ace!" Timothy commands.

Blitzwing starts to dive down to the ground and gets ready to pounce. But as it gets ready to attack, Ash gets an idea.

"Boldore, use Rock Blast straight ahead!" He commands.

Boldore fires another silver energy wave right as Blitzwing flaps its wings to fly straight toward the ore Pokemon. The Braviary runs right into Boldore's attack and is sent back, tumbling into the ground a few feet away from a shocked Timothy and Electchu.

"Nice going, Boldore!" Ash praises.

"Way to go, Boldore!" Serena cheers.

"There goes Ash's streak of never landing a hit," Dawn says with a grin.

Coovers looks at Timothy, who is still baffled that his Pokemon is hurt. Blitzwing groans softly before it stands up and spreads its wings, showing that it's alright to continue.

"I hope that knocks some humility into him," Coovers quietly says to himself.

Timothy shakes his head and turns to Ash, pretending he's not taken aback.

"Nice move, Ash. You landed a hit this time," he says.

"There's more where that came from," Ash claims.

"We'll see about that," Timothy says before turning to his Pokemon. "Blitzwing, use Brave Bird again!"

Blitzwing soars into the air and with its body on fire again, it rams right into Boldore. Boldore grunts in pain again, but is still standing tall.

"Hmmm, that's a tough Pokemon you got there," Timothy admits.

"You bet. Boldore and I have been training real hard," Ash says. "Boldore, use Flash Cannon!"

"Dodge and use Crush Claw!" Timothy shouts.

Blitzwing's claws start glowing, and it zooms toward Boldore to crush its claws down on its opponent. Boldore groans slightly, but it doesn't appear to be hurt much.

"Boldore, use Rock Smash!" Ash orders.

Boldore's left leg glows orange, and it stabs Blitzwing hard. The Braviary cries out in pain and flies a few feet away from Boldore.

"Alright, keep it up, Boldore!" Serena calls out.

"It's a good thing Boldore didn't seem to be hurt that much by Crush Claw," Holly comments.

"It's hardly surprising that it didn't," Brock says. "Crush Claw is actually a normal type move which Boldore is resistant to."

Timothy's eyes widen, and his mouth hangs agape in realization.

"Dang it, he's right, Electchu," he quietly says to his partner. "In all the eagerness to win, I forgot that Crush Claw is not very effective against a Pokemon like Boldore."

"Rai," Electchu moans, embarrassed for its partner.

Timothy shakes his head to break his embarrassment state and regains his confident posture.

"No matter. That just delays the inevitable," he claims. "Right, Blitzwing?"

"Braaiiii!" Blitzwing caws in agreement.

"Boldore, use Rock Smash again!" Ash calls out.

Boldore's leg glows orange again, and it charges at Blitzwing.

"Blitzwing, use Steel Wing!" Timothy shouts

Blitzwing's wings glow white, and before Boldore can attack, it strikes the ore Pokemon with its wings. Boldore lets out a painful howl as Blitzwing strikes it again and sends it sounding back a few yards. Ash looks at Boldore, shocked to see it struggling to get up.

"Boldore, are you okay?" He asks.

"See? No problem. Easy hit," Timothy says to Electchu.

Boldore slowly gets up and makes a firm stance, shouting, "Boldore!" with determination in its voice. Ash smiles at his Pokemon's willingness to keep going, knowing that Boldore's desire to evolve is helping it stay strong.

"_Okay, then. No more messing around,_" Ash thinks to himself. "_If Timothy has an advantage like Steel Wing, he's probably to use it with every chance he gets. I need to use my advantage with the same idea before Blitzwing takes out Boldore._"

Timothy, on the other hand, is still intrigued with Boldore's determination to keep going.

"_I thought Boldore would have more trouble getting up than that,_" he thinks. "_Clearly, Ash has trained it well enough that it's slightly stronger than most rock Pokemon I use Blitzwing against. I better stop holding back and use Steel Wing until it's down for the count_."

With both trainers set on their respective plans, they shout their next commands simultaneously.

"Boldore, use Flash Cannon!" Ash yells.

"Blitzwing, use Steel Wing again!" Timothy shouts.

Blitzwing charges at Boldore only to be hit by a Flash Cannon that sends it flying into the air. It quickly regains air control before it crashes into the ground.

"You got this, Blitzwing!" Timothy claims. "Just use Steel Wing once more!"

Ash grinds his teeth and tries to think of something while Blitzwing charges again until it hits him.

"Boldore, use Sandstrom on Blitzwing quick!" He orders.

Boldore jumps into the air, glowing several different colors and then stomps down onto the ground, causing sand to swirl from underneath it in all directions. Blitzwing's eyes widen, and it stops itself from running right into the waves of sand right in the nick of time, but Ash smiles, knowing that the Braviary just made itself an easy target.

"Boldore, use Rock Blast multiple times on Blitzwing!" He shouts. "Give it everything you've got!"

Timothy's eyes widen, realizing what Ash just did and shouts, "Blitzwing, dodge it!"

Boldore fires multiple silver waves directly at Blitzwing, and the Braviary can only shout in pain while it repeatedly gets hit while in the air. The ore Pokemon fires Rock Blast after Rock Blast until one silver wave sends Blitzwing back, and it plummets to the ground inert. Everyone is silent for several seconds until Brock clears his throat and raises his hand.

"Blitzwing is unable to battle! Boldore wins!" He announces.

"Alright!" Ash cheers before running over to hug his Pokemon. "Way to go, Boldore!"

"Boldore!" Boldore shouts triumphantly.

"Great job, Ash and Boldore!" Serena cheers happily.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"Nicely done!" Holly calls out.

"Now that's the kind of battling I expect from Ash," Dawn says with a smirk.

"Same here," Brock says with a grin.

Coovers smiles sincerely at Ash and Boldore before turning to Electchu, Odyssey, and Timothy, who is still baffled while he returns Blitzwing to its Pokeball. The Unovian man walks over to his friend and pats him on the back.

"I hope that didn't hurt your pride too much, buddy," Coovers says with a sympathetic smile.

Timothy turns to Coovers and chuckles lightly before he says, "Just enough, Coovers. Just enough."

"Raichu," Electchu sighs.

"Luca," Odyssey says with a shrug.

Coovers chuckles before the two men and the Raichu and Lucario walk over toward Ash and Boldore, who are still celebrating.

"Well done, Ash," Timothy compliments. "While I won the match, I must admit you used my confidence against me."

Coovers scoffs and secretly mutters, "Confidence might be putting it too lightly."

"Thanks, Timothy," Ash says while Brock, Holly, Dawn, Serena, and Pikachu walk over to them. "And I really appreciate that you allowed one more battle. I just know Boldore would have been disappointed if it couldn't have a try at facing you and your Pokemon yet."

"Boldore," Boldore says happily.

"Indeed. Judging on that battle, you've been spending an awful lot of time training it," Timothy says.

"He sure has," Serena states proudly. "It's Boldore's dream to evolve into a Gigalith, so Ash has been training it out of hopes that it might eventually evolve after winning enough battles."

Timothy and Coovers look at Serena, confused, and then looked at each other before turning back to Ash.

"You mean, you don't know?" Coovers asks.

"Huh? Know what?" Ash asks.

"Ash, the only way to evolve a Boldore is by trading them," Timothy says.

Ash stares at Timothy, crushed. He turns to Boldore, who looks just as defeated with this news.

"No way," he says seriously. "I will never give away Boldore just so that it could evolve."

"Boldore," Boldore says, getting closer to Ash, clearly feeling the same way.

"Hold on there now. Not so fast," Coovers says with a smile. "That doesn't necessarily mean that you have to give it away."

"Coovers is right," Timothy says. "You can just trade it with someone and then trade it back after it evolves."

Ash stands up and looks at Timothy, surprised.

"I can really do that?" He asks.

"Of course," Timothy assures. "That's how I got some of my Pokemon, including my Gengar, to evolve. Once they were all strong enough, my brother, Johnathan, and I traded a bunch of our Pokemon so that they would evolve. So really, you can just do a trade-and-trade-back with me, Coovers, or anyone else here, and your Boldore will evolve just like that."

Serena scratches her chin and says, "That does add up, Ash. I remember Jessie getting her Gourgeist back from Count Pumpka after it evolved and made his male Pumpkaboo lost interest in it."

"Wow," Ash says excitedly with stars in his eyes. "Do you think Boldore is ready to evolve?"

"Personally, yes," Timothy answers. "Given how it managed to hold its own after a powerful Steel-type attack from Blitzwing like that, I think Boldore here is ready."

"Awesome!" Ash says happily before turning to Boldore. "Would you like to evolve now, Boldore?"

"Boldore!" Boldore shouts happily.

"Great!" Ash says. "Now, I guess we just need to find a trading machine."

Brock scratches his chin and says, "I should think there would be one on a big ship like this one."

Just then, a crew member of the ship is passing by mopping the deck. Dawn notices him and walks over to him.

"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to have a trading machine on this ship, would you?" She asks.

The crewman turns to the blunette girl and smiles.

"As a matter of fact, we do," he says. "It's on the fourth floor down next to the first aid center. Just take the stairs inside, and it'll be the third door on your left."

"Great. Thanks a lot," Dawn says before turning to the group. "Let's go evolve a Pokemon, guys."

"Right," everyone else says in agreement.

This thev group goes back inside the ship and starts heading to the trading machine. As they are walking, Dawn begins to frown and turns to Brock.

"You know, Brock, that Hyper Beam was pretty brutal against Pikachu," she says.

"I agree," Brock says with a serious look. "I'm glad what Pikachu experienced wasn't a repeat of its first battle against Sho's Raichu."

Dawn shudders and says, "That was horrible."

"Piplup," Piplup agreed while walking beside Dawn.

Serena and Holly look at Dawn and Brock, confused, having overheard their conversation.

"What are you two talking about? What happened when Pikachu faced this Sho's Raichu?" Serena asks.

"Simply put, Pikachu was in a critical condition after the battle," Brock said.

"What?" Holly asks, both her and Serena shocked. "How did that happen?"

"Well, you see, this was back when we were traveling in Sinnoh," Dawn explains. "Sometime after we met you at the Hearthome City Tag Team Tournament, we were on our way to Pastoria City for Ash to battle the gym leader there. Along the way, we encountered this guy named Sho, who mistook Pikachu for a wild Pokemon and tried to capture Pikachu with his Pichu. After Ash cleared up the misunderstanding, Sho offered to trade Pikachu for three of his Pokemon. Obviously, Ash refused."

Serena smiles and says, "That sounds like Ash, alright. He would never want to part from Pikachu. But why would Sho give away three of his Pokemon for it?"

"Because he was trying to complete his full-power evolution set," Brock answered.

"His what?" Holly asks, confused.

"His full-power evolution set," Brock repeats. "Basically, Sho wanted to have a powerful team containing a Pichu, Pikachu, and Raichu. He had the Pichu and Raichu, so he just needed a Pikachu to complete his set."

"Yeah, in fact, Sho was so determined that when Ash refused to trade Pikachu away but offered to have a battle between Pikachu and his Raichu, Sho agreed to battle on the condition that he could keep Pikachu if he won," Dawn said.

Serena looked at her friend appalled and said, "And here I thought Trent is the only case where a trainer has the nerve to take another person's Pokemon if they won a battle."

"Who?" Holly asks.

"It's a long story," Brock says before he continued. "Anyway, Ash refused, and Sho agreed to battle anyway. The battle as a whole went in Sho's favor, with his Raichu hardly being hurt at all. Eventually, he told Raichu to use Hyper Beam, and Ash tried to have Pikachu dodge it. Sho had Raichu attach Pikachu to a nearby rock with its tail so that it can hit it with Hyper Beam at point-blank range. Pikachu was sent flying, and Raichu stepped on it before it could get up."

"That's horrible," Serena says in disbelief.

"It was worse after Sho and his Raichu left, Serena," Dawn says. "Pikachu passed out, and we had to rush it to the Pokemon Center. The hit it took from that Hyper Beam was so bad that Pikachu's health was going down dramatically. Nurse Joy and her Chansey had to use a defibrillator to bring it back to a stable condition."

Serena frowns and turns to look at Pikachu, who is standing on Ash's shoulder with a cheerful smile.

"Poor Pikachu," she says. "How did Ash handle it?"

"Not well," Brock answers. "In fact, when Pikachu got better, he considered having it evolve with the Thunder Stone he got in Vermillion City."

Serena looks at Brock, shocked again.

"He kept the stone he almost used to try to beat Lt. Surge?" She asked.

Brock nodded while Holly looked at him baffled.

"But I thought Ash doesn't want Pikachu to evolve," Holly says.

"He doesn't now, but he considered it when Pikachu lost to Sho's Raichu and Lt. Surge's Raichu before that," Brock said. "Both times, Ash considered evolving Pikachu as a means to match his opponent's Pokemon. He even thought about evolving Pikachu just so that it could also know Hyper Beam after it recovered from battling Sho's Raichu the first time. But no matter the challenges, Pikachu wouldn't have it. It was determined to show that it is strong just the way it is, no matter how difficult it might be. In the end, Pikachu proved itself to be right when it defeated Lt. Surge and Sho's Raichu."

Holly and Serena smile before the former says, "So it's because of facing those two Raichu that Ash learned to respect Pikachu's wishes to not evolve."

"More or less," Brock says.

"So that's why you guys were glad that Electchu's Hyper Beam didn't hit Pikachu as badly as it did against Sho's Raichu," Serena says.

"That's right," Dawn says. "Looks like Pikachu has gotten much stronger since then so that it wouldn't be as much of a critical condition as it was the last time Hyper Beam was used against it."

"Sure looks that way," Brock agrees.

"Does that mean that Pikachu might beat Electchu next time now that Ash has a good idea of what he's up against?" Holly asks.

Brock frowns and says, "Maybe, but it might not be as easy as it was with Lt. Surge and Sho."

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"Lt. Surge and Sho cared more about power or having a collection than training their Pokemon to be the best they could be," Brock explains. "As strong as Lt. Surge's Raichu was, it wasn't as fast as it could be because he evolved it into a Raichu before training his Pikachu to have the speed it could of had and Ash used that against him. Sho's Raichu was more powerful, but it was still used as a means to an end for his collection. It was more of a collector item that he was proud of than anything else, and his pride was his downfall during his rematch with Ash. Timothy, on the other hand, knows to focus on training his Pokemon to the best of their ability, just like Ash. He didn't evolve his Pikachu and Poliwhirl into a Raichu and Poliwrath, respectively, until they decided they were ready, not unlike Boldore right now with becoming a Gigalith."

"So, what does that mean?" Dawn asks.

"It means Electchu is stronger and more skilled than any of the Raichu Pikachu has faced before, and Timothy is smarter when it comes to Pokemon battling," Brock says. "If Ash and Pikachu want to win against Timothy and Electchu, they will need to train harder and find a way to beat their opponents who have been training and winning Pokemon battles much longer than they have. But then again, Timothy appears to be pretty arrogant himself which is partly why Blitzwing lost to Boldore. If Timothy isn't careful, his pride may cost more than Ash taking down more than one of his Pokemon. Only time will tell."

Serena turns to Ash, and she puts her hand on her ribbon, silently wondering if Ash will triumph against Timothy someday. Unbeknownst to her, however, Brock, Holly, and Dawn are smirking at the honey blonde girl, knowing exactly what is on her mind.

Finally, the group goes four floors down and take a right on the third door as instructed. Sure enough, they find a trading machine looking perfect for use, and Timothy steps in and turns to Ash.

"Alright, young man, this is the moment of truth," he says with a friendly smile. "Who would you like to trade with for Boldore to evolve?"

Ash looks at Timothy taken aback from a moment and scratches his chin.

"I never thought about that," he admits.

Everyone makes a nervous chuckle before Coovers steps in and says, "Why not Timothy or me? After all, there's nothing wrong with having an expert in something like this."

"Hey, not so fast," Brock claims. "As one of his oldest companions, I think it should be me."

"I agree with Brock," Holly says, earning a sweet look from the tan-skinned man.

"Hey, what about me?" Dawn says. "I've already traded with him before when he gave me his Aipom for my Buizel."

"Guys, guys, calm down," Ash says, waving his hands. "Let me make the decision on my own."

Serena can't help but chuckle lightly at what is happening before Ash goes back to scratching his chin in thought. Everyone's eyes are on the raven-haired boy as he thinks long and hard over who to choose. Suddenly, his eyes light up, and he snaps his fingers.

"Of course!" He exclaims before he abruptly turns to Serena and takes both her hands, causing her to blush. "Serena, will you trade with me?"

Serena's pupils shrink, and she lets out a soft whimper.

"You… you want me to trade with you?" She asks.

"Of course," Ash says with a toothy grin. "After all, you've been supporting me the most out of everyone during our whole journey. It was also your idea for me to rechallenge the gyms where I didn't earn a badge properly. Not to mention, you've been rooting for Boldore ever since we found out that it wants to evolve. Right, Boldore?"

"Boldore!" Boldore says while nudging Serena's leg affectionately.

"I can't think of anyone better to help Boldore accomplish its dream with me," Ash continues. "So, what do you say?"

Serena keeps staring at Ash for a moment until she looks down and thinks. She puts her hand on her blue ribbon and slowly caresses it while a small smile enters her face. Finally, she looks back up and gives Ash a happy wink.

"Of course! I'd be honored!" She says happily.

"Great! Then what are we waiting for?" Ash says.

Serena nods, and the two of them walk over to two separate sides of the trading machine. Ash takes out Boldore's Pokeball and puts the ore Pokemon back in before placing the ball into the machine. Serena thinks for a moment before her face lights up again and with a giddy smile puts a Pokeball into the other side of the machine. Ash presses a button, the machine turns on, and the two Pokeballs are sucked into the machine, moving to the opposite sides. Once the process is complete, Ash grins and takes out the Pokeball from his side.

"I'm curious about which Pokemon you traded to me," he says as he tosses the ball.

The Pokeball open to reveal none other than Poliwag giving Ash a cute, happy smile as it stands two feet in front of him.

"Wow, Poliwag," Ash says happily surprised.

Serena smiles brightly and says, "Yep. I thought it fitting to give you Poliwag out of everyone in my party."

"Great idea, Serena," Ash says as he picks up Poliwag. "Since we met because of a Poliwag, it only fits we share yours. Right?"

"Right," Serena says cheerfully before turning to her side of the machine. "Anyway, it's time to release the Pokemon of the hour."

Serena takes out the second Pokeball, and with a twirl, she tosses it into the air, and Boldore comes out. Serena kneels down in front of the ore Pokemon and pets it kindly.

"Now your dream can finally come true, Boldore," she says, sweetly.

"Boldore!" Boldore shouts one last time before its body glows completely blue.

Serena stands up and takes a few steps back as everyone watches the Pokemon grow nearly three whole feet, and its body becomes slightly wider. When the process is done, the Pokemon stops glowing blue to reveal a delighted Gigalith in place of the Boldore.

"Gigalith!" It roars jubilantly.

"Alright, Gigalith!" Ash cheers.

Dawn, Pikachu, Piplup, Brock, Holly, Timothy, Coovers, Odyssey, and Electchu all smile, glad to see the compressed Pokemon happy with its new body. Serena walks over to it, and pets it again, which it happily accepts.

"Okay, Gigalith, it's time for you to go back to Ash," Serena says. "And don't forget to give it everything you've got at the Indigo League, okay?"

"Giga," Gigalith says with a nod.

"Okay, Gigalith. Return," Serena commands as Gigalith goes back into its Pokeball.

"You too, Poliwag," Ash says as he returns the tadpole Pokemon into its ball.

Ash and Serena then turn to each other and smile before they put the Pokeballs back into the machine. With another press of the button, the two balls are swapped again and returned to their original owners. Ash snatches Gigalith's Pokeball from out of the machine and raises it into the air.

"Alright, Boldore turned into a Gigalith!" he shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts happily.

Serena silently giggles at Ash's enthusiasm while she takes Poliwag's Pokeball out of the machine. She then turns to Timothy, who is congratulating Ash on his evolved Pokemon.

"So now that you guys have had your battle and Boldore is now a Gigalith, should we get to you guys showing me how to properly double battle?" she asks.

Ash and Timothy turn to Serena and simultaneously hesitate before they answer.

"To be honest, Serena, I think I should plan how to show you how to double battle first," Timothy says.

"Yeah, and I think my Pokemon should heal up for the rest of the day before I can show you anything," Ash admits.

"Oh," Serena says sadly.

Timothy notices Serena's disappointment and gives her a small smile.

"Tell you what," he says. "How about during the rest of the day, you and Dawn can show me all there is to know about participating in the battle stage and things like that? That might give me a better idea of how Ash and I can help you in a way that better benefits you for your next contest."

Serena's face lights up, and she says, "Great idea."

"Sounds good to me," Ash agrees.

"I'd be happy to," Dawn says with a smile. "Piplup and my other Pokemon should get some practice anyway."

"Piplup," Piplup chirps, nodding.

"Why don't I heal your Pokemon while Serena and Dawn perform, Ash," Brock suggests.

"Good idea," Ash says.

"I agree," Holly sys while giving Brock a flirtatious look. "I would like to see your doctor training in action."

Brock blushes and makes a dopey grin much to the auburn-haired woman's amusement as everyone exits the room and makes their way back up deck. As they walk, Dawn walks by Serena again and learns into her ear.

"Interesting choice to trade Poliwag," she whispers.

Serena's cheeks turn slightly pink, and she smiles.

"To be honest, I would trust Ash with all of my Pokemon," she whispers back. "But it had to be Poliwag because he's right; Poliwag does represent the beginning of our friendship."

"Your friendship and more?" Dawn asks half-teasingly with a smirk.

Serena puts her hand on her ribbon and caresses it fondly again.

"So much more," she says softly.

Unknown to everyone on the ferry, the cloaked figure is floating next to the ship and is looking at the group intently through the windows. Though its face can not be seen through its hood, it appears to be eyeing Ash in particular.

"_It's good to see Ash still finding joy with his Pokemon like this,_" it says to itself.

The figure then turns its head to the back of the ship and looks down at the water where it knows Jessie, James, and Meowth are following the ship in their Magikarp submarine, eager to follow Timothy and his companions to their real destination.

"_And I will make sure he will keep on enjoying every waking moment with his Pokemon,_" it says. "_Neither he nor his friends will ever have to know the danger that is still lurking._"


	42. Chapter 42

It is the next day, and Serena is up on deck, brushing her Pokemon after eating breakfast with the group. Ash and Timothy told her that they will meet her up top on the ship once they finished breakfast with the others, and Ash's Pokemon are fully rested. As Serena brushes Pancham, Braixen, and Sylveon sit comfortably on the bench next to her, having already been groomed while Absol lies down on the floor next to her legs with Poliwag standing beside it.

With one last brush, Serena finishes grooming Pancham and turns to Poliwag.

"Alright, time to groom your tail, Poliwag," she says with a smile.

"Poli, Poli!" Poliwag says happily as it hops onto her lap, and she starts brushing its tail.

Serena looks at her tadpole Pokemon with a fond look, watching it happily enjoy being groomed. Her mind goes into yesterday's events when she briefly traded it to Ash. Her cheeks warm up slightly as she remembers how shocking yet touching it was for Ash to choose her out of everyone to help with evolving his Pokemon. Even though she knows he only considers her just a good friend, Serena is happy to have had that moment with him.

As she brushes Poliwag's tail, she hears footsteps, and she turns to see Timothy and Electchu walking toward her and her Pokemon. She stops grooming Poliwag and looks at the two of them in confusion.

"Timothy, where's Ash?" She asks.

"Ah, he told me to go on ahead while he tries to calm down his Primeape," Timothy answers while he and his partner sit on an empty bench next to her and Poliwag. "I guess Odyssey, and I overdid humiliating it during the match."

Serena gives a sad smile and says, "I don't blame poor Primeape. It's been working hard to be such a great fighter, and you really hurt its pride when it lost to another fighting type like Odyssey."

"Heh. Well, my pride was hurt when Boldore took down Blitzwing, so I was hoping that would make us even. I guess it's going to hold a grudge until it somehow beats Odyssey," Timothy says, chuckling. "Poor fella. It's going to be waiting a long time."

"Raichu," Electchu says with a nod.

"Don't be too sure of that," Serena says with a confident smile. "Ash has a way of overcoming the impossible with his Pokemon when he puts his mind to it."

"We'll see," Timothy says. "I don't plan to let him get the better of me again like he did with Boldore against Blitzwing."

"I'm sure Ash is counting on it," Serena says.

The two of them remain silent for a couple of minutes while Serena finishes brushing Poliwag's tail. Once she's done, the tadpole Pokemon hops off, and Absol jumps onto Serena's bench to be brushed. The disaster Pokemon lays its head on her lap as it is groomed and Timothy clears his throat to start another conversation.

"So…" he begins. "You said you only have only done a double battle once before the other day, right?"

"Mmm-hmmm," Serena answers.

Timothy nods back and says, "Why don't you tell me about that time to give me an idea of what to teach you? That might be a good thing to get clear while we're waiting for Ash."

Serena smiles and says, "Okay, let's see. My first double battle was against Aria. She is a Pokemon performer who holds the title of Kalos Queen, but I didn't know that at the time. I was having a rough day figuring out my performance with Pancham and Braixen back when it was a Fennekin. Aria came to me in disguise and offered to join her in going shopping to cheer me up. She told me how everyone makes mistakes and to keep working with your Pokemon."

"How true," Timothy says, giving Electchu a small smile.

Serena nods before she continues.

"So after I apologized to my Pokemon, Aria challenged me to a double battle," she says "So Fennekin, and Pancham and I went against Aria with her Delphox and her Aromatisse. I tried to hit her Pokemon with Stone Edge and Flamethrower, but her Aromatisse kept using Reflect and Delphox overpowered Fennekin with its own Flamethrower. Fennekin was struggling to get up, and Pancham was defending Fennekin as best as it could. I was so worried until Aria called out to me and told me that my Pokemon needed to work together. I realized how much I needed to do that and reassured my Pokemon that everything will be okay. Fennekin responded by suddenly evolving into Braixen, and then together with my Pokemon hit Aria's Pokemon with a Flamethrower and Dark Pulse combo, which created this beautiful display of fireworks. Delphox and Aromatisse barely received any damage, but we were all too amazed at the spectacle my Pokemon created to care. But just as we were hoping to continue the battle, Aria was called away and had to leave, and that was that."

Timothy hums in acknowledgment and looks away from Serena. The two of them remain silent again as Serena finishes brushing Absol, and so all five of her Pokemon leave to go play together. Serena has an adoring smile on her face as she watches her Pokemon happily play until Timothy speaks again.

"That all seems to add up," he says.

"How so?" Serena asks, turning to Timothy, confused.

Timothy turns to the honey blonde girl with a skeptical look like a teacher grading a student on a class project.

"You understand that your Pokemon need to work together with you, but you have little experience of what it's like to try to defeat both of your opponents Pokemon with yours," he says. "Judging by the way you and Dawn explained how things went at Cinnabar Island when we were eating dinner last night and what you said just now about your battle against Aria, it's clear that you've never had a real double battle from beginning to end."

"What do you mean?" Serena asks.

"You had your battle with Giselle in which Giselle really only had one Pokemon to face yours because her Rhyhorn liked you and then you had a similar situation where you only had one Pokemon to face both of Dawn's because she took down your Braixen pretty quick," Timothy points out. "So you've never had a real double battle in which both pairs of Pokemon face each other in an ongoing battle of teamwork, skill, and strategy with their respective trainers. You got lucky with Giselle, but you didn't have a chance against someone so experienced like Dawn."

Serena frowns and says, "That's a little harsh."

"Sorry, but I gotta tell it like it is," Timothy says. "So, I think one of the main things you need to experience while Ash and I help you is how to have a real double battle."

Serena's face falls, and she looks down before she nods in understanding. But just then, she hears footsteps again and looks up to see Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup walking over to her.

"Sorry we took so long," he says sincerely while scratching his nose. "Primeape really wants to get back at Timothy and Odyssey."

"That's putting it mildly," Dawn grumbles.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a nervous chuckle.

Serena smiles warmly at the raven-haired boy she deeply adores.

"That's alright, Ash," she says while standing up. "We were just having a conversation."

"Really? About what?" Ash asks.

"Oh, just clarifying a couple of things about Serena's battle experience," Timothy answers while standing up. "Speaking of which, let's get on with teaching Serena, shall we?"

Serena turns to Timothy and smiles.

"Yes, please," she says kindly. "I'm ready to show the world I can double battle like a pro."

"That's the spirit, Serena," Ash says happily with a pleased grin. "So, how shall we begin?"

"Well, if neither of you don't mind, I'd like to start teaching some things first," Timothy says politely. "I'll start a practice battle with her so that she knows the basics."

"Okay, then teach away," Ash says without hesitation.

Dawn nods in agreement and Timothy smirks before walking to the middle of the open deck with Electchu. He takes out a Pokeball, and with a simple toss into the air, the ball opens, and Poliwrath comes out looking ready to crush something.

"Let's use the two Pokemon we have had the longest, shall we?" He suggests. "I think you'll have a better understanding with the Pokemon you have the deepest bond with."

"Okay," Serena says before turning to her Pokemon. "Braixen, Pancham, to my side. Everyone else, watch and listen to what Timothy says closely."

Her five Pokemon stop playing, and Braixen and Pancham run over to her while Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol walk over to stand next to Ash, Pikachu, and Dawn. Timothy looks around to make sure everyone is ready before he clears his throat.

"Okay," he begins. "Now, I think one of the first things I think you should work on are the combos you create with a Pokemon."

"Really? Why that first?" Ash asks, confused.

"Because while Serena knows how to do combos for performances, she doesn't have the drive to use them to seriously damage her opponents," Timothy says. "Creating a spectacle may be important when battling your opponent in a contest battle, but it's still a battle. You won't get far in a double battle if the combos you create with your Pokemon don't cause real damage. Observe."

Timothy walks over to the railing of the ship and gestures Electchu and Poliwrath to follow him. Everyone else looks at the man in the "H.A.K." shirt and his Pokemon curiously until Timothy points at the ocean.

"Hydro Pump and Thunder combo," he says bluntly.

Electchu and Poliwrath look at each other like delinquent kids excited to light a firecracker in the middle of the road before they simultaneously use their respective attacks. The Hydro Pump and Thunder clash together and hit the spot on the ocean where Timothy is pointing, and it explodes into a mushroom cloud of water. Ash, Serena, Dawn, and their Pokemon stare in awe at the display while Timothy turns to them.

"Now obviously how effective the two moves are together or if they will merge into a combo at all varies," Timothy says. "In fact, it usually takes a lot of trial and error."

"That makes sense," Serena says. "My Pokemon and I have certainly been through a lot of that just for performing."

"So have I," Dawn says. "But it really is better to practice any ideas you have before trying them in a contest. Trust me, I've come up with ideas on the spot during a contest battle and long story short it didn't end well."

"I can vouch for that," Ash says.

Timothy nods before he continues.

"Now, another thing you want to work on is your teamwork with your Pokemon," he says before turning to Ash. "Ash, would you like to take this one?"

"Absolutely," Ash says with a grin before turning to Serena. "Now Serena, you have the right idea that you and your Pokemon need to work together, and that's awesome. But like any battle, your Pokemon have to trust both you and each other and watch each other's backs. Think of how Pancham was defending Fennekin when you battled with Ariana or when Pikachu was defending Eevee when we were battling against Miette and that guy with blue hair and sunglasses. In a double battle, you have to ensure the safety of both Pokemon, and that means coming up with ways that your Pokemon protect each other,"

"Oh, like how Giselle's Rhyhorn protected Espeon from Absol's Night Slash or when Dawn had Quilava use Smokescreen to cover Piplup while it was making that giant bubble," Serena says.

"Exactly," Dawn says, smiling. "It's great if your Pokemon take the initiative to protect each other, but you have to be the one who makes the call to have them protect each other in a way that's both effective and imaginative. That's the key to a good contest double battle."

"I have to make the call to have my Pokemon protect each other in a way that's both creative and imaginative," Serena repeats out loud while she thinks. "Okay, that makes sense. I understand what you guys are saying. I think I can do all of that."

"Oh, you can, can you?" Timothy says, intrigued with her confidence. "Then I suggest you show us with a practice battle. Electchu and Poliwrath against Braixen and Pancham."

Serena smirks and replies, "Alright, I accept your challenge."

Timothy smirks back and turns to Ash and Dawn.

"Would either of you like to be the judge?" He asks.

Dawn quickly steps up and abruptly says, "I'll judge. This is for contest battling, so it should be judged by an experienced coordinator. Plus, Ash should stand behind Serena to coach her in case she needs a reminder of what we're teaching her."

Serena's pupils shrink, and she turns to Dawn with her cheeks turning pink. The bluenette merely smirks and winks at her, showing once again that she's using her idea as a means for Serena to be with her crush. Timothy notices the way the two girls are looking at each other and raises an eyebrow while Ash smiles, unaware of what's going on.

"Good idea, Dawn," he says before turning to Serena. "Don't worry, Serena. With my help and you're creative mind, we'll make a great double battler out of you before you know it."

Serena chuckles awkwardly and nods at Ash. Timothy keeps his eyebrow raised until he decides to let it go.

"Alright then, let's get this battle started," he says. "Fair warning, though, just because you are a rookie does not mean I'm going to go easy on you."

"Right," Serena says in understanding

Timothy and his Pokemon walk over to one side of the field while Serena and her Pokemon walk to the other side. Ash and Pikachu stand behind Serena while Dawn walks over to the sidelines.

"Now let's show them that we can double battle, you two," Serena says to Pancham and Braixen.

"Pancham, Pan," Pancham says with a nod.

"Braixen," Braixen says with its stick already on fire.

Serena then turns to Absol, Poliwag, and Sylveon and says, "Keep a sharp eye on the battle, okay? I want all of us to benefit from it."

"Sylveon," Sylveon says cutely.

"Poli, Poli," Poliwag says, bouncing.

"Sol," Absol says with a nod.

"Just do your best, Serena," Ash says with a toothy grin and a thumbs up.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says with its own thumbs up.

Serena smiles and nods to the raven-haired boy and his partner before she turns around just in time to see Dawn raise her hand.

"This will be a double battle between Serena and Timothy!" she announces. "The battle will be over when both Pokemon on either side are unable to continue! Are the competitors ready?"

"Ready!" Serena and Timothy say simultaneously.

"Then battle begin!" Dawn shouts with a playful twirl.

Timothy turns to his opponent and says, "You may have the first move, Serena."

"Thanks," Serena says politely before her face turns serious, and she stretches out her arm. "Braixen, use Flamethrower on Electchu! Pancham, use Dark Pulse on Poliwrath!"

"Electchu, Poliwrath, counter with Electro Ball and Bubble Beam, then fire back using the same attacks!" Timothy instructs.

All four Pokemon fire their respective attacks, and they all collide, causing a big explosion. While the battlefield is still covered in smoke, Electchu and Poliwrath use Electro Ball and Bubble Beam again. Serena doesn't know that they're attacking again until she sees the attacks emerge from the smoke.

"Braixen, Pancham, dodge quick!" She shouts.

Pancham quickly does a side flip, dodging the Electro Ball just in the nick of time, but as Braixen jumps to do the same, some of Poliwrath's bubbles hit its leg, and it squeals in pain. The fox Pokemon lands on one knee and drops its stick and rubs its leg while the smoke clears.

"Don't let up!" Timothy commands. "Electchu, use Electro Ball again on Pancham, and Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump."

Serena's heart sinks. Braixen is still injured, and Pancham is too far away from its companion to protect it.

"What do I do?" She asks herself in her mind. "Braixen is too distracted to dodge, and Pancham is too far away. How can I tell Pancham to help Braixen if it's unable to reach her in -"

Suddenly, she gasps sharply in realization.

"That's it," she whispers to herself before she turns to Pancham. "Pancham, dodge again, then use Stone Edge to protect Braixen!"

Pancham does another side flip in the opposite direction, dodging another Electro Ball before it slams its fist into the ground. Glowing light blue pillars appear from the ground and rush toward the front of Braixen, creating a wall in front of it. Poliwrath's Hydro Pump hits the pillars, but it doesn't do anything to them, completely protecting Braixen.

"Very good, Serena," Timothy says. "That's a good way to have Pancham protect Braixen from a distance. But remember, while Hydro Pump might not destroy that Stone Edge, some can -"

But while he is talking, Braixen stands back up, and Serena gets another idea.

"Braixen, use Fire Blast on the Stone Edge, then use Flamethrower on Electchu while you use Stone Edge on Poliwrath, Pancham!" She orders.

Braixen picks up its stick and unleashes a powerful Fire Blast on the light blue pillars, and they explode, causing countless light blue sparkles and several sparks of fire appear right in front of Timothy and his Pokemon. The three of them are caught off by surprise, struggling to see past the spectacle. The next thing Timothy knows, a stream of fire hits his Raichu while more pillars emerging from the ground and hit Poliwrath, sending it flying a few feet away. Electchu and Poliwrath lie on the ground for a few seconds before they get up. Timothy stares at the scratches and burns on his Pokemon's bodies before he looked at Serena with a smirk.

"You sly girl," he says. "You took advantage of me lecturing."

"She sure did," Ash praises. "That was an awesome way to leave your opponents disoriented so that you can land a couple of hits, Serena."

Serena smiles bashfully, glad Ash is standing behind her so he can't see her face.

"W-w-well, it's kind of like how I have Braixen destroy Pancham's Stone Edge by hopping on the pillars during a performance," she says shyly. "I wondered if I could use the same concept to distract Timothy, Electchu, and Poliwrath, so I took a chance."

"Great idea, Serena," Dawn compliments. "You're getting the hang of this already."

Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol all make calls of agreement.

"Indeed she is, but let's see how she handles a tricky situation," Timothy says with a grin. "Poliwrath, use Surf and Electchu, ride along with him and use Iron Tail!"

Poliwrath chuckles mischievously and raises its hands in the air. The gesture creates a large wave of water, and Electchu hops on Poliwrath's back as they ride on top of the wave.

"Braixen, Pancham, dodge it quick!" Serena cries out.

But the wave is too big for either Pokemon to avoid. Braixen and Pancham look around desperately for a way to dodge until the wave crashes into them. When the water clears, Braixen groans weakly with its fur all wet, and the fire on its stick singed out. Pancham is fairing a little better, but Electchu is taking advantage of its incapacitated state to attack it with Iron Tail.

"Pancham, block Electchu with Arm Thrust, quick!" Serena shouts.

Pancham shakes its head and sees the Raichu's Iron Tail heading straight for its head. The little panda-like Pokemon quickly makes its paw turn white and hold it up in the air to barely block the attack. Electchu tries to break the counter by pushing its tail down against Pancham's arm so that it can connect with its head, but Pancham uses Arm Thrust with its other arm to knock the Raichu's tail back. Electchu and Poliwrath take several steps back toward Timothy and wait for their trainer's next move.

"Sharp thinking with having Pancham defend itself, but you should have tried to think of a way for Braixen to defend itself too," Timothy critiques. "Remember, your Pokemon are counting on you for guidance. They can't win a battle together without you."

Serena's heart sinks at Timothy's words. She turns to Pancham, who is brushing off the water from its fur, still ready to fight and then to Braixen, who is looking weak from the powerful water attack.

"What do I do?" She asks herself worriedly. "This is just like my battle with Dawn. I can't support both of my Pokemon in time. All it takes is one more hit from Poliwrath, and Braixen will be down for good, leaving Pancham all alone to defend itself. How can I stop this?"

Suddenly, she feels someone place their hand on her shoulder from behind, and she turns around, shocked to see Ash standing next to her with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Ash?" Serena says, taken aback.

"Just smile, Serena," he says encouragingly with a toothy grin. "Remember when Aria told you how important it is to smile."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in an upbeat attitude.

Serena's eyes widen in realization. She covers her mouth and looks down at the floor in thought.

"How could I have forgotten?" She thinks to herself. "Aria always said to do everything with a beautiful, radiant smile. That's how she handles everything, and that's why she beat me at the Master Class: she's always trying to make people and Pokemon smile, and that's what I want to do too. I've been so hung up on just seeing my last ribbon and trying to know how to double battle that I've forgotten why I'm on this journey in the first place."

Serena closes her eyes and takes a huge breath. Then she turns to Ash and Pikachu and gives them a smile to show that she's alright. Ash grins again and steps back while Serena turns to her Pokemon.

"Pancham, Braixen, it's going to be okay," she says softly. "We're going to get through this. Just keep smiling like me, and we'll show those three how it's done, okay?"

The honey blonde girl's Pokemon turn to her and feel uplifted by her words. Pancham grins and nods at its trainer while Braixen stands up and smiles at her while still feeling weak.

"Now, Braixen use Flamethrower on yourself!" Serena says confidently.

"What?" Timothy says, confused.

Braixen nods and points its stick at itself. Then it says its name loudly and fire comes out of its stick, setting the fox Pokemon ablaze. When the fire clears, Braixen has a couple of burns in its body, but its fur is dry, and it takes another battle stance.

"Braixen!" It shouts energetically.

"Way to go, Braixen!" Serena calls out happy.

Electchu, Poliwrath, and especially Timothy stare at the display dumbfounded.

"Uh...okay…" Timothy says hesitantly. "I can't say I've seen anyone do something like that. Did you just come up with that by yourself."

"Not exactly," Serena admits. "Ash did something similar by having Pikachu use Electro Ball on itself to keep it from falling asleep after getting hit with Sleep Powder. I just took a chance and had Braixen do something similar to help it regain its strength."

Timothy raises his eyebrow and smirks.

"An interesting effort, but let's see if you really succeeded," he says before turning to his Pokemon. "Electchu, Poliwrath, use your Surf-Iron Tail combo one more time!"

Electchu gets behind Poliwrath, and the tadpole Pokemon creates another giant wave of water for the two of them to ride on. Braixen and Pancham stare at the water nervously until Serena calls out to them.

"Don't be afraid, you two," Serena says comfortingly. "Use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse right at that wave of water! Give it everything you've got!"

The fox Pokemon and the playful Pokemon take her words to heart, and they release a giant steam of fire and a large beam of purple circles respectively. The two moves merge together, and they burst through the wave of water, creating a big gaping hole. Poliwrath loses control of its move, and it and Electchu struggles to stay balanced before thy Surf attack completely collapses, and the two Pokemon hit the ground with a thud, surprising Timothy.

"Great job!" Serena praises. "Now use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse again and then attack head-on with Scratch and Arm Thrust!"

The honey blonde girl's Pokemon fire their respective attacks again, and Timothy snaps out of his state of shock and turns to his Pokemon.

"Poliwrath, use Bubble Beam, and Electchu, use Thunder!" He shouts.

Electchu and Poliwrath get up and realize what is happening just in time to use their attacks to cancel their opponent's attacks. But it was all part of Serena's plan, for after the four attacks blow up, Braixen and Pancham emerge from the smoke with their paws glowing white.

"Iron Tail! Dynamic Punch! Quick!" Timothy barks.

The mouse and tadpole Pokemon block just in the nick of time, but Serena does not plan to leave it at that.

"Use Scratch and Arm Thrust multiple times!" She commands.

"You do the same with Iron Tail and Dynamic Punch!" Timothy orders. "Do not give them an inch!"

The four Pokemon do as they're told, using their respective attacks constantly. They keep clashing tails/fists/claws at each other furiously like two pairs of warriors trying to strike the other side down with their swords. Timothy watches the Pokemon fight with a determined glare while Serena keeps smiling, putting her faith in her Pokemon.

"Keep going, you two!" She cheers. "You can do it! I believe in you! Give it everything you've got!"

Her words ring deep into the ears of her Pokemon, but Pancham takes them into its heart the most. As it keeps using Arm Thrust to try to best Poliwrath, the panda-like Pokemon thinks about Serena's first contest battle at Cerulean City. She chose Pancham to lead her to her first ribbon at the battle stage, but at their first battle, it was easily beaten by Hypno and was powerless to do anything about it. Ever since then, the playful Pokemon has been eager to improve, so it and Serena would never have a moment like that again.

Pancham keeps throwing Arm Thrust after Arm Thrust at Poliwrath, only for its opponent to block with its powerful fists. It keeps trying to overpower its water-and-fighting-type opponent, eager to do anything to keep Serena smiling. Suddenly, as Pancham keeps attacking Poliwrath, its arms begin to change from glowing white to purple. Before Pancham or Poliwrath know it, a purple aura appears on both of Pancham's paws shaped like sharp claws. With a spin, Pancham strikes upward at its opponent with its claws, and the tadpole Pokemon takes a couple steps back in pain. It bumps into Electchu, which distracts the mouse Pokemon long enough for Braixen to scratch it hard. Timothy's Pokemon take several steps away from their opponents, taken aback that they were hit, surprising their trainer.

"What just happened?" Timothy asks, confused.

"I… think Pancham used Shadow Claw," Dawn says in realization.

"Hey, I think you're right!" Ash says excitedly. "Pancham just learned Shadow Claw!"

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says.

"Alright!" Serena shouts, smiling brightly. "Way to go, Pancham!"

"Pancham, Cham," Pancham replies happily.

The playful Pokemon turns to Braixen, and they nod at each other before they take another battle stance at Electchu and Poliwrath. Timothy stands there, contemplating what has happened before he smirks.

"Congratulations on your Pancham learning a new move, Serena," he says. "But let's see what you do with this. Poliwrath, use Surf, and make it as big as possible."

Poliwrath nods and summons a bigger wave of water and rides on top of it. Serena smirks at the display with a plan already in mind.

"Braixen, Pancham, use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse on that wave just like last time!" She orders.

The honey blonde girl's Pokemon use their respective attacks again, and they create another hole in the wave, causing it to collapse again.

"Poliwrath, jump off, and Electchu, use Hyper Beam!" Timothy commands.

Serena gasps at the sound of that command. When the wave of water collapses, Poliwrath lands on the ground safely while Electchu is creating a powerful Hyper Beam aimed at both of her Pokemon.

"It was a diversion!" She shouts in realization. "Pancham, Braixen use Dark Pulse and Flamethrower again! Give it everything you've got, quick!"

Braixen and Pancham quickly realize what is happening, and they quickly create the biggest Flamethrower and Dark Pulse they can muster. As they fire their two moves, Electchu releases its Hyper Beam. The moves collide, creating an explosion so powerful that it knocks everyone, people and Pokemon off their feet. The deck is silent for a moment before they all groans and slowly sits up just in time for a crewman to arrive.

"Is everyone okay?" He asks worriedly. "What happened?"

"We're fine," Ash groans while helping Serena up. "We just got knocked off our feet while Timothy and Serena are battling."

The crewman frowns and says, "In that case, I think you should stop battling. By the looks of it, you might damage the ship if you keep it up."

Everyone turns to look at the floor to find the center of it singed.

"I think that's fair," Timothy says, turning to Serena. "Shall we call it a draw, Serena?"

"Sounds good to me," Serena says.

"Thank you," the crewman says politely before he walks away.

Once the crewman is gone, Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Dawn, Piplup, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol walk over to Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Braixen, and Pancham. Serena is petting her first two Pokemon for a job well done while Dawn stands behind her to pat her on the back.

"Nice job, Serena. You improved quickly," the blunette says with a cheerful grin.

"You mean it, Dawn?" Serena asks with hope in her voice.

"Sure. I think you're starting to think of your own creative double battle combos," Dawn answers.

"I agree," Ash says. "What you did with Pancham's Stone Edge both to protect Braixen and to distract Electchu and Poliwrath was amazing. And what you did to destroy Poliwrath's Surf was awesome!"

Serena turns to Ash and smiles at the raven-haired boy.

"I second that. You are a quick learner." Timothy compliments. "Though I do have one more suggestion for you."

"Oh?" Serena asks, turning to the man.

"You need to create more combos with your Braixen and Pancham than just Flamethrower and Dark Pulse," Timothy critiques. "I don't know how important it is in Pokemon contests, but I think it is strategically wise to have more than one combo for each pair of Pokemon you choose."

"Yeah, you're right about that, Timothy," Dawn says with a nod. "You're more likely to impress the judges if you have more creative tricks up your sleeve."

"Okay, I can definitely do that," Serena says confidently.

"Good," Timothy says with a smile. "Then, if you keep practicing, I'm sure you're going to get your last ribbon in no time."

"Of course, she will," Ash says proudly. "With Serena her Pokemon growing and all of us including Brock, Holly, and Coovers to cheer her on, that contest ribbon at Cremini Town is as good as hers."

"That's right," Dawn says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"Piplup," Piplup squeaks.

Serena smiles kindly at her friends, and the group is quiet until Dawn decides to speak.

"Well, if we're done teaching for the day, I think Piplup and I are gonna hit the swimming pool."

"Piplup!" Piplup shouts excitedly.

"Count us in. Right, buddy?" Ash says.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu replies.

Ash turns to Serena and asks, "Serena, you coming?"

Serena's cheeks heat up again as her eyes meet his hazel ones. She smiles again before she shakes her head.

"No, I think I'll practice more with my Pokemon," she says politely before turning to Timothy. "What about you, Timothy?"

Timothy thinks about it before he says, "I guess I might find a place to train. I do have my next Frontier battle coming soon."

"Good idea," Ash says. "Well, catch you guys later."

"Bye, Ash. Have fun, Dawn," Serena calls out as her two friends and their Pokemon leave.

For a few seconds, there is silence between Timothy and Serena and their Pokemon. The man in the "H.A.K" shirt feels a little awkward until he clears his throat.

"Between the two of us, that was a gutsy but effective way to try to protect your Pokemon from that Hyper Beam," he says.

Serena can't help but chuckle and say, "Well, I didn't want to resort to just trying to tell my Pokemon to dodge, especially since it clearly would have been hard to do given how Electchu took out Pikachu."

"True," Timothy says. "Speaking of Ash, I overheard him telling you that your friend Aria also told you to smile when you had your first double battle."

Serena smiles and says, "Yes, she did tell me that. I've been taking it to heart ever since that day. Aria defeated me at the end of the Master Class, and I realized back then that it was partly because she gives it her all to make people and Pokemon happy through her performances. That's when I realized I want to do the same, except I want to do that all over the world, not just in Kalos. I'm glad Ash reminded me that I need to stay positive for my Pokemon. I guess I've been so worried about getting my last ribbon and my lack of experience in double battles that I forgot what is most important."

"Amazing how your demeanor can instantaneously affect how well you and your Pokemon do together, huh?" Timothy says with a smile.

"Uh-huh," Serena says with a nod. "But that's why I'm glad I have someone like Ash to help me. I don't think you'll have a better person to be there for you like that than Ash."

Timothy teasingly smirks at Serena and asks, "I'm taking that kind of biased talk from the girl that is crushing on him?"

Serena's face turns red, and she lets out a high-pitched whimper. She looks away from Timothy bashfully, and the older trainer merely chuckles in response.

"That's what I thought," he said.

"Wh-who told you?" Serena stutters.

"Brock," Timothy answers bluntly. "He told me, Coovers, and Scott when we were heading to the Battle Pike."

Serena's face turns redder out of annoyance toward the man who said he was going to help her with her feelings. Timothy smirks at Serena for a moment before he looks away.

"I have to say that you're in a bit of a pickle," he says. "Truth be told, it's rather strange to me how a guy at that age can be that vacuous about something like romance."

Serena frowns sadly, knowing Timothy is right.

"I know," she admits.

Timothy turns his head to Serena and frowns, knowing his words dampened her spirit.

"Sorry," he says. "How long have you been feeling this way about him exactly?"

Serena stays silent for a couple of seconds until she answers.

"I don't really know," she says. "I guess I always admired him ever since the day we met so many years ago, but at some point, my feelings grew stronger when we were traveling at Kalos. He just meant more to me than I can say before I realized it."

Timothy nods and makes a face.

"I don't want to sound like I'm trying to discourage you, but why do you keep persuing him?" he asks. "I know I haven't known either of you for very long, but I get the feeling that maybe you should find someone who knows what those feelings are and can return how you feel."

"Because that's not who I am," Serena says before turning to Timothy. "I was once told to give up on him by someone who also cares for him but gave up on her feelings. She made a good argument, but the fact is I can't bring myself to do what she or you or anyone else says I should do. I know how unlikely it is that Ash might return my feelings, and I don't know if we'll always be going on journeys together, but what I have for him is not something to let go."

"You don't know that for sure," Timothy says. "You are both very young and have so much of your life ahead of you. There's no telling who you might meet that might be better for you if you don't try."

Serena frowns and says, "Tell me, Timothy, how old are you?"

Timothy looks at her confused before he plainly answers, "28."

"28," Serena repeats. "And in all the years of your life, have you ever had the feeling to truly, deeply care for someone other than your family or your Pokemon? To have someone mean so much to you that you would do anything to be in that person's life and make that person happy always?"

"No," Timothy answers.

"Have you ever wanted to?" Serena asks.

"No."

"Why not?"

Timothy frowns and says, "Because I have little to no desire for such things. I am a Pokemon trainer, and it's been my goal to catch and befriend many Pokemon and win every single Pokemon League. That's all I have ever wanted in my life. Nothing is more important than that. Not even what you or Coovers, or Brock and Holly desire."

Serena gives Timothy a sad look and asks, "And then what? What do you plan to do once you've accomplished everything you've wanted?"

Timothy thinks for a moment and says, "You're the third person on this journey to ask me that question."

"I am?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Timothy says with a nod before looking away at the honey blonde girl. "And I don't have a clear answer for you. Maybe after I complete my dream, I'll just rest and spend the rest of my days in Pallet Town, where all of my Pokemon reside in Professor Oak's lab. Maybe I'll look for Pokemon I don't have yet and catch as many of them as possible till the end of my days. Maybe I'll find a job that involves doing things together with just me and my Pokemon."

Serena frowns and asks, "Would you be doing either of those things alone with just your Pokemon?"

"Of course," Timothy says bluntly as if Serena asked something silly.

Serena's frown deepens, and she up and hugs Poliwag, who is standing next to her before she says, "Timothy, I treasure my Pokemon with all my heart. There are so many things I still want to experience with each and every one of them. But none of us - not me or Braixen or Pancham or Sylveon or Poliwag or Absol would ever want to be away from all of our other friends when we can work together to make so many people and Pokemon happy. Why, we would never be who we are today if it weren't for the support of all of our friends, including you. Isn't that right, everyone?"

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol all make calls of agreement before Serena continues.

"We may not have won the Master Class, and I don't know if we will get our last contest ribbon or win the Grand Festival, but even if we don't get what we want, we have what we need in each other, and everyone around us and that is more important than becoming Kalos Queen or winning every single Grand Festival in the world. It's for reasons like that and more that are why I will never forgive myself if I gave up on Ash just because the odds are too great. That just means I have to keep on trying to whatever end. It's just like Ash said to me a long time ago; don't give up until it's over."

Everyone is completely silent after Serena says her piece. Timothy is taken aback by how firmly Serena spoke. After about a minute, he lets out a sigh and looks down on the ground.

"I don't agree with you, but I understand why you believe what you believe," he says.

Serena is surprised and frowns again, disappointed. In her mind, she doesn't think Timothy understand at all. To her, it's almost as if Timothy is as devoted to Pokemon as Ash but for the wrong reasons. She sighs and secretly worries for the man in the "H.A.K. shirt while Timothy clears his throat.

"Well, we better get going," he says. "We're not getting any stronger by standing around here. Come on, Electchu, Poliwrath."

The two fully-evolved Pokemon nod and follow their trainer. Serena watches them, still frowning until they are out of sight. Her worry over Timothy's views grows until she feels something rubbing against her right leg. She looks down to find Absol standing next to her leg with a cheerful smile.

"Sol," it says cutely.

Serena smiles and says, "Thanks, Absol," as she gets down on her knees and pets Absol while still holding Poliwag before turning to the rest of her party.

"Alright, everyone, we have work to do, " she says. "I don't know if we'll have to do any more double battles any time soon, but that battle has given me all sorts of ideas. Pancham, I especially want to experiment in what we can do with Stone Edge and Shadow Claw, okay?"

"Pancham!" Pancham shouts excitedly.

Serena smiles brightly with her eyes closed, glad to see her Pokemon so excited. As Poliwag hops out of her arms and all five of her Pokemon await her instructions, Serena puts her hand on her ribbon and takes a deep breath, remembering what Ash reminded her to do and reminding herself to stay positive with her feelings for the boy of her wishes.


	43. Chapter 43

Giovanni has had a cruel, mischievous grin on his face over the last several days. From the window in his office, he has been watching Dr. Zager, and his people slowly build the machine he desires for his future plans involving Arceus. As he pets his Persian while watching, a twisted sense of giddiness fills his body with every bit of progress, his minions make to reach his ultimate goal. He lifts his free hand and half closes it, imagining he's holding the Gieldanstone while Arceus is positioned where he wants it to be inside the large contraption.

His moment of daydreaming is interrupted, however, when he hears a beeping sound coming from his intercom. He groans softly in annoyance and turns around to his desk to answer it.

"Yes, Matori, what is it?" He asks.

"Agent Basker has arrived, sir," Matori answers through the speakers. "He wishes to speak with you privately before he joins Dr. Zager and his team."

Giovanni frowns seriously and slowly takes a deep breath before he begrudgingly says, "Send him in."

"Yes, boss," Matori replies.

The door opens to reveal Agent Basker entering the room, wearing a long, black coat with a red R on the upper left side. The cyborg man walks over to Giovanni's desk and salutes, firmly saying, "Sir!"

"Agent Basker, you took longer to return than ordered," Giovanni says plainly. "I hope you have a reason to not already be helping Dr. Zager on the project."

"Yes, sir, I do," Agent Basker says confidently. "I made some concerning discoveries before leaving Kalos that I feel I must discuss with you privately. Specifically, discoveries involving the team you sent to find the Gieldanstone."

Giovanni frowns, suspicious that Agent Basker is childishly trying to defy his decision for Jessie, James, and Meowth to be on their mission just like Matori.

"Go on," he says.

Agent Basker nods and rolls up the left sleeve of his coat to reveal his robot arm. He takes out a long cable from inside the palm of his mechanical hand and extends it before attaching it to the back of Giovanni's computer. His red mechanical eye starts blinking rapidly as a holographic screen appears in front of the leader of Team Rocket, showing a crowd of people with a man in a lab coat is giving medals to a couple of teenagers.

"What is this? What am I looking at?" Giovanni asks impatiently.

"This is news footage of these kids being declared the heroes of Kalos," Agent Basker says. "From several sources, I've been told that they are the people who are actually responsible for Team Flare's defeat."

"So? There's no proof that they defeated them, and Jessie, James, and Meowth didn't," Giovanni rebukes.

"Except for this security footage I eventually found outside of Team Flare headquarters," Agent Basker says.

The image changes to a helicopter where a professor and two of the teenagers, a short red-haired girl and a honey blonde girl with a Braixen infiltrate the base, followed by a TV crew. It cuts to a clip inside the building where the group is blocked by a pair of Team Flare members. Suddenly, the TV crew jump in to remove their clothes to reveal Jessie, James, and Meowth in their Team Rocket uniforms. James is saying something to the honey blonde girl, and she nods before leaving in the other direction with the red-haired girl and the professor.

The image then changes to other videos involving a little girl calming down a raging Zygarde, a boy in a blue jumpsuit using a robot to destroy Team Flare's machine and even the Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone taking down several of Team Flare's Pokemon with his Pokemon. With each video, it slowly becomes clear to Giovanni that the Team Rocket Trio barely did anything to defeat Team Flare or Lysander. When the videos are over, the hologram turns off, and Giovanni turns to Agent.

"So you are trying to prove that those three are not to be trusted," he says bluntly.

"I think I would be a fool to be silent about this, sir," Agent Basker replies. "Not only did they lie about single-handedly defeating Team Flare, but they seemed to have allied with some trainers and the Hoenn regional champion. I can't inherently prove that they are traitors, but they clearly mislead you if not all of Team Rocket into thinking we as an organization deserve credit for our rival organization's defeat. And the fact that they have also claimed to have been responsible for the defeat of Team Plasma and Team Galactic raises the question of how trustworthy they are. I think they deserve just punishment for their deception. Don't you?"

Giovanni is silent. He keeps a hard frown on his face as he stares at his cyborg minion. After a few seconds, Giovanni takes a deep breath before he answers.

"Not yet," he says.

"Sir?" Agent Basker questions.

"Don't misjudge my response for mercy, Trent," Giovanni says seriously. "I will see to it that those three fools will be dealt with severely in time, but not now. For all their humiliating faults, they still have their uses."

"But they tricked you, sir," Agent Basker says.

"Deceit is part of what we do here," Giovanni says firmly. "Besides, regardless of what they've done, they're still the only ones with a solid lead to my Gieldenstone. I can't interfere with that. Not even for my pride. And don't forget, it's thanks to them that you have your chance to have your payback against your old rival. Would you want to risk that, Trent."

Agent Basker holds his tongue and flares at his boss bitterly at being called by his former name again. He looks away and stays silent for a moment.

"No," he grumbles. "I wouldn't gamble with that over anything."

Giovanni nods, and he turns his chair to go back to looking through his glass window when Agent Basker clears his throat.

"There is one other thing, sir," he says. "I know how this will sound to you at first, but please hear me out."

Giovanni frowns again, restraining himself from loudly insulting the younger man. He turns his chair around to face Agent Basker again and waits for him to explain himself.

"Before I flew back to Kalos, I contacted some of our agents in the International Police, and they confirm that there are little to no records of any Team Rocket units around when Team Galactic and Team Plasma were disbanded," he begins. "But while I was looking through the files, I found a connection."

"A connection?" Giovanni asks, impatiently.

"Yes, sir," Agent Basker says. "As I was looking through the files, I realized that the defeat of Team Flare, Team Phasma, Team Galactic, and even the defeats of Team Magma and Team Aqua have one little element in common. You might find this silly that I feel it necessary to bring this up to you, but all of them involved a certain trainer. Specifically, a raven-haired boy with a Pikachu."

Agent Basker's eye starts blinking again, and the hologram shows an image of a teenage boy that fits the description and a cheerful Pikachu standing on his right shoulder. Giovanni studies the picture and instantly recognizes the boy.

"You fool," he growls. "I could have seen the logic behind your claims concerning Timothy Durbin, but this tells me you've gotten desperate. I battled with this boy in Unova when he was trying to stop me from obtaining Meloetta. His Pikachu didn't stand a chance against Persian. That pathetic rat didn't even put a scratch on my Pokemon."

"Meoooowww," Persian purrs proudly.

"When I was knocked out of my senses while obtaining the Forces of Nature, Dr. Zager, Jessie, James, and Meowth told me that boy and his Pikachu destroyed the temple I was using to control the three genies," Giovanni continues. "I decided they were out of their mind for believing that that particular trainer and his Pikachu could obtain such power and so are you."

"So did I when Dr. Zager told me what happened that day," Agent Basker says. "But now I'm not so sure. I've been studying the files as carefully as possible, rereading them heaven knows how many times to make sure I wasn't mistaken. Every single one of our former rivals were either defeated or disbanded in some way or another by this boy and his Pikachu. The more I read about it, the more I grew worried that there is some sort of power that this trainer has that could possibly make him so powerful with his Pikachu or any of this Pokemon. My concerns grew more when I looked into the security footage at the Kalos League Stadium, and I was shocked to find that even Lysandre was very intrigued by his power because of the unique bond he shared with his Greninja."

"Unique bond?" Giovanni questions, still not impressed.

Agent Basker downloads more content through his robotic arm, and the hologram machine starts showing the raven-haired boy competing at the Kalos League. He is using a Greninja against another boy with pine-green hair with his Mega Sceptile. Giovanni watches the footage disinterested until the Greninja starts to transform. Within a blink of an eye, the Greninja has changed in a form that is like a mixture of itself and the boy. Giovanni looks in surprise and watches more intently all the way to the end when the Greninja ultimately takes down the Mega Sceptile.

"What...what happened?" Giovanni asks.

"It's something called Bond Phenomenon," Agent Basker answers plainly. "Apparently, the boy and his Greninja sync up, and it transforms the Pokemon into this form, and it seems to make it even more powerful."

Giovanni keeps his shocked face for a moment before he turns to Agent Basker skeptically again.

"And you think this boy might be someone to be concerned with over our plan?" He asks.

"Lysandre thought so," Agent Basker answers plainly.

With his cyborg eye blinking a few more times, a video appears showing Lysandre, the boy and his Pokemon. Lysandre appears to be taking a great interest in the boy and his Pokemon.

The video then cuts to show news footage from a helicopter. Lysandre and an older boy are standing on top of Lumiose Tower while the raven-haired boy and his Pokemon are bound in restraining devices and lifted into the air. From the audio, he can hear Lysandre say that he can't let the raven-haired boy go, and he's one of the chosen ones.

When the video is over, the hologram projector turns off. Giovanni stares at where the image of the boy used to be before turning to Agent.

"I see the logic in your supposition," Giovanni says. "That being said, it is unwise to take the words of a fool like Lysandre to heart. He was a loose cannon crazy enough to think the world is ugly and must be destroyed anew for the benefit of Pokemon. He deserved to be destroyed by the very Pokemon he was using for his psychotic goals."

"No argument there, sir, but I don't think it's inherently frivolous to be cautious with this trainer," Agent Basker says seriously. "I even spoke with Butch and Cassidy on my way up here, and they've told me that they've had their best plans ruined by that boy and his friends."

Giovanni frowns again and says, "That just proves how incompetent even the very best of Team Rocket can be."

"All the more reason to respectfully ask that you think about it," Agent Basker says. "You've said it yourself that there must be no loose ends with this one chance to obtain the most ancient and powerful of all Pokemon. I think that should include the trainer who has stopped Team Rocket multiple times and took part in the permanent disbanding of our rivals."

Giovanni says nothing for a minute. The leader of Team Rocket merely glares at the cyborg man, still skeptical of what was shown to him. Finally, Giovanni lets out of a long sigh and gives the cyborg a brief nod.

"I'll consider looking into it for now," he says.

Agent Basker nods back, satisfied until Giovanni speaks again.

"Now get down there and start aiding Dr. Zager at once," he says firmly. "I want it finished soon if you ever want your petty vengeance."

Agent Basker frowns and nods sharply before he exits the room. Giovanni pinches the area between his eyes before turning to his Persian.

"We are surrounded by pathetic fools, my pet," he says as he starts petting it again. "I should have known better than to believe those three dolts when they claimed they vanquished our enemies. And the crackbrained idea that we have to worry about some boy insults me."

"Meeerooowww," Persian growls, sharing its master's displeasure.

Giovanni nods at his Pokemon and scoffs. But as the room grows silent, the cruel man begins to think hard about what Agent Basker said. After a moment of debating, he goes on his computer, and the hologram projector turns on again to show another video of the raven-haired boy and his Pikachu battling together.

"Then again, if he can somehow cause so much trouble, then perhaps there is a chance that he will be a variable against my plans," he says. "There may be something very special about this boy, and I will make sure that whatever it is won't stand in my way."


	44. Chapter 44

For the last several days, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu have been relaxing on the ferry to Cremini Town. Serena, however, has been working nonstop with her Pokemon ever since her double battle with Timothy. While everyone is either in the ship's swimming pool or playing with their Pokemon, Serena and her Pokemon have been practicing in a part of the ship far from everyone else. The most the group sees of her and her party is when she's joining them for meals or going to sleep in the room she shares with Dawn and Holly.

It is early morning, and Ash and Serena are running laps around the ship with Pikachu, Oshawott, Servine, Gabite, Primeape, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol after having breakfast. Serena is wearing sweatpants and a pink shirt and is leading the group, blowing a whistle as she runs. Pikachu is running next to Ash while the other Pokemon run behind with Primeape in the back, practicing punches. Gigalith stands at the front of the ship, setting itself as the starting point because of it's new, heavy body.

After over a half an hour of running around the ship, Serena, Ash, and their Pokemon run by Gigalith one final time before Serena turns to the group and says, "And stop." All of the Pokemon plummet to the ground in relief except for Gabite and Primeape, who remain standing, ready to do more. Ash and Serena take out their water bottles from their backpacks lying next to Gigalith and drink a few gulps of water. When she finishes, Serena wipes her mouth and turns to her Pokemon.

"Awesome job, everyone," she says. "Now that we're all warmed up, that contest ribbon is as good as ours."

All five of her Pokemon cheer happily while Ash also speaks to his Pokemon.

"You guys did great too," he says before turning to Gabite and Primeape. "You guys especially look pretty pumped today, aren't you?"

"Gabite," Gabite replies with a cheerful grin.

"Prime!" Primeape shrieks while doing air punches.

"So you're still practicing for a rematch against Odyssey, right, Primeape?" Ash says.

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts again, stomping on its feet.

The raven-haired boy grins at his Pokemon and pats it on the back.

"I don't blame you," he says calmly. "Odyssey is a very strong opponent, and it's clear you have a rival that you want to prove you are superior against just like me with Timothy. Don't worry though, you'll beat Odyssey at the Indigo League. And Pikachu, we're gonna work hard so that you beat Electchu too."

"Pika!" Pikachu says with a determined grin.

Ash smiles at his dear friends and Serena smiles at him fondly. It always warms her heart to see him so positive with his Pokemon. Suddenly, the ship's whistle is heard loudly, and Ash, Serena, and their Pokemon hear someone speaking through the speakers.

"_Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking,_" The captain says. "_We are about ten minutes away from reaching Cremini Town. Please be sure to bring all of your belongings when the ship has come to a complete stop. Thank you for sailing with us._"

Ash and Serena smile and run over to the railing at the front of the ship. Sure enough, they can see land in the distance and at the center of it lies the several buildings and houses.

"Alright, Cremini Town!" Serena says excitedly. "Time for me to get my last ribbon. Whether I have to double battle at the battle stage or not, I'm winning that ribbon."

"I know you are, Serena," Ash says with a warm smile. "And I'm going to cheer for you with everything I've got. We all will. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says with a nod.

Serena smiles at Ash sweetly for a moment before her determined grin returns.

"So what are we waiting for? We better get back to our rooms and get ready," she says.

"Right," Ash agrees.

Thus, the two teenagers return all of their Pokemon save for Pikachu back into their Pokeballs and go back to their rooms inside the ship. By the time they arrive, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu are already ready and waiting on them. So Serena quickly changes into her normal clothes and puts the rest of her stuff back in her backpack just in time for the ship to begin landing at the docks. As Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu exit the ferry and enter the town, the honey blonde girl takes out her tablet and smiles.

"Just as I hoped," she says. "We arrived shortly before the contest starts."

"That's great," Brock says with a smile.

"So what Pokemon are you going to perform with during the appeal round?" Dawn asks. "Did you come up with a routine with Pancham after it learned Shadow Claw?"

Serena smiles and says, "I thought about it, but I have some better ideas in mind for Pancham for the battle stage instead. So I'm going to use Poliwag for the appeal round. There's a new routine we've been practicing together over the last few days that I want to try out."

"What? Really? What is it?" Dawn says curiously.

But Serena just smiles and winks at the blunette girl.

"You're just gonna have to wait and see," she says in a singing voice.

Dawn pouts childishly and says, "Aw, come on, Serena. You've been practicing in secret for days. Can't I at least get a hint?"

"Of course, not," Serena says with a giggle. "Even a hint would probably spoil the surprise. I want all of you to be amazed by what my Pokemon and I have come up with, and that especially goes for you as my rival, Dawn."

Dawn realizes what Serena is getting at and smirks in approval.

"Alright, your point is made," she says. "Guess we're all just gonna have to wait."

"Everyone except me, Coovers, and Electchu," Timothy says.

Serena, Dawn, Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, Brock, and Holly turn to Timothy, surprised.

"What are you talking about?" Ash asks. "Don't tell us that you guys are planning on leaving for your next Frontier battle right now."

"I'm afraid so," Timothy answers.

"But you guys can't leave now," Holly says. "You should be here for Serena, just like the rest of us."

"Yeah, and we wanna be there for you too when you battle the Frontier Brain," Ash says.

"No, I'm afraid Timothy is right," Coovers says calmly. "We have some things we need to do as soon as Timothy wins his match."

"What things?" Dawn demands.

"Can't tell you, Dawn," Coovers quickly answers. "It's private business."

The youngest members of the group stare at the two men and the Raichu devastated at this news, but no one is as visibly disappointed as Serena.

"But we all want you to be there for me," she protests. "I want to show you how I've improved if I have to double battle, Timothy."

Timothy frowns and gives the honey blonde girl an apologetic look.

"I know you do. And if it weren't for this matter, we would gladly join you all," he says honestly. "But what we need to do is something of great importance, and we can't delay any longer when we're so close to getting our affairs underway. I'm truly sorry, Serena, but we have to leave."

Serena looks at him sadly and hangs her head while the others look at Timothy and his companions disapprovingly. In her mind, Serena wants to rebuke the man, thinking that what he wants to do is about nothing but accomplishing his own personal goals, but she doesn't think it will do any good. Timothy's frown deepens, knowing that he has disappointed the teenage girl and wants to say words of comfort, but he knows nothing he says will help.

Suddenly, Coovers and Timothy both feel a hand on each other's shoulders, and they turn around, startled to see Scott with a friendly grin.

"Well, if it isn't great to see everyone here," he says before turning to Holly. "And it looks like you have a new member in your group. What is your name, young lady?"

Holly hesitates, taken aback that this person just jumped into the moment before she answers, "Uh...my name is Holly."

"Holly. Nice to meet you," Scott greets, shaking Holly's hand before turning to Timothy. "I hope you knew you would be seeing me before your next battle by now."

"I counted on it," Timothy answers. "Just didn't think we'd see you until we made it closer to Tohjo Falls since the next Frontier Brain is there."

"Ah, so does that mean you are on your way there right now?" Scott asks.

"Yes, we are," Coovers answers.

"Then it's great that I found you guys," Scott says with a smirk. "You see, the Frontier Brain for the Battle Tower is here in Cremini Town."

"Is that so?" Timothy says.

"Yes," Scott says. "She's here to see the Pokemon contest, which is starting very soon, so she won't be at the tower."

"Anabel is here?" Brock says.

"Awesome," Ash says excitedly. "I bet she'll be happy to see us. Plus, that means you can stay to watch Serena, Timothy."

Timothy and Coovers fight the urge to be disappointed that they are once again being kept from continuing their mission. They then look at each other and gave small smiles, silently deciding to be glad for their friends.

"Excellent," Timothy says before turning to Serena. "Looks like I get to see you perform, after all, Serena. I can't wait to see how you've improved while you get your last ribbon."

Serena looks at Timothy suspiciously, unsure of whether nor he is being genuine, but she decides to drop it and smile back.

"Right," she says. "You won't be disappointed. I promise."

"That's the spirit, Serena," Ash says encouragingly.

"Well, then it sounds like we've settled everything here," Scott says. "Anabel is going to meet me at the contest hall a little before the contest starts. Why don't we all meet her there while Serena competes?"

"Sounds good to me," Ash says.

Thus, everyone starts heading to the Pokemon contest hall, with the majority of the group uplifted that they can all watch Serena together. As they walk, Scott catches up with what's going on with Ash, Serena, Brock, and Dawn. The fat man is pleased to hear that Brock found someone special and that the young adult couple are so excited to get together after the Indigo League. Meanwhile, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu follow behind everyone and the man from Unova lets out a sigh before turning to Timothy.

"Just our luck," he says. "And on the last brain before Brandon too."

"Yeah, it's pretty fickle timing," Timothy agrees. "Hopefully, this Anabel will agree to a battle after the contest so that we'll only be waiting for a couple of hours or so."

"No kidding," Coovers says. "Plus, we can hopefully see our young friend win her last ribbon while at it."

Timothy nods in agreement.

"As much as I want us to continue our mission as soon as possible, I'm glad that we can cheer Serena on again," he says. "I did not enjoy seeing her looking at me like that."

Coovers looks at Timothy and gives him a small smile.

"You did teach her how to be better at double battles with Ash and Dawn. It only makes sense that she would want all of her friends to watch her progression," he says. "Besides, now that I think about it, our mission is for the sake of those who have big goals like Serena, Ash, Dawn, Brock, Holly, and all of their Pokemon. Maybe we should take a delay like this to be with those whose hopes and dreams we want to keep alive."

Timothy thinks about what Coovers is saying without looking at him. He then looks down at Electchu who is giving him a friendly smile while walking beside him. He smiles back at his faithful partner before turning to Coovers.

"You're right, Coovers," he says. "I do want to see how Serena has improved. I also wouldn't mind having her, Ash, and the others cheer for me, Electchu and the rest of my team at the Battle Tower. We should enjoy having them around before we have to race to Brandon and the Gieldenstone."

Coovers' smile grows, happy to hear Timothy say that. He places his hand on Timothy's shoulder, and the man in the "H.A.K." shirt nods at his long-time friend before the two of them and Electchu face forward again as the group continues heading to the contest hall.

After an hour and a half of walking, everyone makes it to the contest hall where Serena signs up for the contest and leaves to join the other contestants. Everyone else in the group goes to the auditorium where they find seats near the front row and quietly talk to each other while waiting until a certain girl with light purple hair walks over to them.

"Well, well, well, what a pleasant surprise," she says, smiling. "Ash, Pikachu, Brock, great to see all of you again."

Ash stands up from his seat to face the girl with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Anabel. It's great to see you too," he says.

The two of them shake hands with a friendly chuckle before Anabel turns to Dawn, Piplup, Holly, Coovers, Electchu, and Timothy.

"And who might you all be?" She asks.

"I'm Holly, Brock's future girlfriend," Holly says, earning another goofy look from Brock.

"I'm Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup," Dawn greets.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps

"Coovers is my name," Coovers says politely.

"I'm Timothy, and this is my partner, Electchu," Timothy says politely.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

Anabel turns to Timothy with an intrigued look.

"I assume you mean the same Timothy who defeated the Johto Elite Four and Lance, the bi-regional champion?" She asks.

"Indeed, I am," Timothy says. "I assume you know that because Scott advertized me to you?"

"He sure did," Anabel says with a nod. "I am looking forward to battling you, Timothy."

"That makes both of us, Anabel," Timothy says.

"Good," Anabel says. "I'm sure you've heard this many times, but I've never battled with someone who has defeated a regional champion before. I hope you will be a great challenge for me."

"Oh, he will, Anabel," Ash says. "I've battled him twice now, and I only took down one of his Pokemon the second time."

"Oh, really?" Anabel says with a raised eyebrow. "In that case, why don't we all go to the Battle Tower together after this? I know my Pokemon are just as eager to face your team as I am."

Timothy smiles and says, "That would be fantastic."

"Terrific," Anabel says before she turns and takes a seat next to Ash while Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other with looks of relief.

"Thank heaven she's as eager for your battle as we are," Coovers says.

"No kidding," Timothy says with a nod.

Coovers face turns serious, and he leans closer to Timothy.

"Don't forget, no showing off this time," he warns. "We have to leave as soon as you beat her."

"Don't worry, Coovers. I learned my lesson after my battle with Ash," Timothy says. "I'm not going to toy with this girl. If my Pokemon are against a Pokemon that they are weak against, I'll change to a different Pokemon. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure I win the battle, Scott gives us the location to Brandon, and we start heading straight that way before the day is over. No more delays."

Coovers nods, satisfied with Timothy's response. Meanwhile, Anabel pets Pikachu while she and Ash sit next to each other.

"So Ash, what have you been doing since the last time we've seen each other?" The light-purple-haired girl asks.

"Tons of things," Ash answers. "After I won the Battle Frontier, I went to Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos and caught a lot of new Pokemon. I even made it to the finals at the Kalos League and almost won."

"Wow, that's amazing," Anabel says. "So, what are you up to now?"

"I'm getting ready to compete in the Indigo League again," Ash says proudly. "And right now, I'm about to cheer Serena on for her last contest ribbon."

Anabel looks at Ash, confused, and asks, "Who is Serena."

"Oh, you'll like her," Ash says. "Serena is amazing. We actually first met when we were little and then she found me when I was in Kalos. She is a really great supportive friend who works really hard on her dream. Not to mention she's a great cook. Right, buddy?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says happily.

Anabel chuckles at Ash's enthusiasm and says, "She sounds nice."

"You bet," Ash says without hesitation. "Truth be told, I owe a lot to Serena. I would never have been able to do some of the things I did in the Kalos region without her help. It was also her idea that I compete in the Indigo League again to show how much I've grown. I don't know what I would have done without her."

Anabel nods with her smile on her face, but as soon as Ash looks away to pet Pikachu, she frowns. The way the raven-haired boy talks about Serena gives Anabel a twinge of fear. Ever since the day Ash came to challenge her during his own journey through the Battle Frontier, the light-purple-haired girl developed a crush on him. She didn't say anything before he left because it was clear that the dense boy couldn't understand such feelings from the way he shook hands with her after the battle. And yet, even though it was clear that Ash still knows little of such feelings when the two of them shook hands just moments ago, the way he spoke of his friend unsettled Anabel.

Before she could think about it any longer, however, the auditorium lights turn off, and the audience begins cheering as Lilian enters the stage.

"Welcome, everyone to the Cremini Town Pokemon contest!" She shouts through her microphone. "This is one of the last contests of the season, and I know many of these contestants are working hard to win the remaining ribbons they need to enter the Grand Festival!"

"Wow, sounds like Serena's going to be cutting it a little close if she wins today," Scott says as the audience applauds again.

"No kidding," Dawn agrees while Lilian introduces the judges. "Let's hope she wins, because I don't want to know how far away the remaining contests are if she doesn't."

"Don't worry. Serena's going to win," Brock says calmly. "Right, Ash?"

"Absolutely," Ash says confidently. "Serena says that we're in for some surprises, so there's no doubt that she's going to surprise us all to victory."

Anabel secretly grows more uneasy at the way Ash praises his friend while Lilian speaks again.

"And now, to kick us off at the appeal stage, it's Russell!" She announces.

"Russell?" Ash, Brock, and Dawn say simultaneously.

"You know him?" Coovers asks.

"Not personally," Brock answers. "Basically, he was the guy who knocked Serena off the first round of the battle stage during the contest at Cerulean City. This was also during Serena's debut as a coordinator."

"Oh, I see," Timothy says.

Sure enough, the scrawny man appears with a proud smirk on his face. He tosses a Pokeball into the air, and a Magneton appears. With a snap of Russell's fingers, the three heads of Magneton separate from each other and form a circle at the center of the stage. They start spinning around the circle, creating an electrical current that connects to all three of them. The three heads of Magneton start to spin faster and faster until Russell snaps his fingers, and the three heads release the electricity, creating a large ball of electricity at the center of the circle. The audience and the judges look intrigued while Russell snaps his finger once last time. The three heads of Magneton join together right below the ball and create a white, electric, orb in front of it. The magnet Pokemon aims at the ball of electricity and fires the orb straight at it. The orb collides with the ball, and they explode into thousands of white and yellow sparks of electricity above the audience, making them watch with awe.

"Wow, what an amazing use of Thunderbolt and Zap Cannon!" Lilian says.

As the audience applauds, the judges give Russell a good score, and he smirks, satisfied before returning his Magneton and exiting the stage. The appeal stage continues with several other contestants performing with their partners. Some of them mess up their performances or did so little that they were given very low scores, but others entertain the crowd and gain roughly the same kind of score that Russell has. Ash, Brock, Anabel, Scott, and the others applaud for each one politely, waiting for Serena to perform.

"And now, trying once again to gain her fifth ribbon, I give you Serena!" Lilian announces.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Scott, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu get up from their seats and loudly cheer while Anabel joins with a respectable applaud. Serena enters the stage and with a graceful twirl, tosses Poliwag's Pokeball into the air, and the tadpole Pokemon comes out and does a flip before landing on the ground. The trainer and her Pokemon give the audience a bow before Serena begins tapping her foot rhythmically.

"Okay, Poliwag, create a block of ice using Ice Beam," she says.

"Ice Beam?!" Ash, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Timothy, and Coovers say at the same time.

Poliwag gives Serena a happy smile before it hops high into the air and shoots a beam of ice at the ground. The move creates a giant, rectangular block of ice standing right next to Serena. Everyone wonders what the honey blonde girl is planning while she takes several steps away from the block of ice and turns to her Pokemon.

"Now, create a path next to the block and create a great big spring," she instructs.

Poliwag nods and fires Ice Beam again on the right side of the block and then starts creating a spiral path upward until there is a large spring made of ice that is only a few feet away from reaching the ceiling.

"Now get on top of the spring and start creating large bubbles," Serena commands.

Poliwag starts hopping on the path until it makes it to the top. Then it takes a deep breath and creates a bubble nearly twice its size, and the bubble starts rolling down the spring. Poliwag repeats the process several times, and large bubbles roll down the spring until they reach the bottom and hit the block of ice. One by one, the bubbles reach the bottom and combine into a bigger bubble. By the time Poliwag is done, there is a bubble three times Serena's height. The judges and the audience are intrigued by the creative process until Serena speaks again.

"Now destroy the spring with Water Gun and start bouncing on the bubble," she orders.

Poliwag jumps high in the air again and spins while using Water Gun with enough force to destroy the spiral before it lands on the bubble without it popping. Serena begins tapping her foot, and Poliwag starts jumping up and down on the bubble in rhythm, causing it to bounce on the bubble as if it's on a ball. The audience smiles brightly in amazement as Poliwag bounces the bubble around the block of ice, gleefully doing flips with each bounce.

"Okay, time for the big finale just like we practiced," Serena says.

Poliwag bounces on the bubble one more time, and it lands on top of the block of ice, surprising the judges and the audience that the bubble still didn't break. Then with one last flip, Poliwag uses Double Slap to fall through the bubble, causing it to finally burst and break through the block of ice, causing both the bubble and the block to explode into tiny blue and light-blue sparkling pieces.

"Ta-da! Finished!" Serena says while she and Poliwag make a final pose.

Almost immediately, the audience roars in applause. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Scott, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers all stand up from their seats as they clap loudly for their friend.

"Way to go, Serena!" Ash shouts.

Anabel also applauds, impressed with the performance, but is taken aback by the way Ash cheers for Serena so energetically. Serena and Poliwag take a bow while the judges give them a score higher than everyone else who has gone. She sees her friends in the audience and smiles to see that all of them - including Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu enjoyed her performance. After the honey blonde girl and her Pokemon leave the stage, the group sits back down and turn to each other.

"I didn't know her Poliwag knew Ice Beam," Coovers says.

"Me neither," Holly says. "Did Poliwag learn that while they were practicing on the way here?"

"It makes sense to me," Brock says. "It would explain how her performance is meant to be a surprise."

"Did anyone else notice she took my idea of making a big bubble from my double battle with her and made it into her own thing?" Dawn asks.

Ash, Brock, and Holly turn to the blunette girl and think about it for a moment.

"You know, I think you're right," Brock says. "Is that an issue for you, Dawn?"

"Not really," Dawn says honestly with a smile. "After all, the way she did it using Bubble instead of Bubble Beam was visually creative, and she clearly knew how to use it in a way that works for her and Poliwag. I just hope she has more up her sleeve than just that."

"Don't you worry, Dawn," Ash says confidently. "I'm sure Serena is just getting started."

Once more, Anabel is uneasy with how proudly Ash compliments Serena.

"You seem to really care about Serena, Ash," she comments.

"Of course, I do. Why wouldn't I?" Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

Anabel hesitates before she decides to be direct.

"Do you think of her as more than just a friend," she asks.

Ash looks at her, confused, and says, "You too?"

"Oh," Anabel says. "So, I'm not the only one who has asked you that?"

"No, you're not," Ash answers with a frown. "People like Brock and my mom have been asking me about that lately, but I don't understand what they're saying. I wish I did, though."

Ash looks away sadly, and Anabel frowns as she watches him think about what she brought up. She opens her mouth to speak again when the last performance on stage ends, and everyone applauds before Lilian comes back on stage.

"Alright, now that all the contestants have performed, let's find out who will continue to the next stage!" She announces.

As soon as she finishes her sentence, several pictures appear on the big screen above the stage to reveal two dozen pictures of the contestants, including Russell and Serena. The group cheers, glad that their friend can move on before Lilian speaks again.

"And for a special treat for all of you, this next stage is going to be a double battle stage!" Lilian shouts.

While the rest of the audience cheer in excitement, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other.

"Looks like we helped Serena with her double battling skills just in time, Timothy," Ash says.

"Looks like it," Timothy agrees. "Let's hope it's enough for her to win the ribbon."

Thus, the group waits patiently for Serena's first battle in the round while the other contestants compete in the stage. One by one, they watch each of the battles, including Russell's first battle, where he defeats a girl's Vulpix and Executor with his Sunflora and Hypno. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Dawn have their eye on Russell's Hypno during the fight, knowing that it was the Pokemon who humiliated Pancham. Finally, Serena comes in at the last battle of the first round against a guy with long black hair and a thin mustache.

"Go, Serena!" Ash shouts.

"You got this, girl!" Dawn cheers.

"Let's go, Serena!" Brock and Holly shout together.

"Show us what you've learned!" Timothy shouts.

"We're counting on you!" Coovers yells.

Pikachu, Electchu, and Piplup cheer at the same time while Serena and her opponent take out their Pokeballs and throw them into the air. Braixen and Pancham appear in front of Serena while a Dunsparce and Umbreon appear in front of her opponent.

"The battle between Serena and Patrick will now begin!" Lilian announces as the timer starts.

"Dunsparce, use Mud Shot and Umbreon, use Sand Attack!" Patrick orders.

"Block both attacks with Flamethrower and Shadow Claw!" Serena shouts.

Dunsparce shoots mud from its mouth while Umbreon kicks sand toward their opponents. But Braixen and Pancham stay close as Braixen uses Flamethrower to turn the sand to ash, and Pancham destroys the mud with its claws of energy. The judges take away a little bit of Patrick's points.

"Alright, Serena! Keep it up!" Dawn cheers.

"Yeah, that's more like it!" Timothy agrees. "Keep working together with your Pokemon!"

Patrick frown and shouts, "Umbreon, use Quick Attack on Pancham and Dunsparce, use Dragon Rush on Braixen!"

"I don't think so," Serena says with a confident smile. "Pancham, create a wall with Stone Edge!"

Pancham slams its fist into the ground, and light-blue pillars appear in front of it and Braixen, creating a barrier between them and their opponents. Dunsparce and Umbreon ram into the Stone Edge at the same time, but Umbreon's Quick Attack causes no damage to the pillars while Dunsparce breaks through the wall and heads straight toward Braixen with its body still covered in blue energy.

"Braixen, push Dunsparce back with Flamethrower!" Serena commands. "Pancham, use Arm Thrust to break through the wall and attack Umbreon!"

Braixen immediately takes out its stick and releases a powerful stream of fire. The Flamethrower hits the land snake Pokemon hard, disrupting its Dragon Rush attack and sending it flying back to the other side of the battlefield. Meanwhile, Pancham's arms glow white, and with one swing, it breaks the pillar between it and Umbreon, who is still dazed from ramming itself into the large stone. Pancham uses its other arm to hit Umbreon square in the face, and the Dark-type Pokemon screams in pain as it's sent crashing next to Dunsparce. Patrick stares at his injured Pokemon in shock while the judges take away more of his points.

"Wow, there she goes using Stone Edge as a barricade again," Ash says, amazed. "Great thinking on her part."

"Indeed," Timothy says. "I'm especially impressed with how quickly she responded when Dunsparce broke through."

"Yeah, clearly she took your lessons to heart," Dawn says happily.

Patrick finally shakes his head to snap out his moment of shock and in a look of desperation, turns to his Pokemon.

"Dunsparce, use Charge Beam on Pancham and Umbreon, you use Dark Pulse on Braixen!" He shouts.

But Serena just smiles and says, "Braixen, take out Charge Beam with Flamethrower and Pancham, destroy Umbreon's Dark Pulse with your own!"

Dunsparce builds electricity in its body and uses it to fire a powerful beam while Umbreon takes a beam of dark purple circles. But before their respective attacks cross to the other side of the field, Braixen and Pancham use their respective attacks to protect each other, causing all four attacks to collide and create a big explosion that covers most of the field in a cloud of smoke.

"I can't see anything," Patrick says as he and his Pokemon try to look through the smoke. "Where are they?"

But Serena overhears what he said and smirks, knowing she has the upper hand.

"Braixen, Pancham, run through the smoke and hit Umbreon with Arm Thrust and Dunsparce with Fire Blast!" She instructs.

The two Pokemon nod at their honey blonde trainer and runs through the smoke without hesitation. Patrick, Dunsparce, and Umbreon are still looking for their opponents desperately before Braixen and Pancham suddenly emerge from the smoke right in front of them. Before Patrick has a moment to say a command, Braixen hits Dunsparce with Fire Blast, and Pancham karate chops Umbreon with Arm Thrust. The two small Pokemon are sent back a couple yards before they land in front of their front limp with swirly eyes. The judges press their buzzards, and Lilian steps in.

"Dunsparce and Umbreon are down for the count!" She announces. "So, Serena is going to move on to the next round!"

The crowd cheers, and Serena and her Pokemon smile at each other, thrilled to have properly won a double battle. The three of them face the audience and gave a bow before Serena puts Braixen and Pancham back into their Pokeballs and exits the stage.

"Alright, Serena!" Dawn cheers while the group and Anabel applaud.

"I knew you could do it!" Ash cheers.

"That was definitely a major improvement from how she did at Cinnabar Island," Holly comments. "She looked like she and her Pokemon were working much better as a team."

"I agree," Brock says. "She was also showing more creativity in her moves."

"Don't forget that she was smiling the whole time, too," Ash says.

"She was smiling?" Anabel says, confused.

"Yeah, our friend Aria told her to face everything with a smile," Ash explains. "Serena wants to make everyone happy through her performances. She forgot about that during her last contest, so I'm glad that she's competing with a happy attitude again."

Anabel smiles at Ash, happy that he's happy for his friend, but her worry over his overall thoughts for Serena grows. As the second round of the battle stage begins, wonders if the honey blonde has any feelings for him.

As the contest goes on, Serena continues to win every battle she's in. Her friends and Anabel watch in amazement as she wows both the judges and the audience with the way she creates amazing spectacles while she defeats every opponent with Braixen and Pancham. Russell also breezes through his matches too, however, making Dawn and Brock unsure of what will happen if Serena faces him again. Ash, on the other hand, shows no hint of concern for the honey blonde girl, choosing to be completely optimistic for her without hesitation.

Eventually, the semifinals come, and Serena wins her match with Braixen and Pancham knocking out a girl's Diglett and Delibird. Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Scott, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu cheer happily, excited to see her hopefully win her final ribbon. But then Russell competes in his semifinal match, and his Sunflora and Hypno take down a boy's Gastly and Sparrow within less than two minutes.

Finally, after a five-minute intermission, Lilian steps onto the stage, holding the mic in front of her again.

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for!" She begins. "On one side, Russell is eager to get his fourth ribbon, and on the other side, Serena wants to win her fifth ribbon! Who will win this exciting match?"

The audience cheers again before the host continues.

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Lilian shouts. "Let's find out who will win this year's Cremini Town contest ribbon!"

The audience cheers again as Russell enters the stage from the left side while Serena enters from the right. The scrawny man notices Serena and smirks at her mockingly.

"I had a feeling we might meet again," he says. "This will be too easy for me."

"I wouldn't underestimate my Pokemon and me," Serena counters. "We've grown a lot since Cerulean City, and we're going to win no matter what."

"Cocky, huh? I like that," Russell says before throwing his Pokeballs into the air. "Hypno, Sunflora, let's do this!"

"Braixen, Pancham, let's go!" Serena shouts while throwing her Pokeballs toward the battlefield.

The four Pokeballs open to reveal Hypno, Sunflora, Braixen, and Pancham ready for battle. Lilian smiles in anticipation before she faces the audience again and shouts, "Let the battle begin!" before the timer on the screen starts counting down.

"Alright, let's make this quick," Russell says. "Sunflora, use Petal Dance and Hypno, use Psybeam!"

Sunflora raises its arms, and pink leaves appear heading toward its opponents while Hypno fires a multicolored beam.

"Braixen, take out that Petal Dance with Flamethrower and Pancham, take out the Psybeam with Dark Pulse!" Serena orders.

Braixen and Pancham use their respective attacks, and they collide with the Petal Dance and Psybeam. The Dark Pulse and Psybeam creates an explosion of sparkles in many colors while the Flamethrower burns through the petals instantly and heads straight toward Sunflora.

"Sunflora, dodge it!" Russell commands.

Sunflora stares at the upcoming fire attack fearfully and jumps away, but the Flamethrower barely burns it's right side and the sun Pokemon panics hysterically, afraid it caught fire. Russell tries to calm it down while the judges take away some of his points.

"Alright, now use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse once more!" Serena commands.

Russell notices that Serena is trying to take advantage of Sunflora's frantic state and frowns.

"Hypno, use Disable on both of them!" He shouts.

Serena's smile falters at the sound of the command. Hypno fires several blue rings at Braixen and Pancham right before they can release their attacks. Both of their Pokemon look in shock, realizing that they can't do their attacks.

"Wow, a double Disable!" Lilian announces, impressed. "What will Serena do now?"

The judges take away some of Serena's points, and her heart starts to sink. Timothy frowns seriously and turns to the rest of the group.

"I was afraid of this," he says. "I told her not to always rely on Flamethrower and Dark Pulse."

"She has been relying on those attacks throughout most of the battle stage," Scott says.

"Oh, just look at her; she doesn't know what to do," Holly says worryingly.

"Come on, Serena! Don't give up now!" Dawn shouts.

Serena stays frozen for a couple of seconds before she takes a deep breath and calms down.

"It's going to be okay," she says to herself. "Just keep smiling, and don't let what happened get to you. Be creative."

On the other side of the field, Russell manages to finally calm down Sunflora. Then he turns to Serena with his face turning serious.

"Hypno, use Psybeam once more and Sunflora, use Razor Leaf!" He commands.

Serena frowns and thinks of what to do next. She considers telling Braixen to use Fire Blast to burn through Sunflora's leaves again, but decides to save using the attack for a better moment. She also thinks about blocking Psybeam with Stone Edge, but Hypno's attacks look like it will break through the pillars. As Sulfora throws razor-sharp leaves and Hypno fires another multicolored beam, Serena puts her hand on her precious blue ribbon and takes a chance.

"Braixen, cut down the Razor Leaf with Scratch and Pancham, deflect the Psybeam with Shadow Claw!" She shouts.

Braixen's paw glows white, and it cuts the leaves into pieces. Pancham's arm glows in a purple aura shaped like a large claw and tries to cut down Hypno's Psybeam, but the beam is too big to cut down, and it hits the fighting type Pokemon hard and sends it plummeting into the ground. The judges decide to take a tiny amount if Russell's points and remove a larger portion of Serena's points.

"Pancham, are you alright?" Serena cries out worryingly.

Pancham is struggling to get up. Its body is covered in cuts and bruises. It grinds its teeth, trying to fight off the pain.

"Looks like a good a time as any to relive the last battle," Russell says with a smirk. "Hypno, lift Pancham into the air with Confusion."

Hypno's eyes glow blue, and Pancham's body is surrounded by a blue outline and is lifted into the ground. The playful Pokemon starts panicking and flailing its arms and legs as it's sent flying directly above Hypno. Serena's eyes widen, realizing what is happening all over again and turns to Braixen.

"Use Hidden Power on Hypno now!" She shouts.

Braixen doesn't hesitate to use Hidden Power to free its friend, but Russell just smirks.

"Sunflora, stand in front of Hypno and use Safeguard!" He orders.

Sunflora steps in front of Hypno and creates a force shield in front of both of them. Braixen's Hidden Power runs into the shield and explodes upon impact, causing no effect to either Pokemon.

"Good blocking strategy from Russell!" Lilian comments as the judges take away a few more points from Serena.

"What are you going to do now, Serena?" Russell mocks.

Serena frowns and mutters to herself. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay. Just keep smiling. It's all going to work out. You just need to think of a way to get past the Safeguard. Now think."

The honey blonde girl brainstorms while Braixen waits worryingly for a command. Suddenly, Serena snaps her fingers and turns to the fox Pokemon with a smile.

"Braixen, shoot Fire Blast at Pancham," she orders.

"What?" Coovers says, shocked. "Did I hear that right?"

"What is she thinking, telling Braixen to attack its own partner?" Holly asks.

"I have no idea," Anabel answers.

"Don't worry, everyone," Ash says confidently. "I can see it in her eyes. Serena is up to something."

Braixen turns to Serena looking just as shocked, and even Pancham couldn't believe what it just heard.

"Trust me, both of you," Serena says comfortingly withal warm smile. "It's going to be okay."

Braixen hesitates for a few more seconds before it takes a deep breath and decides to trust its partner. It takes out its stick and unleashes a Fire Blast at Pancham.

"Now, Pancham, use Shadow Claw!" Serena instructs. "Chop Braixen's attack to pieces!"

Eager to defend itself, Pancham quickly uses Shadow Claw with both paws and starts slicing the Fire Blast to pieces before the fire hits the panda-like Pokemon. The pieces of fire start falling from the air and land on top of an unsuspecting Sunflora who panics again, unknowingly making its Safeguard disappear.

"There's our opening, Braixen!" Serena says. "Use Fire Blast one more time!"

Braixen's ears perk up as it realizes what was Serena's plan all along and grins mischievously before it unleashes another Fire Blast. Russell only has a moment to realize what is happening before the fire attack hits Sunflora directly, and it falls down limp with swirly eyes before he could even tell it to dodge.

"Oh dear, that's one of Russell's Pokemon down for the count," Lilian says as the judges take away some of the Russell's remaining points. "How will he manage to get out of this one?"

"Ah, I see," Brock says, amused. "Sunflora's Safeguard protects the front of it while all other sides including above it, are wide open."

"So Serena used Shadow Claw as a way of reaching the Fire Blast to Sunflora so that it could panic, thus letting its guard down," Dawn says in realization.

"Clever," Scott says with a smirk.

"Alright, Braixen, use Hidden Power again!" Serena shouts.

Russell freezes in place, knowing that Hypno can't do anything while it's still holding Pancham up in the air. Braixen jumps and twirls before it unleashes three white orbs of energy again, and they hit Hypno right on the chest. The hypnosis Pokemon grunts in pain and releases Pancham, who lands perfectly on the ground in front of its former captive.

"Now, Pancham, don't hold back!" Serena shouts. "Use Shadow Claw multiple times! Give it everything you have!"

Pancham grins mischievously, and it summons a dark-purple aura shaped into sharp claws again on both of its arms. Hypno opens its eyes just in time to see Pancham heading straight for it before the playful Pokemon strikes. It swipes and slashes left and right furiously at Hypno, giving the psychic type Pokemon large scratches all over its body. Pancham lets out its desire for payback again and again until it slashes upward at Hypno's head, knocking it off its feet and plummeting to the ground unconscious. The judges press their buzzards, and Lilian turns to the audience with a cheerful smile.

"Sunflora and Hypno are down for the count!" She declares. "Serena is the winner!"

The big screen above the stage changes to a picture of Serena with the word "WINNER" above it in bold, golden letters. The audience roars in applause while Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Scott, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers stand up and cheer for their friend. Russell stares at his fallen Pokemon in devastation before he returns them to their Pokeballs and glumly walks away. Serena stares in surprise before Braixen and Pancham joyfully tackle her to the ground. She snaps out of her state of shock and happily hugs her Pokemon tightly, laughing as she holds them.

"We did it! We did it!" She shouts.

The applause continues for a minute until Mr. Contesta walks over to the middle of the stage and gestures Serena to come over to him. The honey blonde girl stands up and walks over to Mr. Contesta with Braixen and Pancham following her, and the man gives her a warm smile.

"Congratulations, Serena," he says, taking out a contest ribbon from his pocket. "You now have enough ribbons to partake in the Grand Festival. Best of luck to you."

"Thank you so much," Serena says as she takes the ribbon and shows it to the audience. "Alright! I finally have my fifth ribbon!"

"Pancham, cham!" Pancham cheers.

"Braixen!" Braixen shouts.

The audience applauds again, and Serena and her Pokemon take a bow before exiting the stage. Once she's gone, Lilian bids farewell to everyone before she and the judges leave the stage, and the audience begins to disperse.

"Yay! Now May, Serena, and I can all compete in the Grand Festival together!" Dawn cheers.

"Alright! I knew she could do it!" Ash shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cheerfully.

Anabel smiles at Ash, hiding her concern over his feelings for Serena.

"I must admit that was fun," she says. "I'm glad Scott convinced me to come watch this year."

"So am I," Scott says. "And I'm glad Serena won her last ribbon."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Timothy says. "Let's meet up with her and congratulate her."

Everyone says words of agreement, and thus, they all leave together to meet up with the honey blonde girl.

It isn't long before Serena exits the building to find everyone waiting for her outside. Dawn happily runs over to her, and the two teenage girls happily scream in excitement.

"You did it!" Dawn squeals. "You have all five of your ribbons!"

"I know!" Serena says. "I can't wait to show it to my mom, Bonnie, and Clemont. They'll be so thrilled."

Timothy, Coovers, Ash, Pikachu, Piplup, and Electchu walk over to Serena, and Timothy gives Serena a warm smile.

"Well done," he says sincerely. "You really improved with your double battling skills."

"Thank you, Timothy," Serena says.

"Timothy's right," Ash says, stepping in. "You were great, Serena. I can't wait to see you compete in the Grand Festival."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says

Serena's eyes widen, and her cheeks turn red before she looks down as if the floor is the most interesting thing in the world.

"Oh, thank you, Ash," she says.

"Hey, what about me?" Dawn rebukes.

"Of course, you too, Dawn," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Dawn smirks, satisfied before nudging Serena with her elbow teasingly.

"Someone's showing favoritism," she quietly sings in Serena's ear, making her face turn redder.

The rest of the group catch up, and Brock and Holly step in to speak to Serena next.

"Good job, Serena," Brock says.

Serena snaps out of her bashful state and turns to Brock with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Brock," she says.

"I'm proud of you, Serena," Holly says with a warm smile.

"Thank you, Holly," Serena replies.

"So now we just need to head to Viridian City for my and Ash's gym battles and then it's on to the Indigo Plateau for the Grand Festival and eventually the Indigo League, right?" Holly asks.

"That's right," Ash says. "I can't wait to face Agatha again."

Anabel, who is standing behind the group with Scott winces at Ash eagerness to leave again. Without thinking about it, she steps into the small crowd and speaks.

"Are you sure you want to leave so soon, Ash?" She asks. "Because if you want, you can come back to the Battle Tower with me and watch me face Timothy."

Serena turns to Anabel, confused, and asks, "I'm sorry, who are you?"

The girl with light-purple-hair gives Serena a friendly smile and says, "My name is Anabel. I'm the Salon Maiden of the Battle Tower."

"Oh, so you're the Frontier Brain Timothy has to face next," Serena says with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," Anabel says. "I enjoyed your performance. You're very talented."

"Thank you. You're very nice," Serena says.

Anabel nods and turns to Ash and says, "Anyway, would you be interested in that? I'd love to catch up with you and Brock more afterward and get to know all your friends."

"Sure. We were planning to cheer Timothy on, anyway," Ash says before turning to Brock, Holly, and Dawn. "Do you think that would be okay if we still do that?"

"I don't see why not," Brock says. "Viridian City is not very far from here, so we can spare a little time."

Holly hesitates, clearly wanting to leave immediately for her last badge but eventually sighs and says, "Well, if it's okay with Brock, then I'm in."

Brock turns to Holly and smiles at her. The two of them stare at each other blissfully until Dawn speaks.

"I'm afraid you'll have to count Piplup and me out," she says.

Everyone turns to her, surprised.

"Why's that, Dawn?" Coovers asks.

Dawn smirks and walks over to Serena with a friendly, competitive look.

"I've been thinking about it during the contest, and I want to head to Indigo Plateau now," she announces. "After seeing how much you have improved, Serena, it's all too clear you've grown to be a true threat to my goal to win the festival. So I want to get ready for the Grand Festival by myself, where you have no idea what tricks I have up my sleeve."

Serena is surprised by what Dawn is saying before she smirks and nods at the blunette girl.

"I understand," she says. "I'm going to work hard too. And the next time we face each other, it'll be at the Grand Festival, and I'm going to win."

"We'll see," Dawn says. "I don't plan on losing."

"Piplup," Piplup says with its own competitive smirk.

The two of them nod at each other and shake hands before Dawn turns to the rest of the group.

"Well, I better get going then," she says. "Good luck on your Frontier battle, Timothy."

"Thanks, Dawn," Timothy says.

"And Ash, Holly, give it everything you've got at the Viridian City Gym," Dawn says.

"You know I will," Ash says, giving Dawn a high five.

"You can count on me," Holly says.

Dawn smiles cheerfully and turns to Piplup.

"Alright, let's go, Piplup," she says.

"Piplup," Piplup says the two of them turn around and start running east.

"Bye, Dawn!" Everyone calls out, and Dawn and Piplup wave at them as they run. Once the two of them are out of sight, Timothy turns to Anabel.

"Alright, let's get our battle underway, shall we?" He says.

"Sounds good to me," Anabel says with a competitive smirk.

"I think we can all fit my car," Scott says. "Though someone will need to sit on someone's lap."

"I volunteer!" Holly says quickly before she turns to Brock with a kittenish look. "As long as I get to sit on this one's lap."

Brock gives her a silly, bashful smile, much to her amusement. The two of them start giggling quietly while Timothy nudges Serena in the elbow.

"I think I'll speak for Dawn when I say you missed your chance to do that with a certain someone," he whispers teasingly.

Serena's pupils shrink, and her face turns deep red. Ash notices and looks at her concerned.

"Are you okay, Serena?" He asks.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Serena screams, shaking her head to try to shake off her blush.

"Uh...okay…" Ash says uncomfortably before he gets an idea. "Hey, I know, why don't we tell Clemont and Bonnie and your mom the good news first?"

Serena instantly loses her bashful state and smiles.

"Great idea!" She says enthusiastically. "Is that okay with you, Timothy?"

Timothy hesitates, wanting to battle Anabel right away, before he hides it with a smile.

"Sure, just don't take too long," he says. "Electchu and I have a battle to win. Right, pal?"

"Rai!" Electchu shouts with sparks coming from its yellow cheeks.

Serena chuckles, amused with how the man and his Raichu's desire for a battle is almost similar to Ash and Pikachu. As the group starts making their way to the nearest Pokemon Center, Serena looks inside her contest ribbon case and gives it a heartfelt smile. Her heart is filled with joy, knowing how she made people happy during all of the contests and that she's one step closer to her wonderful dream.


	45. Chapter 45

"Ta-da!" Serena says, in a singing voice.

Everyone is at the Pokemon Center closest to the Battle Tower, and Serena is proudly showing all five of her contest ribbons to her mom, who is appearing on the videophone.

"_That's wonderful, Serena,_" Grace says, pleased. "_I'm so proud of you._"

"Oh, Mom," Serena says, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Grace smiles at her daughter's demeanor before she asks, "_So where and when is the Grand Festival?_"

"It starts in two weeks at the Indigo Plateau," Serena answers.

"_Well, then I'll guess I better get ready,_" Grace says.

Serena looks at her mom, confused.

"_Do you really think I'm going to miss out on your first Grand Festival?_" Grace asks.

"Really? You're coming over here?" Serena asks excitedly.

"_Of course, I am_" Grace says with a motherly smile. "_I was there for the Master Class, I see no reason not to be there for the Grand Festival. But I want to see you give it everything you've got. Okay_?"

Serena smiles brightly and gives Grace a confident nod.

"You got it. I'm going to win no doubt about it," she says.

"_That's what I like to hear,_" Grace says.

Serena is about to speak again when Coovers enters the building, looking slightly impatient.

"Hey, Serena, hurry up. We're all waiting on you," he says.

"Coming," Serena calls out before turning back to the screen. "Looks like I better let you go, Mom."

"_Alright, dear,_" Grace says. "_I'll see you in two weeks then._"

"Okay, see you then," Serena says.

The image of Grace disappears, and Serena turns to Coovers and follows him out of the Pokemon Center, where Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Scott, Anabel, Timothy, and Electchu are waiting for her. Thus, the group gets in Scott's car and begin riding their way to the Battle Tower. Brock and Holly giggle like little children as the auburn-haired woman sits on the young tan man's lap. Everyone else is quiet until they reach the tower, and Electchu exits the car first with a confused look.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu," it says.

Anabel chuckles with her mouth closed as the others exit the car and says, "Yes, I suppose it is rather tall for a place that just has a battlefield inside."

Timothy and Coovers turn to Anabel, shocked.

"Wait a minute, you can understand what Electchu is saying too?" Timothy asks.

"Not exactly," Anabel answers. "It's more like I'm able to sense what Pokemon like your Raichu's feelings are."

"Huh?" Coovers says, confused. "Isn't that kind of the same thing you can do, Timothy?"

"Yeah, Coovers is right," Timothy says. "I can tell whatever Electchu is saying even though it's just saying his name."

"Wow, then you two must have a pretty deep bond," Anabel says, impressed. "But what I have is a little different. You see I'm empathic, so I can understand the feelings of both Pokemon and people."

"Yeah, it's so amazing that Anabel can do that," Ash praises. "She can even communicate with her Pokemon without saying a word. It's totally awesome."

Anabel looks at Ash, shocked by his flattery. Then she looks away from everyone just as her cheeks turn red. Everyone wonders what is up with her until she shakes away the feeling and turns to Timothy.

"What are we standing around for? Let's have a battle!" She says with a smirk.

Timothy gives the purple-haired girl a competitive grin.

"Capital idea, young lady," he says. "And I hope you'll prove to be as big of a challenge as I've been told."

"Oh, I'll give you a battle you won't forget. That's a promise," Anabel says.

Timothy nods as a sign of him holding on to her claim before the group enters the Battle Tower together. As they make their way through the hall, Coovers walks over to Timothy and leans into his ear.

"Remember, give it everything you've got, but don't underestimate Anabel," he whispers.

"Got it," Timothy replies firmly.

The group makes its way to the battlefield inside, where a familiar man with green hair walks toward them with a friendly smile.

"Ash, Brock, good to see you again," he says.

"Hello, Maron," Ash says.

The man named Maron turns to Timothy and says, "And you must be Timothy Durbin, am I right?"

"What gave it away? My shirt?" Timothy asks.

Maron chuckles and says, "We've been looking forward to your arrival. I hope you give our dear Salon Maiden a battle to remember."

"I will if she does," Timothy replies with a confident smirk.

Maron chuckles at Timothy's response and gestures everyone to take their positions. Timothy and Electchu walk over to the closest side of the battlefield while Anabel walks over to the other side. Everyone else walks over to the sidelines, and Maron raises his hand with a professional look in his eyes.

"The Frontier battle between Timothy of Pallet Town and Anabel, the Frontier Brain and Salon Maiden is about to begin!" he says. "Participants may use three Pokemon! During the battle, however, only the challenger is allowed to substitute! Let the battle begin!"

"Alright, let's do this," Timothy says eagerly as he takes out a Pokeball and throws it into the air. "Shockwave, let's do this!"

"Go, my friend!" Anabel calls out as she also throws a Pokeball at the field.

The two balls open and Shockwave and an Alakazam come out, both ready to fight each other.

"A Gardevoir and an Alakazam," Holly says observantly. "This should be interesting since both Pokemon are Psychic types."

"Actually, Shockwave is a psychic and fairy type," Brock corrects. "Still, though, I wonder how Timothy is going to handle all of Anabel's Pokemon, not just Alakazam."

"What do you mean?" Holly asks.

"You'll see," Ash says.

"Alright, Shockwave, let's see what they got!" Timothy calls out. 'Use Moonblast!"

Shockwave forms an orb of pink energy in front if its hands and releases it at Alakazam. But instead of saying a command, Anabel stays still while her Alakazam puts its spoons together and releases a Psybeam. The two attacks collide, covering the battlefield in smoke. Timothy, Electchu, and Shockwave wait patiently to hear Anabel make a command, thinking she will try to use the smoke to her advantage, but all they hear from the smoke is her Pokemon saying, "Ala!" and another multicolored beam appears through the smoke.

"Shockwave, send that Psybeam back with Psychic!" Timothy commands.

The Gardevoir's eyes glow blue, and the Psybeam halts in midair. Then it waves its hands, and the beam is sent back in the other direction. Timothy hears the sound of Alakazam grunting in pain upon the impact of getting hit by its own attack as the smoke clears, and the psi Pokemon is revealed to have scratches on his body. But his smirk disappears almost instantly when the scratches on Alakazam's body disappears almost instantly.

"I don't get it," he says. "Is Anabel just letting Alakazam fight on its own?"

"Raichu!" Electchu says. "Rai, Rai,Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu."

Timothy's eyes widen realization, and he turns to his partner, saying, "Of course, you're right! Ash did say she can communicate with her Pokemon without speaking."

The rest of the group overhears what Timothy said, and Holly, Serena, and Coovers turn to Brock, Ash, and Scott respectively in realization.

"So that's why Anabel hasn't said a word since the battle started," Serena says.

"Yep. That's part of why I lost when I first battled Anabel," Ash says.

"Wow. Clever girl," Holly compliments.

"No kidding," Brock agrees.

"I hope Timothy treads carefully now that he's figured out what he's up against," Scott says.

"I hope so too," Coovers says worryingly. "Though I don't like the way he's grinning at Anabel."

Indeed, the man in the "H.A.K." shirt gives the purple-haired girl a mischievous grin as Anabel waits patiently for Timothy to make his next move. Coovers starts to fear that his longtime friend is letting his pride and his desire for a real challenge get the better of him again

"Finally, things are getting interesting," Timothy says to Electchu, who looks just as uneasy. "Shockwave, use Moonblast again!"

Once again, Shockwave fires a large beam of pink energy while Alakazam releases another Psybeam without Anabel saying a word. The two attacks once again collide and explode, covering the field in smoke. Timothy and Shockwave wait patiently for their opponents to make a move, making Coovers and Electchu grow even more uneasy, feeling they should attack first. Finally, Alakazam bursts through the smoke with its fist surrounded in a light blue aura.

"Seriously?" Timothy mutters to himself before he calls out, "Dodge and use Psychic."

The Gardevoir moves its body to the left just in time for Alakazam's fist to miss it completely. Shockwave's eyes glow blue and lifts Alakazam up in the air. The smoke clears to see Anabel still looking calm even with her Pokemon incapacitated.

"Tell me, Anabel, what did you hope to achieve with a move that Shockwave is resistant to like Focus Blast?" Timothy mocks.

Anabel smirks and says, "I can ask the same question to you. Psychic doesn't do much damage to a psychic-type Pokemon."

"True, but it makes one an easier target," Timothy counters. "Shockwave, use Moonblast again!"

Anabel looks in shock as she watches Shockwave hit Alakazam hard with another Moonblast. The attack sends Alakazam flying into the air and crashing into the ground. Anabel's face turns grim, and she gives her Pokemon a pleading look. Alakazam slowly gets up and starts to use Recover again.

"No, you don't," Timothy says. "Shockwave, use Disarming Voice!"

Shockwave takes a deep breath and with a shriek, unleashes a beam of purple hearts. The beam hits Alakazam and damages it before it could fully heal.

"Don't let up! Keep using Disarming Voice!" Timothy commands.

Shockwave doesn't hesitate to take a bigger breath and let out another beam of hearts against its opponent. The psi Pokemon howls in pain as Anabel tells Alakazam to use Psychic through her mind. Alakazam's eyes snap open and glow blue, and Shockwave gets surrounded in a blue outline. It suddenly gets lifted high into the air and send crashing into the ceiling. Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers stare in shock as the Gardevoir falls toward the ground. But before Shockwave can crash into the ground Alakazam runs toward it and punches it in the chest with Focus Blast, sending the Gardevoir hitting the wall. Shockwave gets on one knee and manages to slowly stand up until Alakazam fires another Psybeam without warning. The beam hits Shockwave, forcing it to hit the wall and fall down on its face.

"Shockwave!" Timothy screams. "Are you alright?"

Shockwave let's out a loud moan before it slowly lifts its head and picks itself up with several scratches all over its body. Timothy and Electchu sigh in relief while Anabel gives her challenger a smirk.

"Truly, your Gardevoir is very strong," she compliments. "Not many Pokemon stay standing after a couple of hits like that."

"Thanks," Timothy says bluntly. "I must admit you and your Alakazam put up an intriguing challenge."

Anabel nods and says, "Thanks, but we're not done."

She turns to Alakazam, who moves its spoons close together, preparing another Psybeam.

"Oh, I think you are," Timothy says with a determined frown. "Shockwave, lift Alakazam up with Psychic!"

Shockwave's eyes glow, and it lifts Alakazam into the air right as it's about to fire its Psybeam, missing the Gardevoir completely. Anabel keeps her eyes on her Pokemon, ordering another move without speaking, but Timothy has other plans.

"Now Shockwave, throw Alakazam into the walls repeatedly," He orders.

The Gardevoir grins and starts moving its eyes and arms back and forth. The gesture causes Alakazam to zoom left and right into the air, hitting the walls hard with a crash. Anabel watches in horror as the process continues until Shockwave stops and lets Alakazam back down to the ground where it can barely stand up. Anabel orders her Pokemon to use Recover again, but the move only heals some of the scratches on the psi Pokemon's body.

"Now, let's see how much it can resist a really powerful psychic attack in that condition," Timothy says. "Shockwave, use Psyshock!"

Anabel glares at Alakazam - ordering another Psybeam, but it prepares for the attack slowly with its body still damaged. By the time it's half-ready to use Psybeam, Shockwave creates a large, purple blob of Psychic energy and then fires it towards its opponent. Alakazam can do nothing but watch as the attack hits it hard, knocking it off its feet. It falls down on it's back with swirly eyes, and Maron raises his left hand.

"Alakazam is unable to battle! Shockwave is the winner!" He declares!

"Yes!" Timothy shouts.

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts.

"Good job, Shockwave!" Serena calls out.

"Great job, both of you!" Ash cheers.

"That was an intense battle," Brock comments.

"No kidding," Coovers says before he looks away from the group and quietly mutters, "Just two more to go."

Anabel looks at Alakazam sadly before she returns it to its Pokeball.

"Get a good rest," she says quietly before turning to Timothy. "That was an amazing Psyshock, Timothy. You sure know how to show your Gardevoir's power with its attacks."

"Eh, what can I say? I worked very hard to train my Pokemon so it can learn that move and make it as powerful as it can be," Timothy says with a smirk. "I didn't nickname my Pokemon Shockwave after catching it as a Ralts for nothing."

"Gardevoir!" Shockwave says proudly.

"I can see that, but let's see how you handle my next Pokemon," Anabel says before throwing another Pokeball. "Go, my friend, Metagross!"

The ball opens, and a Metagross appears on the field. Electchu grows nervous and turns to its partner.

"Raichu, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu," it says.

"Return Shockwave?" Timothy asks, looking at Electchu as if it said something weird. "What for? We can take this punk, no problem."

Electchu frowns seriously and says a series of "Rai" and "Raichu"s in response. Timothy hesitates before he turns to Shockwave, who is still banged up from the previous battle.

"Okay, pal. You win," Timothy admits with a sigh. "Better give Shockwave some rest in case we need it later."

Timothy takes out a Pokeball and says, "Shockwave, return." Shockwave nods at its trainer before it gets sent back into its round container.

"Thank heavens," Coovers says in relief. "Electchu talked him out of still using Shockwave."

Scott nods and says, "I was worried that he was going to do that even though Shockwave was hurt pretty badly and that it's weak against a Steel-type like Metagross."

Everyone turns to Timothy, who thinks carefully about who to choose next. Then, he takes out a Pokeball and throws it into the field.

"Come on out, Poliwrath!" He shouts.

Poliwrath comes out of its ball and glares at Metagross, cracking its knuckles.

"Poliwrath?" Holly says, confused. "But isn't it a fighting type which is weak against a psychic type like Metagross?"

"Yeah, but Metagross is also a Steel-type which is weak against water attacks," Ash points out.

"Sounds like it's evenly matched," Serena comments.

"Now really," Scott says. "With Metagross as a dual-type, water attacks aren't as effective as they would be if Poliwrath were against a pure Steel-type. If anything, water attacks will only do a normal amount of damage whereas Metagross can seriously hurt it with its psychic attacks. So really, Anabel has the advantage."

"True, but I think this is the best chance Timothy has," Brock says. "Odyssey and Blitzwing both have attacks that Metagross is resistant to. Electchu can hurt it with electric attacks, but I think Timothy is trying to save Electchu for last."

"But what about his sixth Pokemon?" Holly asks.

"No, that would not be a good choice either," Scott answers. "His sixth Pokemon is a Gengar which is very weak against psychic attacks. Even though his Gengar has ghost and dark type moves that can seriously hurt psychic type Pokemon, his opponent only needs one good hit with a psychic move to do serious damage. I've seen Timothy make that gamble when he had his battle against the previous Frontier Brain, Spenser, who was using a Claydol. I think he's smart to not make that gamble again with facing Anabel."

"Oh, I see," Holly says.

"Alright, Poliwrath, let's show them how it's done!" Timothy calls out. "Use Bubble Beam!"

Poliwrath releases a beam of bubbles from its stomach, but Anabel silently makes a call to Metagross, and it uses Psychic to knock the bubbles away from it.

"Good call," Timothy says bluntly. "Let's get a little more serious with Hydro Pump!"

Poliwrath releases a large stream of water straight at its opponent, but Metagross simply stands still and glows white before the attack hits doing little to no effect on the iron leg Pokemon. Timothy frowns and turns to Electchu.

"Great, it knows Iron Defense too," he says to himself.

Suddenly, Metagross starts charging at Poliwrath with its right front leg lifted up, and a silhouette of a golden meteor appears in its hand. It takes a moment before Timothy realizes that it's using Meteor Mash.

"Poliwrath, dodge, and use Surf!" He orders.

Poliwrath jumps away before Metagross can hit it and quickly summons a giant wave of water. The wave collapses over Metagross, and it lets out a long moan with its body all wet. Anabel frowns again, concerned for her Pokemon while Timothy smirks.

"Now knock it back with Hydro Pump!" He says.

Poliwrath fires another stream of water from its stomach, and Metagross grunts in pain as the impact sends it all the way back to Anabel's side of the field. The Iron Leg Pokemon struggles to stay standing after getting hit with two powerful water attacks in a row. Anabel's frown becomes more serious, and Metagross manages to regain its posture before its eyes glow blue, thus lifting up Poliwrath with its body surrounded in a blue outline. Before Timothy can make another call, the tadpole Pokemon is sent crashing hard into the wall just a few feet away from its trainer and Electchu. Poliwrath plummets to the ground and stays down for a moment until it slowly gets up.

"Okay, so this one knows Psychic as well," Timothy says to himself. "So her Metagross knows two steel moves and maybe only one psychic mo -"

But as he's thinking to himself, he glances at Metagross and notices that an orange ball is appearing from out of its mouth. Timothy stares at the ball with a look of horror before turning to Poliwrath.

"Poliwrath, dodge that Hyper Beam, quick!" He screams.

Poliwrath looks at Timothy in confusion until it turns to Metagross and sees its opponent getting ready to fire. Metagross releases the ball at the tadpole Pokemon, and Poliwrath jumps away, avoiding getting hit just in the nick of time. Timothy let out a long, loud sigh of relief and puts his hand on his chest before turning to his Pokemon.

"Poliwrath, finish this with Hydro Pump!" He shouts.

Poliwrath doesn't hesitate to fire another powerful Hydro Pump, directly hitting Metagross. Anabel watches in worry once again as the iron leg Pokemon tries to hold it together until its psychic-and-steel-type body can't handle it anymore. The force behind Poliwrath's Hydro Pump knocks Metagross off its feet, and it falls to the ground with red swirly eyes.

"Metagross is unable to battle. Poliwrath is the winner!" Maron announces.

"Yes!" Timothy shouts triumphantly.

"Raichu!" Electchu cheers.

"Alright, only one more Pokemon to go," Serena says cheerfully.

"Don't be too excited, Serena," Scott warns. "Timothy may still have all of his Pokemon, but Anabel's last one is the toughest one in her team."

"Scott's right," Ash says. "Take it from Pikachu and me, it won't be easy to take her last Pokemon down."

Coovers frowns, feeling unsettled with Ash's words. He turns to Timothy, Electchu, and Poliwrath and quietly mutters, "Come on, Timothy. You just need to take down one more."

Anabel returns Metagross into its Pokeball and takes another one.

"Go, my friend!" She says a third time.

She throws it into the air, and the ball opens to reveal an Espeon.

"An Espeon, huh?" Timothy says before turning to Electchu with a skeptical smirk. "What do you think, Mr. Know-it-all? Do I have your permission to stick with the Pokemon I have out?"

Electchu glares at Timothy over the way he phrased the question before giving him a nod.

"Good," Timothy says. "Then let's finish this. Poliwrath, use Surf!"

Poliwrath creates another giant wave of water and rides on top of it, heading toward Espeon. But Anabel smirks, unconcerned with the attack, and Espeon's eyes glow blue. Poliwrath is surrounded by a blue outline again and is lifted up from the top of the wave, causing its Surf attack to collapse. Espeon prepares to send its opponent flying up to the ceiling, but Timothy is prepared.

"Not this time," he says. "Free yourself with Hydro Pump!"

Poliwrath aims its body at the evolved form of Eevee despite being high in the air and fires another Hydro Pump. The attack hits Espeon, who whimpers upon impact, releasing its opponent. Poliwrath lands safely back on the ground while Espeon shakes its body to shake off the water.

"Alright, start another Bubble Beam!" Timothy commands.

Poliwrath releases several bubbles at Espeon, but neither it or Anabel appear worried about the attack. Suddenly, the sun Pokemon starts charging at Poliwrath at great speed, dodging Poliwrath's bubbles as it runs. It rams its head right into Poliwrath's stomach before its tail turns into iron, and it jumps and swings its tail at Poliwrath, hitting its face. The tadpole Pokemon takes a couple steps back, covering its face.

"Impressive combination of Quick Attack and Iron Tail, Anabel," Timothy says.

"Thanks,' Anabel says. "But we're just getting started."

"Really? Well, we're not," Timothy says in a matter-of-factly tone. "Use Surf once more!"

Poliwrath rides another wave of water toward Espeon, who stands still, waiting for a command. Suddenly, the gem on Espeon's forehead glows green, and it fires a yellow-green energy ball at Poliwrath. Both the tadpole Pokemon and its trainer fail to react in time before the ball hits Poliwrath and sends it crashing into the ground with its body covered in scratches and bruises. Before Timothy has a chance to react, Espeon fires another yellow-green energy ball, and it hits Poliwrath, sending flying into the air and crashing in front of Timothy unconscious.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle!" Maron declares. "Espeon wins!"

Timothy and Electchu stare at their fainted friend, shocked at what had just happened.

"Okay, so Espeon knows Zap Cannon," Timothy says slowly.

"It sure does," Anabel says. "I have to admit, your Poliwrath is stronger than most water Pokemon that Espeon and I go against. Usually, they are taken down after one hit from Zap Cannon."

"Wow, that was unexpected," Holly says.

"Yeah, but a good strategy to wait for the right moment to use such a powerful electric attack," Brock says.

"What is Timothy going to do now?" Serena asks.

"I think I know," Ash says with a grin.

Serena looks at Ash, confused while Timothy turns to Electchu.

"What do you think, pal? You want a piece?" He asks.

"Rai!" Electchu growls with sparks coming out of its yellow cheeks.

"That's what I like to hear," Timothy says, petting his partner. "Now get out there and show that purple furball how it's done."

Electchu grins and hops into the battlefield. Ash's own grin grows as he watches the Raichu prepare to fight.

"I knew it," he says. "He's going to use electric attacks to try and win the match just like we did, Pikachu."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a cute smile.

"Alright, let's get going," Timothy says. "Electchu, use Thunder!"

Electchu summon electricity from its cheeks and fires it straight at Espeon. Anabel smirks again, and Espeon releases another Zap Cannon. The Zap Cannon flies through the Thunder and heads straight toward Electchu.

"Electchu, knock that Zap Cannon back with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

Electchu's long tail turns into iron, and it smacks the energy ball back like a baseball, and it flies back towards Espeon. Espeon jumps away, avoiding getting hit by its own attack, and the Zap Cannon hits the wall behind Anabel, causing it to explode.

"Use Iron Tail again!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu's tail turns into iron again, and it charges at Espeon. The sun Pokemon's tail also turns into iron, and it charges back at Electchu. The Pokemon clash their tails together and start swinging them back and forth like they're having a sword fight. On and on, the two Pokemon try to hit each other with their tails, refusing to give the other an inch. Finally, they lock tails together and try to push the other away with their tail when Timothy sees his chance.

"Quick, Electchu, use Thunder!" He shouts.

Electchu grins and summons countless volts of electricity through its body. The electricity flows from its tail to Espeon, electrocuting the psychic-type Pokemon, making it squeal loudly in pain.

"Now hit it with Iron Tail!" Timothy orders.

Electchu's grin grows and with its tail still made of iron, spins around and hits Espeon hard. The sun Pokemon falls to the ground and struggles to get up.

"Espeon!" Anabel cries out.

"Whoa, Anabel finally said something outside of summoning a Pokemon or making a comment," Serena says. "I don't think she was this worried for Alakazam or Metagross."

"No, she wasn't," Scott confirms. "Espeon is her most dear Pokemon, so if she's calling out to her partner…"

"Then you know she's really worried," Coovers finishes, secretly grinning.

Espeon slowly gets up and faces Electchu with a brave face. Anabel frowns, and she gives a determined look. Thus, her Pokemon uses Psychic again and lifts Electchu high into the air with the intent to slam it into the ceiling.

"Electchu, compose yourself and bounce off the ceiling, and then use Thunder!" Timothy calls out.

Electchu spins its body and lands perfectly on the ceiling in all fours before it jumps toward its opponent. It unleashes another Thunder, but Espeon simply jumps away before using Psychic to successfully slam Electchu into the ceiling. The sun Pokemon lets the mouse Pokemon fall until it catches Electchu with Psychic. Before Timothy can make another command, Espeon sends his partner crashing into walls back and forth. Timothy looks at Anabel in shock, realizing that she'd using his move with Shockwave against him. Finally, Espeon lets go of Electchu, and it slowly gets up with several scratches all over its body. Timothy and Coovers' hearts sink, afraid that if Electchu faints Timothy only has Shockwave left who is not in perfect condition to continue fighting.

"Come on, Timothy, don't let me down now," Coovers mutters underneath his breath.

Anabel smiles, confident that the battle is back in her favor. Espeon takes another battle stance and another yellow-green energy ball. But unknown to either of them, the action gives Timothy some hope, realizing he has a chance to make the same move he and Electchu did against Ash and Pikachu.

"Electchu, use Thunder on that Zap Cannon before Espeon fires it," he shouts.

The mouse Pokemon stores up electricity in its body as quickly as possible before unleashing it at the energy ball. The electricity hits the Zap Cannon, and it explodes, knocking Espeon off its feet.

"Now, use Electro Ball on the double!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu summons a ball of electricity from its tail and flings it at its opponent. Espeon only has a moment to realize what is happening before the Electro Ball hits it, sending it flying a couple feet away. Anabel becomes worried again as her partner slowly gets up with several scratches on its body.

"Espeon, use Zap Cannon!" Anabel cries out, desperately.

"Electchu, use Hyper Beam and give it everything you've got!" Timothy shouts.

Espeon releases its attack, and the Zap Cannon hits Electchu hard while it prepares Hyper Beam. Electchu squeals in pain and gets down on all fours. Timothy's eyes widen in fear until his partner slowly gets up and aims its mouth at its opponent with an orange ball still appearing in front of it. With a deep breath, Electchu fires Hyper Beam before it falls on its stomach. Espeon looks in horror as the Hyper Beam hits it directly and sends it flying into the air and crashing into a wall with swirly eyes. Maron makes sure that both Espeon and Electchu are unconscious before she raises both hands.

"Both Pokemon can't continue!" he declares. "So, with one Pokemon remaining, Timothy is the victor!"

Timothy stares at his fallen partner before he takes a large breath and gets down on his knees.

"Barely made it," he sighs in relief.

"Alright, way to go, Timothy!" Ash cheers.

"Whew, that was quite a battle," Serena says with a sigh.

"You said it," Holly agrees. "If Timothy didn't return Shockwave when he did, who knows what would have happened?"

"No kidding. Now he needs one more win to complete the Battle Frontier," Brock says with a smile.

"Yep," Scott says plainly with a nod.

"Yes!" Coovers shouts excitedly, thrilled beyond expression. "Thank you, Electchu!"

Anabel sighs and picks up Espeon, who slowly wakes up to look at her sadly.

"You were great," she says kindly. "That was another dramatic battle. You go take a nice, long rest."

'Espeon," Espeon replies with a weak smile.

Anabel returns her friend into its Pokeball and walks over to Timothy who is picking up Electchu in his arms.

"Thank you for this battle, Timothy," she says. "I haven't had a battle that exciting since I battled with Ash."

"Yeah, I've been getting that a lot lately," Timothy chortles.

Anabel chuckles and takes out an Enigma berry.

"Here. This should make Electchu feel much better," she said.

"Thanks," Timothy says as he takes the berry and feeds it to Electchu.

It takes a moment before Electchu slowly opens its eyes and looks at its partner worriedly.

"Rai...chu?" It asks.

"Yeah, we won," Timothy answered. "And it's only because you convinced me to return Shockwave. We can keep going because you made me come to my senses."

Electchu smiles in relief before Timothy pulls it into a hug. Anabel smiles at their moment before she takes out the Ability Symbol from her other pocket.

"This is yours too, Timothy," she says.

"Thank you," Timothy says as he takes the Symbol and turns to Electchu. "Now, it's on to Brandon."

"Raichu!" Electchu replies with a bright smile.

Everyone walks over to Timothy, Electchu, and Anabel and Ash gives Timothy a firm pat on the back.

"Way to go, Timothy," he says with a toothy grin.

"Thanks, Ash," Timothy says before turning to Scott. "So it's on to the last Brain, right?"

"That's right," Scott says. "And I already have forwarded the location to the Battle Pyramid on Coovers' PokeNav."

Timothy and Coovers look at Scott, confused until the latter takes out his PokeNav, and opens it.

"Sure enough," Coovers says with a bright smile. "Looks like Brandon is somewhere north of Lavender Town."

"Lavender Town?" Timothy says, concerned. "That's all the way on the other side of the region."

"Indeed it is," Scott says with a smirk. "So, I suggest you two better hurry if you want to get there before Brandon moves again."

"Believe me, we plan to," Coovers says.

Serena frowns and asks, "Does that mean you guys are going to leave already?"

"I'm afraid so," Coovers answers. "You heard what Scott said, Serena. Time is of the essence."

"Coovers is right," Brock says. "Brandon doesn't normally stay in one place for too long, and I bet he and Timothy would like to complete your Battle Frontier journey before the Indigo League starts. Right, Timothy?"

"Right you are, Brock," Timothy answers.

"Do you think you guys will be back in time for the Grand Festival?" Serena asks. "I would love it if you guys come and I know Dawn would too."

Timothy and Coovers look at each other uneasy until Timothy says, "I think that's going to be hard to do. It's a long way to Lavender Town."

"But you'll try, right?" Serena asks.

Timothy hesitates and says, "We'll try, but I don't think we'll make it for the whole thing. Worst case scenario, we'll watch it at the nearest Pokemon Center after I've battled with Brandon."

"You promise?" The honey blonde girl asks.

"We promise," Coovers says with a kind smile.

Serena smiles back, satisfied with their answer.

"Okay then, good luck with Brandon," she says.

"Yeah, give it everything you've got," Ash says with a smirk.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu says.

"I will," Timothy says. "Now if you will excuse us, we have a pyramid to catch."

"Alright, you take care now," Anabel says.

"Sure thing, see you guys later!" Coovers calls out as he, Timothy, and Electchu begin running out of the building.

"Bye!" Ash, Serena, Brock, Holly, Scott, and Anabel call out until the two men, and the Raichu are out of sight.

"Well, I better head out myself," Scott says. "I better inform Brandon that his challenger is on his way."

Anabel nods and turns to Ash and Brock.

"How about the rest of you stay at my place for the night?" She suggests. "I still want to catch up with you guys and get to know Serena and Holly more."

"Sure, that sounds great," Ash says.

Anabel turns to Maron and says, "You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

"I'd love to," Maron replies with a smile.

"I'll even cook some dinner if you'd like," Brock says.

"And I'll make some treats for everyone," Serena says cheerfully.

"Oh yes, please let Brock cook," Holly says excitedly. "He makes the best meals in the universe.

"Yeah, and Serena's treats are the best," Ash adds.

Brock and Serena blush at Holly and Ash's praises.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Anabel says. "Let's go."

"Right," Ash, Serena, Brock, Holly, and Maron say simultaneously.

Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers run as fast as they can through the forest. Their faces have serious looks of determination as they run farther and farther away from the Battle Tower. After ten minutes of running, Coovers stops in front of his companions and turns to them.

"This looks far enough," he says.

"For what?" Timothy asks.

Coovers takes out a black communication device and says, "For secretly contacting HQ."

Timothy smiles and nods in understanding. He stands next to Coovers as the Unovian man presses a button and a light blinks for a few seconds before the image of a man in a long, brown coat appears on the screen.

"Coovers, good to hear from you again," the man says. "Report."

"Yes sir, Looker," Coovers says. "Timothy has won his sixth Frontier battle, and Scott has given us the current location to Brandon."

"Excellent," Looker says with a small grin. "And, are you sure Scott knows nothing about the Gieldanstone?"

"Yes, sir. He has no idea about what Brandon could be up to at this time," Coovers says. "It is unlikely that he has any idea about the stone or if it even exists."

"I see," Looker says. "Where is Brandon now?"

"His pyramid is located north of Lavender Town," Coovers answers. "He might move his pyramid at any time, so we need to move fast if the Gieldanstone is in that exact location."

"Understood," Looker says. "If his pyramid moves at all, inform me right away. I'm coming to that location to ensure he cooperates with giving us the jewel before Team Rocket takes it."

"Yes, sir. We'll start heading there right away," Coovers says.

"Very good," Looker says before turning to Timothy. "I appreciate everything you've done for us on this mission, Mr. Durbin. If we get the stone before our enemies do, the International Police will owe you a debt that cannot be repaid."

"Thank you, sir, but stopping Team Rocket will be enough of a reward for me," Timothy says.

Looker gives him a respectful nod before his face turns serious.

"Alright, then. Go to your destination with all speed, gentlemen," he says. "Time may be of the essence."

"Yes, sir. We will not let you down. Coovers out," Coovers says.

He turns off the device, and Looker disappears from the screen. Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu look at each other and nod firmly. The three of them start running again as fast as their legs can carry them, eager to complete their mission.

But unknown to them, Jessie, James, and Meowth, are hiding behind a couple of trees several yards away from them. Meowth is holding up their own communication device, where the image of Giovanni appears in a hologram. The leader of Team Rocket has an evil, amused grin on his face, having watched the entire conversation.

"_Now, the fools race to retrieve the stone for me without even knowing it,_" he says. "_Excellent work, you three._"

"Thank you so much, sir," Jessie says in a giddy voice. "We'll keep following them from a distance. If Brandon moves from where he is now, we will inform you too."

Giovanni nods and says, "_Very well. And contact me when you know for a fact that Bradon is there. I will come with our entire combat force to secure that the International Police will not interfere. Understood?_"

"Yes, sir!" Jessie, James, and Meowth say at the same time.

"_Giovanni out,_" Giovanni says plainly, and his image disappears.

The three of them instantly start giggling excitedly and jump up and down like a group of kids excited to receive candy.

"This is it, you guys. We're almost there!" Meowth says with glee.

"All we have to do is follow them to the Gieldanstone, and bring the boss there," James says.

"And we'll be living like kings and queens," Jessie says with a dreamy look on her face.

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbuffet cheers, appearing behind Jessie.

"So let's get back into our balloon and start catching up already," Meowth says.

Thus the three of them race to their balloon ecstatically. But while they are leaving, the hooded figure lurks in the shadows with its eyes on the trio and Wobbuffet.

"_So, he's going to be there too_," it says. "_Good._"

Throughout the rest of the day, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, and Holly stay at Anabel's house with her and Maron. Brock makes a big feast, and everyone enjoys their fill with still enough room for treats made by Serena. The entire time the five guests exchange stories with Anabel from Ash and Brock's travels through the Sinnoh region with Dawn to Ash and Serena's adventures in the Kalos region. Anabel tells Serena about how she met Ash and how he, Brock, May, and Max didn't know right away she is a girl. Everyone laughs as they eat together happily until it is late at night.

The next day, Brock makes breakfast for everyone before he, Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Holly get ready to leave. Anabel and Maron walk them all to the front door and prepare to reluctantly say goodbye.

"Thank you all for staying for the night," Anabel says. "And thanks so much for the food, Brock, and Serena. I can't recall the last time I've eaten such good food."

"No problem. Thank you for having us," Serena says.

Anabel nods to Serena and says, "Good luck on the Grand Festival, Serena. And give my best to May and Dawn too."

"I will," Serena replies as the two girls shake hands.

"Holly, the same goes for you with the Indigo League," Anabel says.

"Thanks," Holly says.

"Hey, what about me?" Ash demands.

Anabel chuckles at Ash's childish attitude.

"Of course, Ash," she says sincerely. "I hope you will win this time no matter the challenge. I'll be rooting for you."

Ash smirks and nods at the light purple-haired girl.

"Thanks, Anabel. I'm going to give it everything I've got," he says.

"I'm counting on it," Anabel says as the two of them shake hands.

"Well, we better get going," Brock says. "Viridian City awaits."

"Alright then, take care, everyone," Maron says.

"You two, Maron. Goodbye," Serena says as she, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly turn around to leave.

Anabel and Maron wave the five of them goodbye until they are out of sight. Maron then leaves for his own home, leaving Anabel alone. She goes back inside her house, walks all the way to the living room and looks at the hand that shook Ash and Serena's hands.

"_So, that's how deeply she cares about him,_" she thinks to herself, trying to keep a smile on her face. "_And he still can't sense those kinds of feelings. Good luck, Serena. You're going to need it._"

**Authors Note: Hey, everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Now I normally post one chapter per day since the story is mostly done, but I'm sad to announce I won't be publishing more chapters for the first two weeks of December. Part of it is to focus on a story that I want to have fully published before The Road to our Destiny is fully done that I hope you will also enjoy. But it's also because I'm going to be on vacation. I'm going to be visiting my sister and my brother-in-law in Florida with my dad so that we can spend time with them, and I won't have my computer with me to publish more chapters. But come December 15th, I'll be right back up to publish more chapters so you can find out what happens next with Ash, Serena, Brock, Holly, Timothy, Coovers, and everyone else in the story.**

**I hope you're not too bummed about this and are willing to wait until I'm able to start publishing again. Until then, I look forward to seeing how you guys enjoy the rest of the story when I come back.**

**As always, thank you so much for reading, The Lord be with you, hand have a great day!**


	46. Chapter 46

It has been two days since Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, and Holly left Anabel's home, and the group are walking through the woods, waiting for a good spot to take a break for lunch. As they are walking, Brock and Holly are discussing strategies for when Holly faces Agatha at the Viridian City Gym.

"So, most of my Pokemon's attacks would be effective against Agatha's Gengar except for normal, fighting, poison, or grass attacks?" She asks.

"Right, so you want to avoid ordering moves like your Wigglytuff using Pound or Headbutt or your Farfetch'd using Fury Attack or Razor Leaf," Brock answers. "And since a Gengar is resistant to poison attacks and completely immune to fighting attacks, you could only use Mud Shot with Toxicroak. It's very effective against Ghost types, but it might be best that you don't use Toxicroak if you're going to rely on only one attack."

Holly pouts and says, "That's a shame. I like using my Toxicroak in battle."

"I know you do," Brock says, smiling. "But don't forget that most of your other Pokemon have fairly effective water, flying, electric, and steel-type attacks. If you use either of those Pokemon, I bet you'll be fine."

Holy gives him a sweet smile and puts her arm around him.

"I know I will be as long as you're beside me, and as long as I'm wearing this," she says, holding out her necklace.

The two adults giggle flirtatiously as they walk together. Serena smiles, happy for both of them, and turns to Ash.

"What about you, Ash?" She asks. "Have you thought about any strategies for your battle against Agatha?"

Ash hesitates nervously and rubs the back of his head.

"Not really," he admits. "I guess if Agatha does six on six battles with her challengers and they're all ghost Pokemon like Gengar, then I would have to switch Primeape out for someone else since it only knows fighting type moves. Apart from that, I'll just have to see what happens."

"Of course," Serena says, shaking her head with a smile. "That sounds just like you, Ash."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement while standing on Ash's shoulder.

A couple minutes later, the five of them find a large spot of grass near the road, and Brock steps up and turns to his friends.

"Well, gang, this looks like the perfect spot to set up for lunch," he announces.

"Awesome!" Ash says excitedly. "I can't wait to eat."

"Neither can I," Serena agrees. "Looks like there's a good spot to build a fire so you can make some stew, Brock."

"Oh, yes! Please, make some stew," Holly says enthusiastically. "You haven't made any stew since after my battle with Koga."

Brock chuckles and says, "Alright, alright, I'll make us some stew. But I'm gonna need you and Ash to find some firewood while Serena and I set up."

"Deal," Holly says eagerly. "Ash, why don't you and Pikachu look for wood on the right while I go on the left."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says.

With everyone in agreement, Ash and Pikachu, and Holly go to different sides of the forest while Serena sets up the table and Brock gets ingredients for the stew. The auburn-haired woman looks deep in the forest until she finds a tree that has long branches but few leaves.

"That will be perfect," she says to herself before taking out a Pokeball and throws it at the tree. "Farfetch'd, use Fury Swipes on the branches!"

The ball opens, and Farfetch'd comes flying toward the tree, cutting the branches off with its leek stalk. The branches land on the ground as Holly turns to her Pokemon pleased.

"Thank you, Farfetch'd. I'm sure this will be more than what Brock needs," Holly says.

"Farfetch'd," Farfetch'd replies happily before Holly returns it to its Pokeball.

Thus, the auburn-haired woman picks up as much of the fallen branches as she can carry and starts making her way back to the group. But as she's walking, she hears the sound of someone screaming.

"Help!"

Holly frowns and looks around, unsure of whether or not she heard something until she hears the sound of someone crying out, "Help!" again, and sees someone walking through the forest. She squints her eyes to clearly see a teenage boy with auburn-blond hair racing through the woods and carrying a Pikachu with messy hair on top of its head. Holly looks at the boy, confused until she sees a big Beedrill angrily flying toward him. Holly gasps and immediately drops her branches as she runs over to catch up with the boy and the Beedrill. The boy trips and falls to the ground, keeping his arms around his Pikachu to protect it, and the Beedrill gets ready to attack when Holly steps between it and the boy with his Pikachu.

"Wigglytuff, come out and use Sing!" She shouts while throwing a Pokeball into the air.

The ball opens, and Wigglytuff appears with a cheerful smile on its face. It turns to the Beedrill and starts singing a soft tune. The poison bee Pokemon stops charging, and it freezes in place for a moment until its eyelids grow heavy. It tries as best as it can to stay awake, but before long, it plummets to the ground, snoring soundly. Holly smiles, relieved to have stopped it when she realizes something.

"Oh my gosh, now I have a chance to catch it!" She says before she quickly takes out a Pokeball from her pocket and throws it shouting, "Go, Pokeball!"

The ball hits the sleeping Beedrill and opens, sucking the Pokemon inside with a pink flash. The ball closes and starts moving back and forth. Holly, Wigglytuff, and the boy stare at the Pokeball intently until it stops moving, and sparks come out the center with a "ding!"

"Yes!" Holly cheers as she runs over and picks up the Pokeball. "I caught a Beedrill."

"Wigglytuff!" Wigglytuff shouts cheerfully.

Holly starts dancing like an excited little girl with her Pokemon until she realizes the boy is still there and stops. She clears her throat and walks over to the boy.

"Sorry about that," she says. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," the boy says before turning to his Pikachu. "But Sparky has been poisoned."

Holly frowns and looks closer to see the Pikachu named Sparky struggling to stay conscious while purple bubbles appear all over its body.

"Oh, you poor thing," she says, petting the mouse Pokemon until she gets an idea. "I know, let's take Sparky to my friends. My future-boyfriend is a doctor-in-training. He'll have Sparky perfectly healthy in no time."

"Really? Thanks, ma'am," the boy says appreciatively.

Thus, Holly helps the boy up, and leads the boy back to where Brock and Serena are setting up for lunch. By the time they get there, Ash and Pikachu are back, and Brock is already making his stew under a fire made with firewood that Ash and Pikachu found. Serena has already set up the table and plates and notices Holly.

"Holly, what took you so long?" She asks.

"I got a little held up," Holly answers. "I was bringing wood when I had to rescue -"

"Ritchie?!" Ash and Brock shout simultaneously.

The boy turns to Ash and Brock, and he smiles brightly.

"Ash! Brock!" He calls out.

Ash, Brock, and Pikachu run over to meet him, but they suddenly stop when they notice he's carrying the weak Pikachu.

"What happened?" Brock asks.

"Sparky got poisoned," Ritchie says, adding serious again. "Can you help him?"

Brock smiles at Ritchie and carefully takes Sparky off of Ritchie's arms.

"Just leave it to me," he says. "Ash, get my backpack. Serena, can you take over with stirring the stew?"

"Sure thing," Serena answers.

Brock lays Sparky on the ground while he, Ritchie, and Holly kneel down in front of the Pikachu. Ash brings Brock his backpack, and Brock takes out a Pecha berry. He offers it to Sparky, who weakly sniffs at it before it slowly takes a bite. The mouse Pokemon chews a few times before it swallows and is almost instantly healed. Sparky suddenly sits up and starts gorging on the berry until it is completely gone. Ritchie smiles brightly as Sparky turns to him and jumps into his arms.

"Sparky, you're alright!" He says happily.

"Pikachu!" Sparky says happily.

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu calls out from Ash's shoulder.

Sparky turns to Pikachu, and the two mouse Pokemon run over to each other and start happily playing together. Ritchie smiles, happy to see that his partner is okay before turning to Brock.

"Thank you so much, Brock," he says.

"Don't mention it, Ritchie," Brock says.

Serena makes a confused face and turns to Ash while she stirs the stew.

"Hold on, is this Ritchie as in your friend that you lost to at the Indigo League?" She asks.

"Sure is," Ash says with a smirk.

Ritchie turns to Serena and asks, "And who are you?"

"I'm Serena," Serena answers with a friendly smile.

"And I'm Holly," Holly says. "Nice to meet you properly."

"You too," Ritchie says. "And thanks for saving us."

"Holly saved you?" Brock asks.

"Yeah, Sparky and I were just exploring through the forest when that Beedrill attacked us," Ritchie explains. "We tried to fight it off, but it hit Sparky with Poison Jab, and I didn't have time to take out any of my other Pokemon before it attacked again. I don't know what would have happened if Holly didn't come in and catch it."

Brock turns to Holly and asks, "You caught the Beedrill?"

"I sure did, sweetie-kins," Holly says proudly as she takes out a Pokeball. "Check it out."

Holly tosses the ball into the air, and Beedrill pops up, flying right above everyone.

"Wow, that's a pretty big Beedrill," Serena says.

"I know," Holly says happily. "Now I have a full party to face Agatha in Viridian City. I'm sure its bug attacks will come in handy."

Brock gives Holly a nervous chuckle and says, "Actually, Holly, Gengar are resistant to bug type moves too."

Holly's eyes widen, and she looks away, feeling embarrassed. Brock can't help but chuckle and give the auburn-haired woman a comforting hug.

"It's okay," he says. "At least you have a full party for the Pokemon league."

Holly looks at Brock sweetly, appreciative of his words. The two of them stare at each other until Serena breaks the moment.

"Uh, Brock, I hate to interrupt, but the stew looks ready," she says.

Brock breaks out his lovey-dovey state and runs over to check the stew. He takes a taste and smiles at the others.

"Yep, it looks ready," he says before turning to Ritchie. "Would you like to join us for lunch, Ritchie?"

At that moment, both Ritchie and Sparky's stomachs grumble at the same time, and they chuckle in embarrassment.

"That sounds great," Ritchie answers. "Plus, I would like to catch up with all of you."

"Great!" Ash says happily.

Thus, Brock starts filling bowls with stew while Holly fills up bowls of Pokemon food for Pikachu, Sparky, Beedrill, and everyone else's Pokemon. Ash, Serena, Holly, and Brock let out all of their Pokemon so they can eat while Ritchie takes out his own Pokemon bowls before tossing five Pokeballs into the air. The balls open to reveal a Charizard, Butterfree, Swellow, Tyranitar, and Tentacruel, who happily wait until Ritchie has filled their bowls with his own Pokemon food before they start eating.

"Wow, so Zippo is a Charizard, Cruise is a Tyranitar," Ash says excitedly.

"Yep, and my Tentacool, Wraps, turned into a Tentacruel," Ritchie says proudly. "And my Swellow's name is Rose."

"Wow, you like to nickname a lot of your Pokemon," Serena comments before chuckling with her mouth closed. "Reminds me of Timothy a little."

"Huh? Who is Timothy?" Ritchie asks.

"Oh yeah, he's my new rival," Ash explains. "We're planning to face each other at the Indigo League."

"The Indigo League?!" Ritchie exclaims. "You're going to compete there again too?"

"What? You are too?" Ash says, surprised.

Brock chuckles and says, "Why don't we all sit down and catch up while we eat."

"Good idea," Holly says. "Especially since I'm lost on how you guys know each other."

"Me too," Serena says.

Ash and Ritchie chuckle and nod in agreement before they join Serena, Brock, and Holly to the table. The five trainers and all the Pokemon start happily eating for a good ten minutes before Ash, Serena, Brock, and Holly start exchanging stories. Ash tells Ritchie about his journey's through the Battle Frontier and the Sinnoh and Unova regions while he and Serena take turns talking about their journey at the Kalos region. Brock and Holly intervene when Ash talks about the Sinnoh region and tells Ritchie how they met. Finally, the four of them explain the reasons behind their new journey through the Kanto region and how Brock and Holly found each other again. Ritchie listens to everything the group tells him intently while he is eating his stew.

"So now Timothy and Coovers are going to the Battle Pyramid to face Brandon while you and Holly are going to battle Agatha at the Viridian City gym," he recollects.

"Right," Serena says. "And after that, its onto the Indigo Plateau for the Grand Festival."

"That's right," Ash says.

"Wow. You've really been through a lot, Ash," Ritchie says, chuckling. "Then again, everything is always an adventure with you around."

"You can say that again," Brock says with a smirk.

"And we wouldn't have it any other way," Serena says, giving Ash a kind look.

Ash gives her a toothy grin, and turns back to Ritchie.

"You're right, there's always something exciting going on like our encounters with Team Rocket," he says.

"Oh, you're telling me," Ritchie says, rolling his eyes. "I remember all the times we kept running into those two Team Rocket members, Biff, and Cassidy, in particular."

"You have experience running into those two as well, huh?" Serena says.

"Oh, you have no idea," Ritchie groans. "Once I had to stop them from capturing a Moltres with this guy named Silver."

"Wow!" Serena says, amazed.

"Yeah, and one time, the three of us guys and Misty had to stop those two from getting away with a Lugia and its baby," Brock adds.

"A Lugia?" Serena exclaims, turning to Ash. "As in the same one you came across at the Orange Islands, Ash?"

"Ah, so you heard that story too," Ritchie says.

"Wait, what's this about a Lugia on the Orange Islands or a Lugia and its baby?" Holly asks, confused.

"It's a long story," Brock says. "But to answer your question, Serena, no. That was a completely different Lugia."

"Right. That Lugia can communicate with people telepathically just like Diancie, Hoppa, or Volcanion," Ash explains. "This one and its baby that we saved didn't."

"Oh, I see," Serena says before turning to Ritchie. "So you are going to compete in the Indigo League again, too, Ritchie?"

"Yep," Ritchie answers with a nod. "I'm on my way back to my hometown to visit and train until it's time to go to Indigo Plateau for the Pokemon League. I hope to win this time."

"How funny you should say that when I'm planning to win," Ash says with a competitive smirk.

"I beat you last time," Ritchie says teasingly.

"You got lucky last time," Ash claims. "Charizard would have beaten Sparky if it listened to me, and now we've developed such a bond that we trust each other."

"That's right," Brock concurs.

"Yeah, and don't forget, Ash almost won the Kalos League," Serena says proudly. "So it sounds clear to me that he's learned from his failures from the last time the two of you battled."

"Really?" Ritchie says with a raised eyebrow. "In that case, let's finish our lunch and have a battle right now. Three on three."

Ash grins and stands up from his seat.

"You're on!" He declares.

Without another word, the two boys and all of their Pokemon start wolfing down their food. Within seconds, they all finish and run a couple of yards away from the table. Brock smirks and finishes his food as well.

"I'll be the judge," he says as he gets up from his seat.

"But Brock," Holly protests only for Brock to already be gone. She sighs sadly and turns to Serena. "And here we were having a nice meal together with our boys and one of their friends."

"I guess that's what I get for boasting," Serena says with a sad smile. "At least we get to watch them while we eat."

Brock finds a spot between Ash and his Pokemon and Ritchie with his Pokemon and raises his hand.

"This will be a three on three battle between Ash and Ritchie!" he announces. "The battle will be over when all three Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! No substitutions are allowed on either side! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready!" Ash and Ritchie say at the same time.

"Then battle begin!" Brock shouts.

"Alright, Cruise, let's go!" Ritchie calls out.

"Oshawott, I choose you!" Ash shouts.

The Tyranitar named Cruise walks over to a spot in front of Ritchie while Oshawott steps in front of Ash. The large armor Pokemon growls menacingly at the little sea otter Pokemon, but Oshawott keeps a brave, determined face.

"Cruise, use Rock Slide!" Ritchie commands.

Cruise creates white sparkles in a ring above its head, which turn into rocks with white outlines along the creases. With another roar, it throws the rocks at Oshawott.

"Oshawott, dodge it and use Tackle!" Ash calls out.

Oshawott dodges the rocks with ease and runs toward Tyranitar.

"Use Sandstorm followed by Thunder Fang," Ritchie orders.

Cruise creates a sandstorm that covers its entire body, keeping Oshawott from carrying out its attack. Suddenly, the Tyranitar pops up from the tornado of sand, and with electricity in its fangs, it picks Oshawott up with its mouth and bites hard. The sea otter Pokemon squeals in pain, and electricity flows through its body while Crusie bites it.

"Oshawott, break yourself free with Hydro Pump!" Ash shouts.

Oshawott fights through the pain, and with its body glowing blue, it moves its hands in a counterclockwise position. A ball of water forms between its hands, and it hits right on Cruise's face, causing it to open its mouth, freeing Oshawott.

"Now, use Razor Shell!" Ash orders.

Oshawott takes out its scalchop, and with a light-blue aura surrounding it, the sea otter Pokemon jumps up high and swings its scalchop at Cruise's face. The armor Pokemon howls in agony, greatly affected by Hydro Pump and Razor Shell.

"Now, finish it off with your Aqua Jet and Razor Shell combo!" Ash instructs.

Oshawott holds out its scalchop like a lance, and its body briefly glows blue. Once the blue glow fades away, its body becomes surrounded in water, and it shoots itself like a rocket at Cruise, ramming into it scallop first. The impact knocks Cruise off its feet, and it roars in pain as it plummets to the ground with a ground-shaking thud, and it lies limp with swirly eyes.

"Cruise is unable to battle. Oshawott wins!" Brock announces.

"Yes!" Ash cheers. "Way to go, Oshawott!"

"Oshawoooottt!" Oshawott shouts triumphantly.

"Wow, that was pretty quick," Serena says.

"Yeah, I wonder if Ritchie's next Pokemon lasts longer," Holly says.

Ritchie returns Cruise to its Pokeball and turns to his Swellow.

"Rose, you're up," he says.

"Swellow!" Rose replies, flying toward the field.

"So you're choosing Rose next, huh?" Ash says, amused. "Fine by me. Oshawott, use Hydro Pump!"

"Rose, dodge using Quick Attack!" Ritchie commands.

Oshawott releases another Hydro Pump, but with a flip, Rose dodges the attack and rams into its opponent with great speed. Oshawott is sent a few feet away, but it remains standing.

"Use Aqua Jet, Oshawott!" Ash commands.

Oshawott doesn't hesitate to surround itself in water again and shoot itself toward its opponent. But as it's heading for Swellow, Ritchie waits for the right moment to make a call.

"Rose, use Double Team," he shouts.

Rose makes multiple copies of itself, and Oshawott flies through one of them, missing its target completely.

"Now, use Air Slash!" Ritchie commands.

Rose's clones disappear, and it turns to Oshawott. The bird-like Pokemon's wings glow white, and it starts flapping them, causing multiple white, disk-like blades to appear. The disks hit Oshawott, and it cries out while it's sent flying into the air again and crashing into the ground with its body filled with scratches.

"Oshawott, don't give up!" Ash encourages. "Use your Razor Shell and Aqua Jet combo again!"

"Rose, use Quick Attack to dodge again!" Ritchie orders.

Oshawott takes out its scalchop again, and once again surrounds itself with water and shoots toward Rose. The swallow Pokemon uses its speed to dodge again and flank its opponent from the side, causing the sea otter Pokemon to crash into the ground.

"Now, use Wing Attack!" Ritchie shouts.

Rose's wings glow white again, and it charges at Oshawott. The water-type Pokemon fails to stand up in time before Rose slashes it with one of its wings, and Oshawott gets knocked off its feet and falls down with swirly eyes.

"Oshawott is unable to battle! Rose wins!" Brock declares.

Ash frowns and returns Oshawott into its Pokeball.

"You get a good rest, buddy," he says before turning to Gigalith. "Let's show them how powerful you are, Gigalith."

"Giga!" Gigalith roars as it walks over in front of Ash.

"Gigalith, huh? Well, let's see what it can do," Ritchie says, smirking. "Rose, use Wing Attack!"

"Gigalith. Wait for the right moment and use Rock Blast!" Ash shouts.

Rose charges at Gigalith with its wings glowing white again, while Gigalith watches it closely. When the swallow Pokemon is close enough, the red gems sticking out of Gigalith's stomach, legs, and head start to glow orange, and it fires several silver waves out of its mouth. Rose stops charging and tries to dodge, but the waves just come smacking right into the Pokemon, sending it flying into the air.

"Now, use Rock Smash!" Ash orders.

The gems in Gigalith's body glow bright orange, and it charges at Rose headfirst as the flying-type Pokemon is about to crash into the ground.

"Rose, regain momentum and use Double Team!" Ritchie shouts.

Rose spreads its wings, and it regains control in the air and makes multiple copies of itself again, surrounding its opponent. Gigalith stops charging and looks around, trying to find the real Rose.

"Gigalith, calm down," Ash commands. "Use Sandstorm to take them all out."

Gigalith glows several different colors and jumps into the air. Then it stomps down onto the ground, causing sand to swirl out from under in all different directions. The sand hits all the copies of Rose, making them disappear until the real Rose is left flying next to Gigalith, struggling with the sand in its eyes.

"Gigalith, Rose is on your left!" Ash shouts. "Hit it with Flash Cannon!"

Gigalith turns to Rose, and its body becomes outlined in white energy. The energy starts to gather in Gigalith's mouth, creating a large orb of light-blue energy. It fires a beam of white energy with light-blue energy inside, and it directly hits Rose. The Swellow chips likely in pain before it plummets to the ground, unconscious.

"Rose is unable to battle! Gigalith wins!" Brock shouts.

"Way to go, Gigalith!" Serena shouts from the table.

"Gigalith!" Gigalith replies, giving the honey blonde girl a happy grin.

Ritchie returns Rose to its Pokeball and smiles at Ash.

"I have to admit it, Ash, I underestimated your Gigalith," he says. "You trained it well."

"Thanks," Ash says with a grin. "Gigalith and I have been training hard to make it as strong as it is now. It was just a few days ago that it evolved from Boldore after a trade-and-trade-back with Serena, who has been encouraging it on our journey through Kanto."

Serena gasps quietly and looks away with her cheeks heating up. She turns to Holly, who gives her a teasing smirk and a wink that makes her blush grow.

"Awesome, but I know how to handle a rock type Pokemon like that," Ritchie says, turning to his Tentacruel. "Come on, Wraps, let's show them how it's done."

"Tentacruuuuueelll," the Tentacruel named Wraps growls as it walks over in front of Ritchie.

Ash smirks and says, "Gigalith, use Rock Blast again!"

"Wraps, protect yourself with Barrier, then use Bubble Beam!" Ritchie commands.

As Gigalith releases several silver waves at its target again, Wrap creates a blue barrier around its body, defending itself from the Rock Blast. Then it releases the barrier and fires a large beam full of bubbles. The bubbles hit Gigalith, hurting its rock-type body harshly, but despite the water move's effectiveness, the Compressed Pokemon keeps standing strong.

"Wow, I'm surprised that Gigalith can take all of that," Holly comments.

"Yeah, it's a good thing it has the Study ability," Serena says with a smile.

"Now, Wraps, use Wrap followed by Poison Jab," Ritchie orders.

Wraps jumps into the air and lands on Gigalith, wrapping its tentacles around its opponent and squeezing it hard. Before Ash has a chance to make a command, the Tentacruel's blue beak-like appendages glow purple and bites hard on Gigalith's body, making the compressed Pokemon roar in agony loudly.

"Gigalith, shake it off with Sandstorm!" Ash shouts.

"Wraps, jump away at the right time, and when the sand clears, use Bubble Beam again!" Ritchie instructs.

Once again, Gigalith jumps into the air, but as it's about to slam its feet down onto the ground, Wraps releases it and jumps away just as the sand is about to swirl in all different directions around Gigalith. The Jellyfish Pokemon waits patiently until the sand clears, giving it the opening to use Bubble Beam again. The bubbles directly hit Gigalith again, and it roars in pain before it wobbles back and forth and falls to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Gigalith is unable to battle. Wraps wins!" Brock announces.

"Aw, now it's down to one Pokemon on both sides," Serena says sadly. "And Gigalith was doing so well too."

"Yeah, well, Gigalith is strong, but not even the strongest rock Pokemon can't handle a powerful water attack," Holly says.

Pikachu walks over to Ash's side, and sparks come out of its red cheeks. But before it can step forward, Ash puts his hand in front of his partner and smiles.

"Not this time, Pikachu," Ash says. "I've got someone else in mind with this one."

Pikachu looks at Ash, confused as he turns to Gabite.

"Gabite, let's win this," Ash says.

Gabite's eyes widen, and it happily steps in front of Ash and faces Wraps shouting, "Gabite!"

"What? Gabite?" Holly asks, shocked. "Why didn't he choose Pikachu, who can easily take down a water Pokemon like Wraps?"

"Pikachu might be the better choice, but Ash doesn't always rely on typing to get the job done," Serena says with a smile. "He most likely chose Gabite because it hasn't been in a battle in a while. Besides, if I know my typing correctly, Tentacruel are also weak against ground type moves."

"That's true," Brock says, overhearing their conversation. "Plus, Gabite is resistant to poison attacks, so Poison Jab won't do much damage."

"Oh, so Ash is still likely to win?" Holly assumes.

"We'll see," Brock answers.

"Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" Ash calls out.

"Wraps, use Barrier again!" Ritchie commands.

Wraps summons another barrier, protecting itself from Gabite's powerful attack.

"Alright, then use Draco Meteor!" Ash shouts.

"Use Barrier again!" Ritchie shouts.

Gabite shoots an orange orb in the air, and it explodes, releasing multiple spheres at Wraps, but the Tentacruel just creates another barrier that protects itself just as the spheres land on the barrier and the ground and explode, creating a cloud of smoke.

"Now, Wraps, use Wrap again!" Ritchie calls out.

The Tentacruel named Wraps uses the smoke to pounce on Gabite and wrap its gray tentacles around the cave Pokemon. Gabite tries to break free only for Tentacruel to keep squeezing its body harder.

"Gabite, Wraps can't use Barrier now, so this is your chance!" Ash shouts. "Use Draco Meteor again!"

Gabite realizes what its trainer is saying and grins before it fires another Draco Meteor. Then the orb explodes, and multiple spheres are falling, Gabite crouches down and uses the Tentacruel as a shield as many of the spheres hit Wraps on top of its head, and it howls in discomfort, but it still holds onto its opponent.

"Nice job, Wraps. Now use Poison Jab!" Ritchie orders.

Once again, Wraps' appendages glow purple, and it bites hard on Gabite. Gabite howls in torment as purple bubbles appear all over its body.

"Oh no! Gabite is poisoned!" Serena cries out worriedly.

"But how? I thought it was resistant to poison attacks," Holly says, shocked. "Brock, how is that possible?"

"Simple," Brock replies. "Just because a Pokemon is resistant to poison attacks, doesn't mean it's immune to the possibility of being poisoned."

Holly blinks in surprise and stares at the poisoned Pokemon, still struggling with the Tentacruel wrapped around it. Ash frowns seriously, knowing he can't try to cure his friend in battle.

"I better make this quick," he says to himself. "Gabite, use Dig!"

Gabite fights through the pain and dives underground, freeing itself from Wraps' grasp. The jellyfish Pokemon stands up and looks around for its opponent only for Gabite to come back upright underneath Wraps, sending it flying a few feet away, damaged from the ground attack.

"Nice job!" Ash compliments. "Now, use Rock Smash!"

Gabite's hand goes yellow, and it charges at Wraps, which it's still struggling to get up.

"Wraps, use Barrier quick!" Ritchie calls out.

Wraps barely manages to summon a barrier in time to protect itself from Gabite's attack. Gabite recoils from the attack and takes a knee as purple bubbles appear on its body again. Ritchie sighs in relief and smirks proudly at Ash.

"Nice try, Ash, but there's no way you can get past Wraps' barrier," he boasts.

"I know I can," Ash says, grinning. "Gabite, attack Wraps from underneath with Dig!"

Gabite grins and once again dives underground. Wraps looks around for its opponent again while it keeps its barrier up until Gabite comes up from underneath it again, causing the Tentacruel to be sent ramming its head on the top of its own barrier. The shield disappears, and the jellyfish Pokemon struggles to stay standing in a daze until it shakes its body and glares menacingly at Gabite. Gabite glares back at Wraps, but winces when bubbles appear on its body again.

"Now's your chance, Wraps! Use Bubble Beam!" Ritchie shouts.

Wraps is quick to fire another beam full of bubbles that hit Gabite. The Tentacruel keeps using the attack against the cave Pokemon, determined to keep Gabite immobilized.

"Quick, Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" Ash calls out.

Gabite fights through the pain of constantly getting hit by Wraps water attack and its appendages on its head glow blue. With a deep breath, it releases a dragon-shaped energy that covers its body, and it charges at the Tentacruel. Wraps can do nothing but keep using Bubble Beam until Gabite slams into it with full force. Wraps stops using Bubble Beam and takes several steps away from Gabite, who roars menacingly. But suddenly, the purple bubbles appear one more time, and Gabite faints on the stop. Ritchie grins until he sees Wraps start to wobble until it falls on its side, unconscious.

"Gabite and Wraps are both unable to continue!" Brock declares. "This match is a draw!"

"A draw?!" Ash and Ritchie shout at the same time.

"Aw, I thought Gabite was going to pull through," Serena says with a pout.

"Well, there goes Ash's winning streak," Holly says, giving the honey blonde girl a sad smile. "I suppose it was bound to end at some point."

Ash frowns and kneels next to Gabite. The cave Pokemon turns its head to look at him sadly, but the raven-haired boy just grins.

"Don't worry, Gabite. We'll get them next time," he promises.

"Gabite," Gabite says weakly before Ash returns it to its Pokeball.

Ritchie also returns Wraps into its ball and walks over to Ash with a friendly smile.

"That was quite a battle, Ash," he says. "You've grown to be a lot more clever since we've last seen each other."

"Thanks, Ritchie. You're pretty good too," Ash says, giving his friend a firm handshake. "Looks like no one wins today, though."

"Yup, but I still plan to re-enter the Indigo League," Ritchie says proudly. "So you better be ready, Ash, because if we face each other again, I'm going to win."

"Same goes to you, because I know I'm going to win," Ash claims.

The two boys laugh as Sparky and Pikachu smile, glad to see their trainers still happily getting along. Brock, Holly, and Serena smile at the display before Brock clears his throat.

"We should get going, gang," he says. "We need to clean up and get back on the road."

Ash stops laughing, and his eyes widen, remembering his plan.

"Oh yeah, that's right," he says before turning to Ritchie. "Would you like to join us since we're going the same direction, Ritchie?"

"Sure, that sounds great!" Ritchie answers. "As long as that's fine with all of you."

"Of course it is," Brock says with a friendly smile. "We'd love to have you join us. Right, ladies?"

"Absolutely," Serena says. "Personally, I would love to hear more of your adventures in greater detail like the story about the Lugia and its baby."

"I second that," Holly states.

"Then let's waste no time. Viridian City awaits," Brock says.

"Right," everyone else says.

So Ash and Ritchie return Primeape, Servine, Zippo and Happy back into their Pokeballs and help Brock, Holly, and Serena clean and put away the dishes, and take apart the table. Once everything is set and packed, the five trainers start traveling again with Pikachu and Sparky walking beside each other between Ash and Ritchie, respectively. As they all walk together, Ash and Ritchie start telling their adventures in greater detail, and Serena, in particular, listens intently, happy yet amused to see Ash tell more stories with a friend who is like him in many ways.


	47. Chapter 47

Three days passed until Ash, Pikachu, Ritchie. Sparky, Serena, Brock, and Holly finally make their way in Viridian City. Ash, Ritchie, and Brock have been telling stories about the adventures they had with Misty is greater detail, much to the pleasure of Holly and Serena. By the time they reach the Pokemon Center to have Oshawott, Gigalith, Gabite, Cruise, Rose, and Wraps looked at, the two female trainers feel like they know the guys they like a little more just by watching them reconnect with their old friend. Once Ash and Ritchie's Pokemon are fully healed, they all start walking to the Viridian City gym.

"So who is going to battle Agatha first?" Ritchie asks.

Ash and Holly look at each other, and the auburn-haired woman is quick to wave her hands and say, "You can go first, Ash. I honestly want to get an idea of what I'm up against by watching you battle her just like when Max battled Blaine before me."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says. "As long as I beat Agatha and win so that I feel like I've properly earned my Earth Badge."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

"It's pretty amazing that a member of the Elite Four is temporarily taking over a gym," Ritchie says. "I remember when it was this guy in a suit."

"A guy in a suit?" Serena asks.

"Yeah, he wouldn't even be on the battlefield with me when I challenged him," Ritchie explains. "He would just sit in a fancy chair up on a balcony above his side of the field with this Persian that was sitting next to him. He didn't seem completely invested in the battle. He just ordered his Pokemon while we battled with his voice sounding so detached from the moment. He didn't even show any emotion when I defeated his Pokemon. He just had someone hand me my badge and told me to be on my way."

"That is strange," Brock says.

"Maybe you should tell Agatha that, Ritchie," Serena suggests. "She has been wondering who the last gym leader was and what happened to him."

"Really?" Ritchie asks.

"Yeah, all she has to go on is my gym battle against Team Rocket," Ash says.

"Well, then I guess after you guys have your battles, I'll do that before I head home," Ritchie says.

"You're going to leave after our battles?" Ash asks, surprised.

"Yeah, my family is still waiting for me," Ritchie says. "I can only stay long enough to see you both win...or lose."

"Hey," Ash says while Ritchie gives him a teasing smirk. "I'm going to win no matter what Agatha throws at me."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says.

"Me too!" Holly claims determinedly.

"That's the spirit, you too," Serena chortles with her eyes closed.

"What Serena said," Brock agrees.

Thus, the five of them and Pikachu and Sparky keep walking until they make their way to the Viridian City gym. Ash knocks on one of the two big doors, and they both open. The group walks inside the dark entryway, wondering if anyone apart from them is inside until the lights suddenly turn on to reveal the battlefield and Agatha standing on the other side with a confident smirk on her face.

"Ash, Serena, how good of you both to come," she greets. "I assume this means you have finished rechallenging the other gyms, young man?"

"I sure have," Ash says proudly. "I have successfully defeated Sabrina, Erika, Misty, and Brock in a fair battle, and now I'm ready to have another battle with you, Agatha."

Agatha's smirk grows, and she says, "Delighted to hear that. And who is the boy and young lady standing next to Brock?"

"My name is Ritchie," Ritchie answers.

"And my name is Holly, and I'm from the Sinnoh region," Holly states. "I'm also here to battle you for my eighth and final badge so that I can compete in the Indigo League."

"Oh, is that so?" Agatha says, chuckling in amusement. "Sounds like I'm in for an amusing day today. Very well, I accept both challenges. Just understand that given the strength of my Pokemon as a member of the Elite Four, I don't expect either of you to win. But if you prove to be formidable enough in battle, Holly, you will earn your badge even if you lose."

"Sounds fair, but I don't plan on losing," Holly says.

"Me neither," Ash says.

"Alright then, who shall go first?" Agatha asks.

"I will," Ash says, stepping in.

"Very well then, Ash," Agatha says plainly. "This will be a one-on-one battle, just like last time. The battle will end when the Pokemon from either side is unable to continue. Sound good?"

"Works for me," Ash says with a grin.

"Good luck, Ash!" Serena says.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash says, giving the honey blonde girl a toothy grin.

Agatha takes out a Pokeball and says, "Let's not waste any more time, Ash. Gengar, go!"

She throws the ball at the field, and her Gengar comes out with a mischievous grin.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's go!" Ash shouts.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaims as it hops off Ash's shoulder and heads into the field.

"Ah, so it's your strong Pikachu against my Gengar again, huh?" Agatha says. "I wonder how different this will be compared to last time."

"Then you're in for a surprise," Ash claims. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu releases a Thunderbolt at Gengar, but the shadow Pokemon just flattens its body and phases through the ground under Pikachu and reappears right behind the mouse Pokemon.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball," Agatha calls out calmly.

Gengar puts its hands close together and creates a black and purple ball before throwing it at Pikachu.

"Dodge, then use Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu jumps out of range of the Shadow Ball and charges toward Gengar with its tail turning into iron. When it gets close enough, Pikachu jumps and spins before smacking Gengar with its tail. Gengar shuts its eyes and takes a couple of steps back, but it quickly shakes its head and grins at Pikachu, not looking hurt at all.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

"Gengar, use Double Team," Agatha says calmly.

Gengar makes multiple copies of itself right as Pikachu throws an Electro Ball. The ball only hits a copy, and Pikachu looks around, trying to find the real Gengar as multiple copies of it surround the mouse Pokemon.

"Now use Shadow Ball again," Agatha says.

"Quick, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on all of them!" Ash calls out.

All of the Gengar create Shadow Balls, preparing to throw them all at Pikachu. Pikachu squeezes its cheeks and fires Thunderbolt in all directions, and the attack hits all of the Gengar, including the real one. The copies disappear, and the real one grunts in pain only for it to shake its head and grins at Pikachu, still looking barely hurt.

"Use Shadow Ball again," Agatha says.

"Dodge and use Iron Tail followed up with Electro Ball!" Ash commands.

Gengar throws another Shadow Ball, but just as it's about to hit its opponent, Pikachu jumps over it and charges at Gengar again. With another jump and spin, Pikachu whacks Gengar in the face, and as the shadow Pokemon takes a few steps back upon impact, Pikachu throws another Electro Ball with its tail, and it hits Gengar directly. Gengar appears to have taken a little more damage with Pikachu's combo, but it is nevertheless not showing much pain.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's hit harder with a bigger Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

But Agatha's smirk grows, and she firmly says, "Gengar, use Hypnosis!"

Gengar's body becomes outlined in blue, and illusions of its eyes come out and hit Pikachu. Pikachu is confused about what just happened until it suddenly falls asleep standing up. Ash looks at his partner in shock has Pikachu sways back and forth in its sleep.

"Now use Dream Eater," Agatha says.

Gengar releases a shadow-like version of itself, and the shadow goes through Pikachu, sucking the energy out of it. Pikachu cries out in agony before it falls down with swirly eyes.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out as he runs over to his friend's side and picks it up. "Are you okay?"

"Pi...ka…" Pikachu replies, weakly.

Agatha walks over to Ash and Pikachu with her cane and gives the raven-haired boy a sincere smile.

"Good effort, Ash," she says. "Once again, you've shown some creativity in your battle style. If you didn't already have an Earth badge, I'd say you've earned one right now."

"Thanks, Agatha," Ash says. "Though I wish I could have done better."

"Oh, don't fret about it, young man. Just keep training, and maybe one day you'll be strong enough to defeat someone like me," Agatha says comfortingly.

Ash nods and stands up before walking over to the others. He stands next to Serena, who puts her hand on his shoulder for comfort, much to his appreciation while Holly steps forward.

"Alright, now it's my turn," she states eagerly.

"My, my, aren't we excited?" Agatha says, amused. "Let's see what you can do, young lady."

"Gengar," Gengar says, agreeing with its partner.

"Go, Holly!" Brock cheers proudly. "You got this!"

"You know it, Brock!" Holly calls out back before she takes out a Pokeball and throws it. "Go, Probopass!"

Probopass comes out of its ball and stares blankly at Gengar. The shadow Pokemon just grins again at its opponent, amused to have a bigger target this time.

"Probopass, eh? Interesting," Agatha says with another smirk on her face. "Gengar, use Shadow Ball."

"Probopass, counter it with Zap Cannon!" Holly orders.

The two Pokemon fire their respective attacks, and the Shadow Ball and Zap Cannon collide, causing an explosion.

"Now, use Rock Slide!" Holly commands.

Probopass' body becomes outlined in blue, and it takes out a large chunk of the field. The large rock is outlined in blue, and it flies up above Gengar before breaking into thousands of pieces and starts to fall toward the shadow Pokemon. But both Agatha and Gengar smirk as the latter flattens its body and slithers through the ground again, dodging the attack.

"Oh no you don't," Holly says. "Probopass, use Earth Power!"

Probopass' body glows gold, and the ground begins to shake. Gold cracks start to appear and head towards Gengar.

"Gengar, float up in the air," Agatha says calmly.

Gengar unflattens itself and floats up into the air before the gold cracks can hit it.

"What?" Holly says, shocked. "How can Gengar do that?"

"Because Gengar has an ability called Levitate," Agatha answers. "Thus, it can float into the air making ground attacks useless."

Holly frowns, irritated that her plan didn't work.

"Alright, then. Probopass, use Zap Cannon again!" She shouts.

"Gengar, use Double Team," Agatha says plainly.

Before Probopass can use Zap Cannon, Gengar makes multiple copies of itself again, and the compass Pokemon looks around to find the real one.

"Calm down, Probopass!" Holly calls out. "Find the real one with Magnet Bomb!"

Probobass stops looking, and its three smaller noses glow orange, separate from its body, and fly around the area. Eventually, the noses all point to one Gengar floating in the air and fly toward it. The noses explode, and Gengar is sent flying into a wall while the other Gengar disappear.

"Alright, now use Zap Cannon!" Holly commands excitedly.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis," Agatha says calmly.

Gengar's body once again becomes outlined in blue, and illusions of its eyes appear. They hit Probopass before it could fire Zap Cannon. Probopass becomes confused and starts swaying back and forth into the air.

"Now use Dream Eater," Agatha says.

Gengar releases another shadow-like version of itself, and it rams into Probopass, sucking its energy. Probopass groans in discomfort, but it stays conscious. The Compass Pokemon shakes its body and glares back at Gengar.

"Huh? Why didn't that attack knock out Probopass too?" Ritchie asks.

"Because Probopass is a steel type, so Dream Eater can only do half the damage," Brock says.

"That's right. After Gengar used it on Pikachu, I knew I had to go with Probopass so that it can last longer against Agatha's attacks," Holly explains proudly. "It pays to listen closely to what my future boyfriend knows about Pokemon types.

Brock giggles childishly at the title while Agatha keeps on smirking.

"Clever, but that won't help you for long," she states. "Gengar, use Shadow Ball."

"Counter it with Zap Cannon!" Holly orders.

Once again, the Pokemon fire their respective attacks, and the Shadow Ball and Zap Cannon collide, causing an explosion that covers the area in black smoke.

"Now use Hypnosis again, followed by Dream Eater," Agatha says immediately.

Holly only has a moment to realize that she has been played before illusions of Gengar's eyes emerge from the smoke and hit Probopass pass again. The compass Pokemon sways back and forth for a couple of seconds before Gengar uses Dream Eater again, and Probopass groans loudly before it falls to the ground limp.

"Probopass!" Holly calls out, running to her Pokemon's side.

Agatha takes a deep breath and silently returns Gengar to its Pokeball before she walks over to Holly.

"Well done, young lady," she compliments. "I must admit you exceeded my expectations."

"Really?" Holly asks, hopefully.

'Yes. Were it not for Levitate, Earth Power would have been a clever way to force Gengar out of the floor while also doing heavy damage," Agatha says. "It was also intriguing of you to use Magnet Bomb to find Gengar. How did you know Probopass would find the real one?"

"Honestly, I didn't," Holly confesses. "I just took a risk and trusted Probopass."

Agatha nods and says, "That's a good honest answer. You may have lost, Holly, but you've shown good strategy and strength together with your Pokemon. If you keep that up, I'm sure you will go far in the Indigo League."

Holly's eyes widen, and Agatha reaches into her pocket and takes out a badge.

"Here," she says. "You've shown you are worthy of the Earth Badge."

Holly's face lights up, and she happily takes the badge from Agatha's hand.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She says energetically

Agatha chuckles as Holly turns to her friends and runs toward Brock. The auburn-haired woman jumps into his arms, and he hugs her back, spinning her as they laugh joyously.

"I got it! I got my last badge!" She shouts.

"Yes, you did," Brock chortles as he puts her down. "Now you just have to compete and then -"

But before he can finish his sentence, Holly abruptly kisses him on the cheek. Brock stands there in shock while Holly pulls back from the kiss and gives him a loving look.

"And then we'll officially be together," she finishes.

Brock smiles and pulls Holly into a tighter hug. Serena sighs blissfully, happy to see the two of them so happy, and even Ritchie smirks at the lovebirds. Ash, however, looks down, frowning away from everyone else. Serena turns to him, and her smile fades, noticing that he's upset underneath his hat that is hiding most of his face.

"Ash, what's wrong?" She asks.

But instead of answering, Ash raises his head and looks determinedly at Agatha, who is about to exit the building from her side.

"Agatha!" He calls out. "I wanna have another battle tomorrow!"

Serena looks at him surprised, and Ritchie, Brock, and Holly turn to him confused. Agatha stops walking and turns to the raven-haired boy with a frown and a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure, Ash?" She asks. "You already have proven your worth in this gym. I thought you were satisfied with how you did."

"I was, but not anymore," Ash replies. "I went on this journey to show how much stronger I am, and I realized that I've only accomplished most of my goal by making it this far. I want to win a battle fair and square from every single gym in Kanto, and I can't be satisfied with just good enough with a battle against you."

"Are you sure this is what you want, Ash?" Agatha questions seriously. "I admire your devotion, but I don't see what another battle will accomplish."

"Please, Agatha!" Ash begs. "Please, just one more battle! I know I'm going to win this time!"

The room stays silent for a couple of minutes. No one knows what Agatha is going to say while she and Ash stare at each other. Finally, Agatha closes her eyes and sighs.

"Very well," she says. "If that is what you truly want, I won't refuse you."

"Thanks, Agatha," Ash says with a smile.

With that, he turns around and exits the building. It takes a moment before the rest of the trainers quietly do the same, still taken aback by Ash's sudden request. Agatha sighs again and turns around to leave when she suddenly hears rapid footsteps coming her way. She turns around to find Ritchie and Sparky running to her.

"What is it, Ritchie?" She asks.

Ritchie stops a couple feet away from Agatha and puts his hands on his knees and pants before looking up at the old woman.

"I just remembered something," he says. "Serena said you're trying to find out who the previous owner of this gym was, right?"

Agatha looks at him intently and says, "Yes, I am. Do you know who he is?"

"Not by name," Ritchie answers. "But I can tell you what I remember about him."

Ritchie and Sparky walk to the Viridian City Pokemon Center after telling Agatha what he remembers about the city's last official gym leader. He walks with a look of confusion after seeing the old woman have a grim look on her face as he told her everything. By the time the two of them make it inside, the Pokemon Center, Ash, Serena, Brock, and Holly are at the front desk, and Nurse Joy is handing Pikachu to Ash.

"Ash, your Pikachu is in perfect health," Nurse Joy says kindly.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," Ash says as Pikachu happily hops onto his shoulder again.

Ritchie smiles at his friend as he and his partner walk over to the group, and they turn around to the boy and his Pikachu.

"Hey, Ritchie, where have you been?" Ash asks.

"Oh, I stayed behind to tell Agatha what I know about the last gym leader here," Ritchie answers plainly.

"What did she say?" Brock asks.

"She just thanked me and left," Ritchie answers.

"Huh, that's strange," Serena says. "Well, at least now she has more information regarding this person."

"I guess," Ritchie says before he changes the subject. "So Ash, do you have ideas on what to do on your rematch?"

"I sure do," Ash answers. "And we're gonna train hard until we're good and ready. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu replies happily.

"That's good to hear," Ritchie says with a smile. "Anyway, I better get going. Home awaits."

"Alright, Ritchie. We'll see you at the Indigo League," Serena says.

"Yeah, train hard," Holly says.

"You bet I will," Ritchie says as he and Sparks leave. "See you at the Indigo League, you guys!"

"Bye, Ritchie! Bye, Sparky!" Everyone calls out as Ritchie and Sparky exit the building.

Once the auburn-blonde-haired boy and his Pikachu are out of sight, Brock and Holly turn to each other with giddy looks.

"Now that you have all eight badges, what say we find an ice cream parlor around here to celebrate?" Brock suggests.

"You read my mind," Holly says before turning to Serena. "What are you going to do, Serena?"

Serena hesitates before she answers, "I think I'm going to practice for the Grand Festival."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says. "You enjoy yourselves, Brock and Holly."

"You got it, Ash," Brock says. "Work hard for your rematch."

"You can count on me," Ash replies.

Thus, the pair heads out while Ash and Serena find separate spots near the Pokemon Center to train and practice, respectively. As Serena takes out her Pokemon and starts discussing plans with them, however, she starts to wonder if there's more to why Ash wants a rematch with Agatha than he lets on.


	48. Chapter 48

After several hours of training with Pikachu, Serena practicing with her Pokemon, and Brock and Holly touring in Viridian City after going out for ice cream, the four of them and Pikachu go back to the Pokemon Center together and have dinner before going to bed. Brock and Holly are having the time of their lives together, still thrilled that Holly has all the badges she needs to compete in the Indigo League.

Meanwhile, Serena is feeling satisfied with all the routines she has practiced with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol. But out of all them, Ash has been looking distant during dinner and when everyone goes bed in their room. When Brock asks him if something was the matter, Ash just claims he is tired from all the training before he goes under the covers of his bed. Brock, Holly, and Serena are all confused with why he's acting that way, but they decide to let it go as they all went to bed.

Later in the middle of the night, Serena slowly wakes up and quietly got out of bed to use the bathroom, making sure not to wake up Absol who is sleeping next to her. After she went, she walks back to her bed to go to sleep again. But right as she sits down, she glances at the bed next to her to find that Ash and Pikachu are not there. Serena stares at the empty bed in surprise and looks around the room to only find Brock and Holly asleep in their own beds. She walks around Ash's bed to see if he and Pikachu fell off their bed in their sleep, but they are nowhere to be seen.

Just as she is about to exit the room and see if the raven-haired boy and his partner are anywhere near the halls, she hears the sound of small explosions and Pikachu calling out its name from outside. Serena walks over to the window, and from a distance, she can see Ash and Pikachu half a mile away from the Pokemon Center training. The honey blonde girl frowns disapprovingly and decides to walk over there, waking up Absol, who silently follows her in the process.

By the time Serena and Absol make it over to Ash and Pikachu, the raven-haired boy and his partner are using a couple of trees as target practice.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball on that tree!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu throws an Electro Ball at a tree, and the ball explodes on impact.

"Now use Quick Attack around it!" Ash instructs.

Pikachu runs around the tree multiple times with incredible speed before it rams into it.

"Alright," Ash begins. "Now let's hit it hard with -"

"Ash!" Serena shouts.

Ash and Pikachu stop what they're doing and turn around to see Serena storming toward them like an angry mother ready to discipline her children, followed by Absol. Ash looks at his friend, confused, and turns his body to face her.

"Serena? What are you doing up?" he asks.

"I should ask you the same thing," Serena counters. "It's past 3:00 in the morning, Ash. Why would you -"

But as she is about to ridicule Ash, she stops to get a close look at him. It takes a moment before she realizes that despite Ash's tall posture, and his energetic voice, his face looks exhausted. Serena stares at him in shock before she talks to him more calmly.

"Ash, how long have you been up and training?" She asks, concerned.

Ash looks up at the sky and scoffs.

"I don't know," he answers duly. "Probably a few hours."

"What?! You've been training in the middle of the night for the last few hours?!" Serena shouts. "You need to go to bed right now."

"No, I can't sleep," Ash says. "I gotta keep training."

"No, you can't keep training in this condition," Serena rebukes.

"Yes, I can," Ash counters stubbornly.

"No, you can't," Serena counters. "You need to rest and -"

"I can't rest, alright?!" Ash barks.

Serena takes a step back, surprised by Ash snapping at her abruptly.

"I can't rest until I've won!" Ash shouts angrily. "I have to beat Agatha, or I'm not going anywhere near Indigo Plateau!"

"But why?" Serena protests. "What's so important that you win against Agatha?! I know you want to get stronger, but she's a member of the Elite Four."

"And Timothy defeated the Johto Elite Four and Lance!" Ash points out. "So what right do I have to say I deserve to compete in the Indigo League again if I can't even do something my rival did?! Even Holly lasted longer than I did against Agatha and still she's satisfied with earning a badge even though she lost! I can't be satisfied with some noble defeat, Serena! If I stay satisfied with Agatha saying she would have given me a badge just for trying, I may as well have never rightfully earned my Earth Badge just like I didn't earn a badge the first time in Cerulean City, Celadon City, or Saffron City. Heck, Agatha's words may as well be a repeat of when I battled Brock in Pewter City! I lose twice, and yet I got a badge anyway!"

Serena stares at Ash, realizing what he's saying. She frowns sadly as the raven-haired boy continues.

"What does that make me if I just stay satisfied with just close enough, Serena?!" He asks. "How can I live with just never going all the way, showing how strong my Pokemon and I are?! Should I just give up trying to be better and hope for the best again?"

"No!" Serena shouts, running over to Ash and grabbing him by the shirt. "Never! Never, Ash! You shouldn't just be okay with just not being enough! But no matter what you say, that doesn't mean you should just keep training even when you or your Pokemon can barely keep going! Look at how tired Pikachu is! It needs to rest! _You_ need to rest!"

"I can't do that, Serena," Ash says softly but seriously. "I can't rest knowing I'm not strong enough yet to defeat Agatha. I can't stop until I am worthy of competing in the league."

With that, he turns around and walks away, forcing Serena to let go of his shirt. The honey blonde girl watches sadly as Ash goes back to training with Pikachu despite both of them growing weaker. Finally, Serena shuts her eyes and tries to control the frustration growing inside of her until she can't take it anymore.

"Fine!" She yells, catching Ash and Pikachu's attention. "Keep training until you collapse! But don't come crying if your work gets sloppy just because you can't take care of yourself and your Pokemon! Ignore the fact that I'm just trying to help because I -"

Serena's eyes widen, and she holds her tongue before she says another word. Her face turns red all over in embarrassment while Ash, Pikachu, and Absol stare at her.

"Because what?" Ash asks, confused.

"B-b-be...because…" Serena stutters before she angrily shouts. "Because I worry about you, okay?!"

Before Ash has a moment to respond, Serena turns around and runs away. Absol quickly follows after her while Ash still staring at where she was. Serena keeps running until she's behind the Pokemon Center, and she sits down against the wall with a bitter look on her face. She lets out a loud huff and crosses her arms bitterly while Absol sits next to her. The disaster Pokemon looks at her sadly and licks her leg to get her attention. Serena turns to Absol, and her exasperation fades.

"I'm sorry, Absol," she says with a sad smile as she pets her Pokemon on the head. "I guess I let Ash's anger get to me. That stubborn boy just never knows when to quit. I know that's one of the reasons why I care about him, but I don't want to sacrifice his health to do it."

"Absol," Absol says with a nod.

Serena nods back and sighs.

"I better go there and apologize to him," she says. "I don't want to take a long time to make up again."

Absol nods again, and Serena stands up to walk back to where Ash and Pikachu are. But as she's walking, she trips on something, and falls down to the ground with a high-pitched yelp. She groans in pain, and Absol runs to her side as she rolls over to see what she tripped on.

"Jiggly!"

A Jigglypuff gives her a bitter pout and walks over to Serena with one hand holding a little microphone and another raised high to punch the honey blonde girl. Absol steps in front of its mother figure defensively, making Jigglypuff stop walking, but Serena sits up and puts her hand on Absol's head to tell it to hold on. Absol waits patiently while Serena gives the balloon Pokemon a soft, friendly smile.

"I'm so sorry," she says kindly. "I didn't watch where I was going."

"Puff," Jigglypuff huffs in a high-pitched voice, clearly not satisfied with Serena's apology.

Serena frowns again, wanting to do something to make up for the round, pink Pokemon. Then she notices the little microphone Jigglypuff is holding and smiles.

"That's a cute microphone you have there," she compliments. "Do you like to sing?"

Immediately, Jigglypuff's eyes light up, and it nods excitedly.

"I would like to hear a song from you if you'd like," Serena says politely.

"Jiggly! Jiggly!" Jigglypuff squeals, bouncing up and down. Serena chuckles at the Pokemon's enthusiasm and sits down on her knees next to Absol.

"Okay then, sing us a song, please, Jigglypuff," She requests.

"Hey, Serena, where are you?" Ash calls out with him and Pikachu running to find her and Absol. "Look, I'm sorry about the way I -"

Ash's voice dies in his throat as he and Pikachu find Serena and Absol sitting down on the grass in front of Jigglypuff. Ash and Pikachu's eyes widen, and their pupils shrink in horror as they instantly recognize the balloon Pokemon.

"Serena, what are you doing?!" Ash cries out. "Run away!"

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cries out.

Serena and Absol turn her heads to see Ash and Pikachu running towards them.

"Ash?" Serena says, confused.

"Serena, don't let Jigglypuff sing," Ash says, panicking.

Serena frowns disapprovingly and says, "Ash, that's not a nice thing to say."

"No, I'm serious," Ash begs. "You don't want Jigglypuff to sing."

"Honestly, Ash, that's just rude," Serena rebukes before turning to Jigglypuff with a smile. "Go ahead, Jigglypuff. Sing."

"No!" Ash cries out.

Jigglypuff ignores Ash's cries, and with a bright smile on its face, holds its microphone close to its mouth and takes a deep breath.

Brock slowly opens his eyes and sits up from his bed with a loud yawn. As he scratches his back, he notices that Ash and Serena's beds on the other side of the room are empty. He shrugs it off, thinking that they probably already left to train or get breakfast together, secretly hoping the latter for his honey blonde friend. He turns to the digital clock on the bed stand next to him to see that it's a few minutes past 11 o'clock.

"Whoa, did I sleep," he mumbles to himself before he turns his head to the bed next to him and smiles. "And so did a certain lady of my life."

Holly is soundly snoring with a little smile on her face, hugging her pillow as she sleeps. Brock decides to tiptoe to her bed and gently caress her cheek.

"Wake up, beautiful. It's morning," he says soothingly.

Holly moans softly and robotically sits up and rubs her eyes before looking at Brock with a tired yet loving smile.

"Hey there, handsome," she says, caressing his cheek back. "What time is it?"

"It's 11:08," Brock answers.

"What?" Holly says, confused as she turns to the clock near her own bed stand, "You waited until past 11 to wake me?"

"I just woke up," Brock replies. "We both overslept. Ash and Serena are already gone."

Holly gives Brock a flirtatious smirk and says, "Good, more time for the two of us."

"My thoughts exactly," Brock says with a cheeky grin. "So, what do you say we head to that brunch restaurant we passed by yesterday?"

"Sounds wonderful," Holly says.

Thus, the two of them change from their pajamas into their normal clothes and exit the Pokemon Center hand in hand. They walk over to a restaurant where already several couples, young and old, are eating together. The sight makes Brock and Holly feel right at home as they sit down at a table for two, and a waiter takes their order. After the waiter leaves and briefly comes back with their drinks, the two young adults take a moment before they strike a conversation.

"So, do you feel ready for the Indigo League?" Brock asks.

"I think so," Holly says. "To tell you the truth, I don't know what to expect. My mind is more on what happens after the league than anything else."

Brock blushes and gives Holly a goofy smile.

"I know exactly what you mean," he says before he breaks from his goofy demeanor. "But if you have questions about it, I'd be more than happy to fill you in."

"That would be perfect," Holly says with a smile. "I guess my first thought would be to clarify that you said full battles are not until the last four rounds at the Indigo League."

"Yep. Six on six battles are usually only during the semifinal and final rounds," Brock says with a smile. "But if I remember correctly, it's always three on three battle until after the fifth round in the Indigo League."

"Oh? Does it differ in different regions?" Holly asks.

"Sure does," Brock says. "In fact, in the Johto League preliminaries, you start off with just one Pokemon, and you're battling outside the Indigo Stadium."

"Just one?" Holly says in shock. "Oh, I'd hate to do that. It would be devastating if you came all that way after winning all of your badges just to be disqualified just like that on a one-on-one battle before you even get to battle inside the stadium

"I hear you," Brock says, smiling. "Anyway, in the Indigo League, you have to pass through four preliminary battles on four unique battlefields, specifically grass, water, ice, and rock to qualify for battling inside the Indigo Stadium."

"Wow, that sounds like an exciting way to start off league," Holly comments.

"Exciting but still challenging," Brock says. "I remember how things were tricky for Ash during the preliminaries."

"I bet," Holly says.

Brock opens his mouth to continue, but suddenly, a tan hand rests on his shoulder. He turns his head around and looks in shock at the sight of an older man with dark grey hair with a face very similar to his.

"Dad?!" He exclaims.

"Hiya, Brock," the old man says cheerfully. "Fancy seeing you all the way here in Viridian City."

Holly stares at the two men, confused with what is happening. Then a woman with mahogany hair pulls Brock's head into a tight hug.

"Oh, son, it feels like it's been ages since we've last seen you!" She squeals joyously before she notices Holly, and her smile brightens. "And who is this pretty young lady?"

Brock frees himself from the woman's embrace, and his face is beet red as he clears his throat.

"Um...Holly, this is my mom and dad, Lola and Flint," he says awkwardly. "Mom, Dad, this is Holly...my soon-to-be girlfriend."

Holly blushes furiously, unprepared to meet her future boyfriend's parents. Flint and Lola's eyes, on the other hand, light up at the word girlfriend.

"Girlfriend?!" Lola shrieks. "This lady is your soon-to-be girlfriend?!"

"Atta boy, son," Flint says, nudging Brock's side. "A looker just like your mother. You're a chip off the old block."

"Mom, Dad, cut it out!" Brock exclaims, embarrassed. "What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Oh, we just recently landed here from Unova," Lola answers. "We just had brunch here before we go back to Pewter City."

"Speaking of which, I hope you left Ludicolo to help Forrest take care of your brothers and sisters," Flint says.

"What?" Holly asks, confused.

"Yes, Dad, I left Ludicolo and Crogunk with Forrest at home," Brock says.

"That's great. I can't wait to see my babies again," Lola says excitedly.

"Me neither. We have so many souvenirs from Unova that I know they will love," Flint says.

"Uh, that's great, Mom and Dad, but if you don't mind, we're kinda starting to have brunch before going to the Indigo League," Brock says.

Flint and Lola are taken aback by Brock's attitude until they put the pieces together.

"Oh, are some of your friends competing at the Indigo Plateau?" Flint asks.

"Yes, my friends Serena, May, and Dawn are competing at the Grand Festival there," Brock explains.

"And I'm going to be competing at the Indigo League with our friends Ash, Max, Ritchie, and Timothy," Holly says, jumping in. "Brock and I have agreed to officially become a couple after I complete."

"Oh, how exciting," Lola says. "Well, then we mustn't keep you two waiting then. We'll let you two enjoy your brunch together."

"Thanks, Mom," Brock says uncomfortably. "Tell Forrest and the others I said hi."

"Sure thing, son," Flint says. "We better get going anyway. We gotta order a cab back home. See ya, Brock."

With that, Flint and Lola leave the restaurant much to Brock's relief. Brock and Holly stay silent for a couple of minutes before Brock clears his throat.

"Sorry that you had to meet them like that," he says.

"That's okay," Holly says quietly. "They seem to be pretty eccentric."

"Yeah, they certainly are that," Brock says.

The two of them remain quiet for a couple more minutes, figuring out what else to say while waiting on their food.

"So...when they were talking about someone named Forrest, I assume they meant the gym leader in Pewter City?" Holly asks.

"Yes, he's my brother," Brock answers.

"Thought so," Holly said. "I knew he looked an awful lot like you when I battled him for my Boulder Badge. But what was your dad talking about when he said something about leaving Ludicolo with your brothers and sisters?"

Brock scratches the back of his head and says, "You see, my parents have an act for leaving the house for long periods of time just to travel or to be better Pokemon trainers, and that lead to me needing to take care of my brothers and sisters. At one point they would stay at home and take care of the house while I would travel with Ash and some of our other friends, but even then there are times I would come home to find out Mom and Dad have spontaneously left the house to go on a vacation leaving Forrest and the rest of my brothers and sisters by themselves."

"That's horrible!" Holly exclaims. "How could they leave their children behind like that?"

"It seems like they have no problem with it as far as my siblings and I are concerned," Brock says. "By now, we're pretty used to it. I've been taking care of all of my siblings whenever I'm not on a journey, and Forrest has been getting pretty good at being in charge when neither my parents nor I are at home as long as my Ludicolo and Croagunk are there to help him."

"So that's why I haven't seen your Croagunk all this time," Holly says.

"Yeah, it's a mess, to say the least," Brock says sadly. "I just wish my parents would stop leaving all the time and take responsibility for their children."

Holly looks at Brock sadly, understanding how he feels. After a couple more minutes of silence, she smiles and takes Brock's hand, gaining his attention.

"Let's make a deal," she says.

"Huh?" Brock says, confused.

"I don't know how things will go between us once we officially get together, but I know that if we ever take things further in the future, I'll never want to do something like that," Holly explains. "So if we get married and have children, let's promise to never leave them like that. We stay with them until it's time for them to leave the house, and we will stay by each other's side until the very end."

Brock freezes in place for a moment before he smiles brightly and takes both of Holly's hands.

"You had me at the idea of us married with children," he says with his spirits elevated.

Holly giggles at his enthusiasm and says, "So do you agree?"

"Of course," Brock says without hesitation. "If we ever go that far in our relationship, I'll want to stay by you and our children no matter what."

Holly gives a loving smile and stands up for a moment to give Brock a brief peck on the cheek. Brock looks away bashfully while Holly sits down.

"There now, the deal has been struck, " she declares. "Oh, and by the way, I want to meet your siblings."

It takes a moment before Brock breaks from his shy state and gives the auburn-haired woman another smile.

"Sounds good to me," he says. "Maybe we can do that between the Grand Festival and the Indigo League since there's a lot of time between the two."

"Perfect," Holly says before she clears her throat and plays with her fingers with a mousy face. "Also, at some point, I would like for us to go back to Sinnoh so that you to meet my parents...formally."

Brock's face turns red again, and he hesitates before giving Holly a timid nod.

"That sounds fair," he says. "That way, at least one of us has met the other's parents under more proper terms."

"I'm glad to hear that you agree," Holly says.

Before long after that, their meals arrive, and they happily eat together, discussing various other things. After they pay the bill, they decide to go back to the Pokemon Center so that Brock can help Holly train for the Indigo League.

"So have you found out what kind of moves your Beedrill has? I forgot to ask a while back," Brock says.

"Yep, I borrowed Serena's Pokedex a couple days ago to check. Beedrill knows X-Scissor, Outrage, Poison Jab, and Pin Missile," Holly answers.

"Ah, those are all good moves," Brock says. "Be careful with Outrage, though. It could confuse Beedrill after a while. You don't want to be helpless with your Pokemon confused like that. "

"Good to know," Holly says. "Speaking of Pokemon getting confused, do you think Ash has an idea of what to do with his rematch against Gengar?"

"Hmmm. That's a good question," Brock says, looking away from Holly in thought. "Ash does have a tendency to come up with clever ideas either before a rematch or at the very last second. Then again, some of his victories throughout his journey here in Kanto has been through Serena supporting him. Maybe with him training and her there to guide him, Ash might come up with something that might help him win somehow."

"Or Ash and Serena could be sleeping on the ground in their undies and pajamas, respectively," Holly says.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Brock asks, turning back to Holly.

The auburn-haired woman points to the direction behind the Pokemon Center, and Brock looks to find Ash in his white shirt and boxers and Serena in her pajamas lying on the ground beside Pikachu and Absol. The two adults look at each other for a moment before they run over to the two teenagers and their Pokemon to find that their faces have all been drawn by a black marker. Brock sighs and shakes his head before he gets down on one knee and gently shakes Ash.

"Ash. Ash, wake up," he says.

It takes a moment until Ash groans softly and wakes up. He sits up in a sitting position and rubs his eyes.

"Wha...what happened?" He asks groggily.

"It looks like you, Pikachu, Serena, and Absol ran into Jigglypuff," Brock answers.

"Me...Pikachu...Absol and...Serena," Ash says, recollecting what just happened as he stands up and crawls over to the honey blonde girl's side. "Serena. Serena, wake up."

Serena whimpers before she slowly sits up. She rubs her eyes and looks around curiously.

"Ugh...what happened?" She asks.

"Jigglypuff happened," Ash answers kneeling next to her. "You see, Brock, and I have come across that Jigglypuff many times before. It always carries that microphone wherever it goes, wanting to sing for everyone, not realizing that its singing ability makes everyone fall asleep."

"Fall...asleep?" Serena asks.

"Yep, and whenever people and Pokemon fall asleep it draws on people," Brock says. "Just like it just did to you, Ash, Pikachu, and Absol."

Serena looks at Brock, confused until Holly takes her makeup mirror and gives it to her. The honey blonde girl takes it looks in shock to see that she has a goatee, angry eyes, and big, round glasses drawn all over her face. Pikachu and Absol slowly woke up last, and she turns to them to find swirly eyes drawn on Pikachu and all sorts of shapes drawn on Absol. Finally, she turns to Ash to discover that he has a beard, eyepatch, and tears drawing over his face.

Serena stares at the raven-haired boy and the Pokemon for a few seconds, unsure of how to react. Then suddenly, the edges of her mouth begins to curl up, and she covers her mouth to hide a snicker. The snicker turns into a chuckle, and before anyone knows it, she lets out a loud, high-pitched laugh while holding on to her gut. Ash, Brock, Holly, Pikachu, and Absol stare at her for a moment before Ash suddenly chokes out a chuckle and starts laughing out loud too. Pikachu and Absol look at each other before they also start laughing at how ridiculous the other looks. Brock and Holly, on the other hand, just smile, pleased to see their friends laughing off their misfortune. Eventually, the laughter dies down, and Holly and Brock give Ash and Serena handkerchiefs, and the two of them start wiping the marks off their faces before they wash their Pokemon's faces.

"Hey, Serena," Ash begins, earning Serena's attention. "I'm sorry for the way I acted."

Serena smiles, appreciative of the apology.

"That's okay," she says calmly. "You were sleep-deprived and not in your best state of mind. But you need to worry about your health once in a while, okay?"

"Okay," Ash says before he does a long stretch. "Well, at least Jigglypuff gave us some needed sleep. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says energetically.

"That's great, Ash, but why don't you two get back inside and get changed?" Holly suggests.

Ash and Serena look down and realize that they are still in their night garments and bashfully nod. Thus, the two teenagers and their Pokemon follow the two adults back inside the Pokemon Center, where they go inside their room and change back into their normal clothes.

"Well, now that that's settled, how about some breakfast?" Serena suggests.

"You read my mind," Ash says excitedly.

"Actually, it's too late for breakfast," Brock chuckles. "It's a few minutes past noon."

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Absol turn to see the digital clocks on the bed stands to see that Brock is right. The teenagers chuckle nervously, realizing how long they've been asleep.

"Okay, how about lunch?" Serena suggests.

"You two can go on ahead," Holly says. "We just had brunch, so we're going to do some training."

"Alright, then I guess we better get some lunch before I do the same," Ash says with a smirk. "Shall we, Serena?"

Serena smiles at the invitation before she and Absol follow Ash and Pikachu out of the room. As the four of them leave the Pokemon Center, Ash stretches his arms again and sighs.

"I gotta admit, I needed that nap even though I could do without falling asleep because of Jigglypuff," he says.

"I agree," Serena says. "I feel silly for not knowing that Jigglypuff's singing can do that."

"Hey, neither did me, Brock, or Misty back when we first met it," Ash says. "Still though, its singing has had its uses before. In fact, when we first met Jigglypuff, we used its singing to get all of Neon Town to sleep because everyone kept staying awake."

"Really? Jigglypuff's singing is that powerful?" Serena asks.

"Well, we put it on a stage so that its singing could be heard all over the city, but otherwise yes," Ash explains. "But it also proved useful when its singing summoned an ancient giant Jigglypuff that stopped a giant Gengar and Alakazam from rampaging by also singing."

"Wow," Serena says, amazed.

Ash chuckles at Serena's reaction before he starts looking for a place for the two of them and their Pokemon to eat as they walk. Along the way, he notices they are passing by the meatball sub restaurant and stops walking. Serena turns to him, confused until she notices the restaurant and smiles.

"To think it's only been a couple of months since we came here at the beginning of our journey," she says.

"It feels a lot longer than that," Ash says. "But here is where you gave me the idea to have a rematch with all the gyms where I didn't earn a badge by winning a battle against the gym leaders. I don't know how I would have felt truly ready for the Indigo League if you haven't thought of that, Serena."

Serena blushes and bashfully looks away from Ash.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not entirely true," she says humbly. "I'm sure you would have thought of something yourself."

"But nothing as fitting as what you suggested," Ash claims. "I mean, you've always been encouraging me ever since my rematch with Viola at the Santalune City gym."

"But you're also great at coming up with your own creative ideas," Serena points out. "Like how you had Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground to stop Bunnleby from using Dig or especially when you had Pikachu use Electro Ball on itself to cancel out Viola's Vivillon's Sleep Powder or even -"

But before Serena can continue, she notices Ash staring blankly at nothing. Serena, Pikachu, and Absol look at each other, confused before the honey blonde girl waves her hand in front of Ash.

"Ash? Ash, are you okay?" She asks.

"Iron Tail...Electro Ball…" Ash mumbles.

Serena tilts her head, confused, and turns to Pikachu, who just shrugs. Suddenly, she feels both of Ash's hands grab her by the shoulders and force her to turn to him to find him smiling with his face close to her like a maniac.

"Serena, you're a genius!" He exclaims.

Serena blushes furiously both from the sudden praise and from how close her face is to Ash.

"I am?" She asks.

"Yes, I think you just gave me just the ideas I need to defeat Agatha and Gengar," Ash says.

"I did?" Serena asks. "How?"

But before Ash can explain, a loud rumbling sound is heard, and Ash chuckles in embarrassment.

"Maybe I should explain after lunch," he says.

Serena can't help but chuckle cutely at Ash's childish demeanor before she says, "That sounds like a good idea."

Ash and Serena find a buffet nearby so that they and their Pokemon can have a big lunch to make up for missing breakfast. Once Ash has had more than enough helpings of food, he discusses his ideas to Serena and Pikachu. They both instantly like what he came up with, and Serena gave a suggestion that just excited Ash even more. After they have eaten, Ash finds a place for him and Pikachu to take a couple of hours to practice their new ideas while Serena and Absol watch. Finally, they go back to the Pokemon Center to have Pikachu briefly checked up so that it's in perfect health before they meet up with Brock and Holly again, who just finished training, and together, they all go back to the Viridian City gym.

When the four trainers and Pikachu and Absol enter the gym, Agatha is already there on the other side of the battlefield, waiting patiently with a smirk.

"You're here a lot later than I thought you would be, Ash," she states. "Did you give yourself some extra training before challenging me again?"

"I did," Ash answers plainly. "Needed to make sure I'm good to go for this battle."

"That is very wise," Agatha says. "No sense in rushing into a battle if you don't feel completely ready."

"I agree," Ash says. "So, you ready for our rematch?"

Agatha nods with her eyes closed and says, "I still fail to see what this will accomplish, but I respect your desire to be stronger with your Pokemon."

"Alright, then let's not waste any more time," Ash says. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu sid as its hops into the field.

"Go, Gengar," Agatha says plainly as she tosses her Pokeball into the air, and her Gengar appears.

"Go, Ash!" Brock cheers.

"Yeah, Ash, do your best!" Holly calls out encouragingly.

"I'm going to do better than my best," Ash says confidently before giving Serena a wink.

The honey blonde girl smirks and nods at Ash, which confuses Brock and Holly while the raven-haired boy makes his first move.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" He commands.

"Use Double Team, Gengar," Agatha says plainly.

Pikachu charges at Gengar with its tail turned into iron, but the shadow Pokemon makes multiple copies of itself and surrounds Pikachu with its clones.

"Now use Shadow Ball," Agatha says.

"That's still not going to work," Ash says. "Use Thunderbolt on all of them, Pikachu!"

Just like before, Pikachu quickly releases a Thunderbolt, and it hits Gengar and all of its copies.

"Now, use Iron Tail again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu doesn't hesitate to turn its tail into iron and smacks Gengar in the face with it. Gengar takes a few steps back upon impact, but it doesn't seem to have taken much damage from the combo.

"This looks like a repeat of the last battle," Holly comments.

"I agree," Brock says. "I hope Ash has more up his sleeve."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Serena says with a confident smile. "I think Ash is just waiting for the right moment to show what he has planned."

"Now, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu releases Thunderbolt, but Gengar just flattens its body and starts phasing through the ground. It starts to phase from right under Pikachu, and Ash smirks, hoping Gengar was going to do that.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the ground right as Gengar is under you!" He shouts.

Pikachu grins and turns its tail into Iron. As Gengar is phasing under Pikachu, the mouse Pokemon flips and slams its tail into the ground. Gengar groans in pain and brings its body to its normal size, but that just allows Pikachu to hit it in the face with Iron Tail again.

Agatha smirks and says, "Impressive. I've never seen Iron Tail used that way."

"Thanks, but we're just getting started," Ash claims. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

"Gengar, use Double Team," Agatha says right away with a glare.

As Pikachu is summoning an Electro Ball from its tail, Gengar quickly surrounds it with more copies of itself. Pikachu panics and starts looking for the real only for Ash to call out to his friend.

"Now, Gengar, use Hypnosis," Agatha says.

"Pikachu, it's alright, just stick to the plan!" He shouts. "Throw your Electro Ball into the air quickly!"

Pikachu realizes what Ash is thinking and tosses the ball of electricity high into the air just before Gengar hits it with Hypnosis. The yellow mouse Pokemon starts wobbling back and forth again, confused.

"Now use Dream Eater," Agatha says.

The real Gengar releases a shadow-like version of itself, and it flies straight towards Pikachu. But right as it's about to hit Pikachu, the Electro Ball falls straight back down and hits Pikachu, knocking it out of its unconscious state. The shadow-like version of Gengar passes through Pikachu, but nothing happens.

"The real one is the third one down on your left side," Ash calls out. "Hit it with Electro Ball!"

Pikachu turns to the real Gengar and throws another Electro Ball at it. The ball hits Gengar, who howls in pain while its copies disappear.

"Ah," Agatha says, intrigued. "So Electro Ball the first time was used to have Pikachu hit itself with it, thus waking it up and making Dream Eater completely useless. Clever."

"It's not the first time we used Electro Ball to free Pikachu from a move like that," Ash boasts.

"No, it sure is not," Serena says to herself with a smile.

"Well now, this battle is becoming more interesting," Agatha admits. "Let's see how you handle things getting a little harder. Gengar, use Double Team followed by Hypnosis again."

"Pikachu, get out of the way with Quick Attack!" Ash commands.

Gengar tries to surround and incapacitate its opponent with Double Team and Hypnosis, respectively, but Pikachu uses its speed to run away before it could be surrounded by copies of Gengar.

"Alright then, use Shadow Ball," Agatha says.

The multiple Gengar turn around and summon Shadow Balls aimed at the mouse Pokemon. Ash thinks for a moment before he gets an idea.

"Pikachu, wait until the Gengar are close to firing and then use Thunderbolt," he instructs.

Pikachu nods and gets down on all fours, waiting patiently for its opponent to attack. Once Gengar and its clones are getting ready to throw their Shadow Balls, Pikachu fires another Thunderbolt, and it hits all of them. The fake Gengar disappear before they can throw their attacks, but the real one gets hit right as it throws its black and purple ball at Pikachu.

"Now knock back that Shadow Ball with Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu grins again as its tail turns into iron, and it jumps and spins to hit the Shadow Ball just as it's about to hit the yellow mouse. Gengar is too distracted from getting hit from the Thunderbolt to realize what is happening before the Shadow Ball hits its face, exploding on impact. The Shadow Pokemon yowls loudly with its ghostly body covered in scratches.

"Hold on, isn't Shadow Ball a ghost type move?" Holly asks, confused. "Shouldn't that hardly hurt Gengar at all?"?"

"Actually, ghost Pokemon are one of the few Pokemon that are weak against their own type," Brock answers. "Add that to how powerful that Shadow Ball probably was since Gengar belongs to a member of the Elite Four, and it's clear that it took some very serious damage."

"Exactly," Serena says with a confident grin. "Just another way of Ash using his opponent's strength against them."

As they are talking, Agatha's confident smirk disappears, realizing how bad of a condition her Pokemon is suddenly in. Gengar turns to her, tormented from having its own move used against itself. The shadow Pokemon appears to be uneasy about whether or not the two of them will triumph with their opponents, suddenly outwitting them despite not being as strong as they are. Agatha glares disapprovingly at Gengar as if the ghost Pokemon used its face to ask a question that the old woman deems foolish in her eye. Gengar hesitates for a moment but ultimately decides to trust its partner and turn back to Pikachu.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's keep it up with Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

"Gengar, counter it with Shadow Ball, followed by another Shadow Ball," Agatha growls seriously.

The two Pokemon release their respective attacks, and they collide and explode, covering the battlefield in smoke again. Before Ash and Pikachu have a moment to react, another black and purple ball emerges from the smoke and hits Pikachu in the stomach. The poor mouse Pokemon squeal out loud in pain as it is sent flying into the air and slamming into the ground several yards to the left from Ash.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouts worriedly.

Serena, Absol, Holly, and Brock look in dismay as Pikachu struggles to get up. For the first time in a while, the honey blonde girl puts her hand on her precious ribbon, visibly worried for the boy she cares for. Agatha and Gengar stand still, deciding to patiently wait and see if Pikachu will somehow manage to get up. Ash's hands turn into fists as he gives his dear friend a pleading look.

"Come on, Pikachu, you can do it!" he says. "Don't give in now when we've come so far. Remember what Serena keeps reminding us!"

Serena turns to Ash and smiles slightly while still worried about Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon takes a moment before it clenches its teeth and slowly starts to get up. Agatha watches the entire moment in silence and gives a short nod with her eyes closed at the sight of Pikachu starting to get up.

"I don't know what Serena keeps reminding you Ash, but I think you and Pikachu have been carrying out this stout effort long enough," she says before turning to Gengar. "Gengar, use Hypnosis."

Ash's pupils shrink, realizing Gengar is about to attack before Pikachu can fully get up.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack now!" he screams.

Pikachu has barely started to stand on all fours before it turns to see illusions of Gengar's red eyes flying towards it. It jumps out of the way just in the nick of time and starts running away from Gengar's line of fire. Gengar grows annoyed and keeps using Hypnosis in an attempt to hit Pikachu again, but the little mouse Pokemon is too fast for its illusions to hit him. Ash grinds his teeth and tries to think of something, knowing that Pikachu will run out of energy if it keeps running at its weak state.

"Pikachu, get close to Gengar and kick the dust on the ground at it with Iron Tail while you're dodging!" he instructs.

Pikachu nods as it keeps on avoiding Hypnosis, and with its incredible speed, runs closer to Gengar. The yellow mouse turns to run past Gengar and with its tail turned into iron, sends the dust on the ground flying towards the shadow Pokemon. The dust hits Gengar's eyes, and it screams as it shuts its eyes and tries to get the dust off its eyes.

"Gengar!" Agatha shouts, concerned for her partner.

"Look at that. Agatha is really concerned," Serena says, smiling. "She knows she can't use Hypnosis and through that Dream Eater without Gengar looking at its opponent."

"That's what I was counting on," Ash says, feeling confident again. "Pikachu, hit it with Iron Tail again!"

Pikachu doesn't hesitate to seize its chance and wack Gengar in the face with Iron Tail again. Agatha grows angry, desperate to stay in control.

"Gengar, use Shadow Ball right where you hear Pikachu!" she instructs.

Gengar takes a moment to try to sense Pikachu's presence with its eyes closed and summons another black and purple ball before throwing it perfectly at Pikachu's direction. But instead of showing concern, Ash merely smirks, already knowing what to do.

"Pikachu, knock that Shadow Ball back with Iron Tail!" he shouts.

Pikachu turns its tail into iron again and swings it like a bat, sending the ghost attack crashing back into Gengar. Agatha's heart sinks, realizing her young opponent used her call against her again while Gengar struggles to stay conscious after being badly hurt by its own attack again.

"Alright, Pikachu, let's wrap this up!" Ash says, grinning. "Hit it with Thunderbolt and give it everything you've got!"

Pikachu squeezes its cheeks again, summoning as much electricity as its body can. With sparks appearing on both its cheeks and its tail, it jumps into the air and unleashes a massive Thunderbolt. The attack instantly hits Gengar, who can do nothing but scream at the top of its lungs as thousands of volts of electricity strike through its body fiercely. With all of the electricity let out, Pikachu lands on the ground in all fours panting heavily. All eyes are on Gengar, who glares menacingly at Pikachu for a moment before its eyelids grow heavy, and it ultimately falls flat on it's back.

"Alright!" Ash cheers.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts happily as it runs toward Ash and jumps into his arms.

As the two of them celebrate, Serena sighs and smiles in relief with her hand still on her ribbon. Absol turns to its mother figure and smiles, glad to see she is happy. Brock smiles proudly for his friend while Holly looks at the fallen Gengar, shocked. Agatha also stares at her beloved Pokemon with her mouth slightly hanging open for several seconds before she closes her eyes and mouth, and a small smile enters her face. She walks over to Gengar and kneels in front of it with her cane, and the ghost Pokemon looks at her with a sad look.

"Geng…" it groans ashamedly.

"Don't worry about it, Gengar," Agatha says comfortingly. "You were magnificent. It was a great battle against a cunning opponent. I'm proud of you."

Gengar smiles weakly, feeling better about its defeat before Agatha returns it to its Pokeball. Agatha takes a deep breath before she walks over to Ash and Pikachu, who are still celebrating.

"Congratulations, Ash. You have defeated me," she admits.

Ash and Pikachu stop celebrating and turn to the old woman with friendly smiles.

"Thank you, Agatha," Ash says. "I really appreciate that you gave us the chance to try again."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agrees.

"You're welcome," Agatha says. "But I must warn you not to let it get to your head. You may have defeated one of my Pokemon, but you didn't defeat my entire team. Even if you win the Indigo League, it may take a very long time before you, and you're Pokemon are strong enough to take on a member of the Elite Four in a full battle. There's no guarantee that you might have the strength or the passion for taking on all of us and defeating Lance, the champion."

"Oh, I'll have the passion alright," Ash states proudly. "And if it takes a while to reach it, that's fine by me because nothing we do is a waste of time. I'll do whatever it takes to make each step to becoming a Pokemon Master."

Agatha chuckles softly at Ash's confidence.

"We shall see," she says. "If that day ever comes, I'll be waiting for you. Until then, I wish you the best of luck at the Indigo League."

"Thanks. My Pokemon and I are going to give it all we've got," Ash says.

"I will expect nothing less," Agatha says.

Thus, the old woman walks the four trainers and Pikachu and Absol out of the building and waves them goodbye as they walk away, heading back to the Pokemon Center. Once they are in a far enough distance from the gym, Ash shakes his fist into the air triumphantly.

"Yes!" He cheers. "Now, I feel ready to compete in the Indigo League again."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, shaking its fist into the air on Ash's shoulder.

Serena giggles with her mouth closed and smiles at Ash.

"I'm really happy for you, Ash," she says.

"Absol," Absol says.

"Thank you, Serena, but I really owe all of it to you," Ash says. "It's just like I said before, it was your idea for me to go on this journey. I don't want to think about what I would have done without you."

Serena is taken aback by what Ash says before Ash backs up with words with a toothy grin. Serena gives into the moment and smiles back, not minding that her cheeks are turning red. Brock and Holly turn to each other and secretly giggle at the moment between their friends. Eventually, Ash and Serena look away from each other to focus on the road as they walk, and Holly takes a moment to speak.

"Hey, Ash, you better take Agatha's words to heart because I still plan to win the Indigo League no matter what," she says.

"I thought it doesn't matter to you if you win or not," Ash says. "Don't you and Brock become...whatever it is you two become even if you lose?"

"Of course, Brock is my real prize, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't aim for the top as well," Holly says, ignoring Ash's density before turning to Brock. "Besides, a nice trophy for winning a Pokemon League sounds like a very nice thing to bring with me to Pewter City. Wouldn't you agree, handsome?"

"Whatever you say, beautiful," Brock says with a flirty smile.

The two adults giggle while Holly wraps her arm around Brock's arm. Ash stares at them, confused, but decides to drop it before turning to Serena.

"Well, in the meantime, it's time for us to grab our stuff at the Pokemon Center and go to the Indigo Plateau for the Grand Festival," he says with a grin.

Serena turns to Ash and smirks determinedly.

"That's right," she says before facing the road. "Look out, Grand Festival, here I come!"

Meanwhile, Agatha keeps watching the trainers and their Pokemon walk away until they are completely out of sight. As soon as they're gone, she frowns seriously as she walks back inside the gym. For deep down, despite her high hopes for Ash, her mind is disturbed from her conversation with Ritchie. The way the teenager described the former leader of the Viridian City gym sent shivers down the old woman's spine. Though she refused to tell Ritchie who she thinks it might be, she has little doubt in her heart that it's someone cruel.


	49. Chapter 49

Giovanni drums his fingers impatiently as he waits in his office. He recently gave Matori an order to gather every Team Rocket member in the area to the courtyard outside for a presentation. Dr. Zager and Agent Basker told him their machine is ready and so he decided to have every member available witness what it can do. The leader of the organization can barely keep his cool out of eagerness to get things underway even with Persian sitting next to him to keep him company.

Finally, a knock is heard from the door, and Matori lets herself in.

"Sir, all personnel is outside and awaiting your presence," she says.

"Good," Giovanni says. "Let's take a look."

Without another word, the man and his pet stand up and follow Matori out of the office. Giovanni keeps a stone-cold focused face as they enter an elevator and ride it down to the bottom level. When they exit the building, the courtyard is filled with two sets of Team Rocket members formed in lines like battalions of soldiers. Giovanni walks past them to the end of the courtyard, where the large machine is completely built. Standing in front of the large machine is Dr. Zager holding a portable device and Agent Basker.

Beside the machine is a large cage full of wild fire-type Pokemon. From Charmander, to Vulpix, to Ninetails, to Magmar, to Cyndaquil, to Houndoom, many fire Pokemon that can be found from the Kanto and Johto region that aren't the legendary Entei or Moltres have been beaten and locked inside the cage. Many of them are crying or howling out loud, wishing to be set free so that they can return to their homes in the wild. Some try to free themselves by scratching, biting, or using their various fire attacks. Try as they might, however, the cage is built to withstand any Pokemon move they can use. No one so much as glances at them to show any hint of remorse or wonder if they will be okay.

Giovanni stops walking in front of Dr. Zager and Agent Basker with Persian and Matori standing behind him. The two men salute their leader before Giovanni speaks.

"Gentleman, are you prepared for your test?" He asks.

"We are," Zager and Basker reply professionally.

Giovanni turns to Agent Basker directly and asks, "Are you recording this moment with your eye?"

Agent Basker lifts up his mechanical arm, presses a button, and his red mechanical eye lights up.

"I am now," he answers.

"Very well," Giovanni says before turning to Matori.

Matori gives her boss a simple nod before clearing her throat and turning to the hundreds of Team Rocket members.

"Members of Team Rocket, you have been ordered to come here to witness the testing of this machine," she shouts with a loud and firm voice. "For the very completion of this device that we have built marks the beginning of Team Rocket, completing its ultimate goal."

Many spectators turn to each other in confusion, clueless about what the machine they are looking at will do. Butch and Cassidy, who are standing in one of the front rows among the crowd, look at each other with devious smirks, excited to learn what is going to happen. Giovanni ignores the reactions, however, and simply turns to Dr. Zager and gives him a nod that the old man returns before turning to Agent Basker.

"Proceed," he says bluntly.

Agent Basker nods and turns to a cube-shaped object on the ground next to him covered by a cloth. He pulls the cloth away to reveal a frightened Vulpix trapped in a small, cramped cage. The tiny fox whimpers in fear as Agent Basker picks up the cage by the handle on top of it and walks to the center of the machine. Everyone watches him place the cage in the center of the large platform and walks back to join Dr. Zager, Giovanni, and Matori, leaving the Vulpix alone in the middle of the machine. The poor Pokemon's cries are sadly ignored as Dr. Zagar turns to the crowd.

"For the sake of the test, the distance of how far the electronic waves will only go as far as the headquarters grounds," he explains. "If any of you have fire-type Pokemon l expect you to have kept them inside the building in their Pokeballs as ordered, so they are not affected by the machine."

Butch, Cassidy, and the other Team Rocket members give the doctor sharp nods to show that they understand. Dr. Zagar nods back and holds up the device in his hand.

"Initializing in 5...4...3...2...1… engage," he says.

The doctor presses a button on his device, and the large machine lets out a soft humming sound. The Vuplix grows more afraid as electric orbs start to appear on the tip of the tall pillars surrounding the platform. The humming of the machine grows louder as the orbs get bigger. Finally, the orbs turn into large beams of electricity that shoot down at the caged Vulpix. The fox Pokemon can do nothing but scream in agony as the beams hit it all at once. The Pokemon inside the large cage turn to see the Vulpix getting tortured by the machine and start to grow angry. They all scream and call and try desperately to break free from their prison to save the helpless Vupix, but the cage is too durable for any Pokemon attack.

Suddenly, as the machine continues to hurt the Vulpix, the other fire Pokemon slowly stop trying to escape. Butch, Cassidy, and the other Team Rocket grunts turn to the large cage in confusion to find all the Pokemon inside standing in place like statues. It takes a moment before they realize that all the Pokemon's eyes are glowing red, and they are looking directly at Giovanni. The leader of Team Rocket grins evilly as he walks over to the cage with no signs of fear.

"Open the cage," he commands.

Agent Basker takes out a remote from his pocket and presses a button. The cage opens, but the Pokemon inside stay still with their eyes still glued to Giovanni.

"Pokemon, I command you to step forward!" Giovanni shouts.

Butch, Cassidy, and the other members of the crowd watch in shock as the fire Pokemon immediately walk, crawl, or slither forward obediently. Dr. Zager smirks, and Agent Basker tries to contain his giddiness while Matori and Persian remain unmoved. Giovanni, however, is grinning evilly, knowing exactly what command to say next.

"Bow to me," he orders.

Without hesitation, the Pokemon get down on their knees and bow their heads toward the leader of Team Rocket. A couple of Slugma and Magcargo simply bow their heads. The area is completely silent apart from the machine still electrocuting the little Vulpix as everyone else watches the display in shock. Giovanni's grin grows at the sight of so many Pokemon bowing to him.

"You all serve Team Rocket," he states. "If you wish to obey me for the rest of your days, fight each other until you're the last one standing right now."

Within a blink of an eye, all the fire-type Pokemon start fighting each other like mindless, rabid beasts. They scratch, bite, kick, or use various fire moves on each other. Some of the spectators are visibly disturbed by the way the Pokemon are attacking each other but hide their feelings out of fear of being seen as weak to their peers. Others even got down on their knees in a panic when a Chameleon's Flamethrower misses a Ponyta and nearly hits the Team Rocket members. All the while, Giovanni keeps standing tall, enjoying every moment of what is happening in front of him.

Finally, after five minutes of fighting, the fighting begins to die down with Pokemon fainting left and right. Slowly but surely, they all fall until the only one standing is a Charizard that is barely standing on its two feet. The lizard Pokemon roars triumphantly until the extent of its injuries takes its toll, and it collapses on its back. The area is once again silent except for the machine still torturing the poor Vulpix.

Giovanni keeps his cruel grin as he turns to the doctors who hand him a bag full of Pokeballs that are black on the top with a red 'R' in the middle. The leader of Team Rocket takes out a Pokeball and stares at the red 'R' on it before he presses the button and throws it at a Rapidash. One by one, he throws a Pokeball at the fainted Pokemon, and they all get sucked into a Pokeball. After jiggling a few times, the Pokeballs let out loud dings to show that the Pokemon have been captured. Butch, Cassidy, and the other members of Team Rocket's stare at the ground full of Pokeballs intently while Giovanni turns back to Dr. Zager.

"Turn off the machine," Giovanni says.

Zager nods and presses a button on the device, turning the large machine off. The Vuplix still whimpers weakly in pain while Giovanni turns to his followers and clears his throat before speaking in a loud, commanding voice.

"Members of Team Rocket," he begins. "You have just witnessed the very first step in the most important and final operation our organization will ever have to carry out."

His minions look at each other, confused before he continues.

"As some of you older members may recall, Team Rocket was created many years ago by my mother, whom you know better as Madame Boss," he continues. "For those of you who don't know, Madame Boss was a woman who loathed Pokemon but loved money. In her eyes, Pokemon were only good for selling to the highest bidder if Team Rocket found any that were very rare. The only Pokemon she would show any sort of interest to was the legendary Mew because she believed that she could use it to control the entire world. As a leader, I held her in high regard, but as a son, we had our...heh, heh, differences."

Some of the older Team Rocket members, including Dr. Zager, chuckle quietly before Giovanni continues.

"She was an effective leader who brought great wealth to our organization. There can be no denying that," Giovanni says. "But she was also a fool to just sell away such rare Pokemon making Team Rocket look like nothing more than a characterized band of poachers. She may have called me a 'brat boy' till the end, but I knew the truth: Pokemon are not items to sell away like jewels or ancient artifacts. They are not partners or our friends, and they are most certainly not our equals. No, Pokemon are tools. Tools put on this earth to serve us. That has always been the goal for Team Rocket under my leadership; to capture Pokemon that will be used to ultimately take over the world. And throughout the years, we have seen both success and failure. Many Pokemon have been stolen, but some operations have been made failures by pathetic and foolish circumstances. There's even one point that we became very close with my mission on Unova with controlling the Forces of Nature. Nothing else as ever come as close as that to obtain absolute dominance over every person and Pokemon in the world until now."

The crowd looks at each other confused again, unsure of what their leader means. Giovanni turns around, steps on the machine and walks over to the middle of the platform where the caged Vulpix still is and turns around to face his minions again.

"This machine is built based on Team Flare technology," he elaborates. "All it needs is a single Pokemon to be right where I am standing to use as a source to make all Pokemon of its type to obey the will of Team Rocket without question. The demonstration that you have witnessed had the machine set so that only fire-type Pokemon within close proximity were able to submit through this pitiful Vulpix, but at full power, this machine would have brainwashed every single fire type Pokemon in the entire world."

The members of Team Rocket gasp excitedly, understanding the full gravity of what they just witnessed. Dr. Zager and Agent Basker look at each other and smirk proudly over their accomplishment.

"Now, before any of you get any ideas of just placing random Pokemon of various types, I must make clear that it's not that simple," Giovanni clarifies. "If we had left this Vulpix in the machine any longer, it eventually would have died. It does not have the strength to control all the fire-type Pokemon in the world. In fact, only some of the most powerful legendary Pokemon who obtain an immortal life force has the capacity to be in the machine as long as we need it to be, and even then, those said Pokemon would only cover one or two types at best and so we would have control of only a fraction of all the Pokemon in the world."

Once again, the spectators are confused. Many of them feel discouraged by Giovanni's words while others secretly hope that he's getting somewhere with this information. Giovanni is unfazed with the way his people are acting and so clears his throat loudly to gain their undivided attention again before he steps off of the machine and continues.

"There is, however, one special Pokemon that not only has an immortal life force but can do exactly what we need it to do to complete our goal," he says. "Most of you have heard of this Pokemon in legends and images from stories. Many call it the Ancient One or the original one. Some say it's the very first Pokemon to ever have come out of existence. Others think it is a deity. A silly superstition, to say the least, but nevertheless states what incredible power it has compared to all other Pokemon in the world. I am of course talking about Arceus."

The crowd grows intrigued as Giovanni continues.

"While it's only a normal type Pokemon, it possesses in its body seventeen elemental plates - one for each of the other Pokemon types, to change into whatever type it desires," he says. "You may also have heard of the myth of the Gieldenstone, a white jewel shining in many colors that can force Arceus to obey the will of anyone who holds it. It is my pleasure to announce that as of this moment, group of Team Rocket members is heading to the location of an archeologist named Brandon who appears to have found the Gieldenstone."

The crowd becomes excited with this information as Giovanni finishes making his point with another maniacal grin.

"Therefore, if we take the Gieldenstone and use it to make Arceus, a Pokemon that has lived for so long with so much power come here to be used on this machine, then through the elemental plates in its body, we will have control over every single Pokemon on the entire world!" He shouts triumphantly. "All Pokemon will obey our will without question, and every person will forever bow to Team Rocket as the ruler of the world!"

All the Team Rocket members scream and cheer proudly and shake their fists in the air. Giovanni keeps his cruel grin as he watched his minions show their excitement before he continues.

"Now, go and prepare to move out!" He commands. "We leave in one hour!"

"Yes, sir!" Butch, Cassidy, and the rest of the people of Team Rocket shout before they all quickly disperse and go back inside the building to pack their things. Giovanni turns to Dr. Zagar, Matori, Agent Basker, and Persian, and the first three quickly salute.

"Dr. Zagar, my gratification in your accomplishment cannot be overstated," he says.

"Thank you, sir," Dr. Zagar says with a nod. "My team will stay here to have the machine ready for you when you return with Arceus."

Giovanni nods in approval.

"What about me?" Agent Basker asks childishly. "I am going there too. You promised me Durbin if I did my part in time."

Giovanni frowns disapprovingly at Agent Basker and says, "And so you will, Basker. I am a man of my word. But I must remind you that you are not to interfere with retrieving the Gieldenstone for the sake of your revenge."

Agent Basker smiles evilly and says, "Don't worry, sir. I plan to hold back until the moment you get your precious stone. The moment Arceus is in your clutches, that's when I will give Durbin what is coming to him."

"Very well," Giovanni says before turning to Matori. "Ready my chopper."

"Yes, sir," Matori says.

Without another word, Matori heads back to the building, followed by Agent Basker. Giovanni turns around and stares at the large machine with the Vulpix still there and grins maniacally again. Persian takes this moment to walk next to him and nudge his leg with a purr, and its master starts to pet the Pokemon without even looking at it, much to its pleasure.

"It's almost time, my pet," he says plainly. "It's almost time."


	50. Chapter 50

Serena has been working extra hard with her Pokemon as she, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly journey to Indigo Plateau. Day after day, the honey blonde girl practices in the morning before the group starts walking, when they take a break for lunch, and at night before going to bed. No one has said a word to her about it because they know she's determined to make sure she's ready for the Grand Festival. Even when they're walking down the road, Serena has a cheerful yet determined look in her eyes.

Finally, the four trainers and Pikachu make their way to the top of a hill where they can see all of Indigo Plateau. Holly and Serena run ahead of Ash, Brock, and Pikachu to look in awe of the various buildings and the large lake.

"Wow, all of this is Indigo Plateau?" Holly asks.

"Sure is," Brock answers, smiling. "In fact, that stadium closest to us is the Indigo Stadium. That's where you and Ash will be if you make it past the preliminaries."

"Oh, I will make it past the preliminaries, alright," Holly claims. "I'm going to battle in that stadium, and you're going to cheer me on."

"I'm counting on it," Brock says, giving Holly a side hug.

"Hey, Serena, you see that stadium standing close to the lake?" Ash says, earning a nod from Serena. "That's the Auxiliary Stage. And the building at the far right corner with the big Pokeball symbol is the Main Stage. The preliminaries take place in both of them, but the main competition is at the Main Stage."

"Wow, is that how they handled allowing two hundred and seventy people to compete when you came here to watch May to compete?" Serena asks.

"Yup," Ash says with a nod. "And I bet there will be many more people competing with newcomers like you and Dawn and people from previous contest seasons who didn't win all five ribbons in time."

"Yeah, but only sixty-four of those people will actually compete in the main competition," Brock says.

"Fine by me," Serena says confidently. "Because I'm going to make it to the main competition, and I intend to win the whole thing with everybody loving every performance my Pokemon and I do along the way."

"That's what I like to hear, Serena," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says, smiling.

"Then let's not waste any more time!" Serena shouts. "Let's get over there already!"

"Right!" Ash, Brock, and Holly says simultaneously before they all run downhill to their destination.

The four trainers and Pikachu make their way to the Main Stage building where already many coordinators are either outside practicing with their Pokemon or standing in three separate lines outside the front entrance to enter into the festival. The gang waits for almost an hour and a half until they make it to the front desk where Serena shows the woman behind the desk all five of her ribbons and inserts her Pokedex in a slot to register Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol into the competition. Once Serena is all set to compete, the group gets out of the line, and Ash turns to the honey blonde girl.

"So what do you want to do?" he asks. "We could go see if May, Max, and Dawn have arrived. Maybe Bonnie, Clemont, and your mom have made it here too."

Serena smiles and says, "That sounds wonderful, but why don't you guys go ahead and look. I need to make a phone call."

"Huh? To who?" Brock asks.

"Palermo," Serena says. "I just realized that in all the excitement, I haven't called her at all to let her know how I'm doing in Kanto."

"That's a good idea," Ash says. "You better do that since she was the one who suggested that you compete in Pokemon contests."

"Exactly," Serena agrees. "So, you go on ahead and look for everyone else while I make the call."

"Sound good," Holly says.

Thus, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu exit the building while Serena finds a wall full of video phones that are being used, sits down in front of an empty one and enters Palermo's number. It rings a couple of times before Palermo appears on the screen.

"_Serena, so good to hear from you,_" she says calmly. "_To what do I owe this call?_"

Serena smiles and takes out her ribbon case to show all five of her ribbons.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm about to enter the Kanto Grand Festival," she announces. "I just registered with all five contest ribbons I've won."

"_That's wonderful news,_" Palermo says with a smile. "_Was it hard to get used to competing in contests as opposed to showcases?_"

"It was a little hard, but once I started to get the hang of it, it started to become fun," Serena answers. "I've learned a lot throughout my journey, and I've been growing stronger with Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and my new Pokemon, Poliwag, and Absol."

"_Excellent,_" Palermo says. "_It sounds like entering in Pokemon contests have proven to be as beneficial to you as I've hoped._"

"Yes, ma'am, it really has," Serena says. "I aim to make it all the way to the top."

"_That's what I like to hear,_" Palermo says with a small but sincere smile. "_Have you thought about what you're going to do after you compete?_"

Serena's smile suddenly falters at that question. Her confidence seems to disappear before she looks away hesitantly.

"Well...uh… I haven't really thought about that," she admits.

"_That's okay,_" Palermo says. "_It's clear that you've been focusing on making it all the way to the Grand Festival, and it's probably for the best that you keep your eyes on the competition for right now. You should think about what you're going to do next after the festival, okay?_"

Serena smiles, feeling a little better.

"Okay, I will," she says.

"_Good,_" Palermo says with a small nod. "_Now give it everything you've got out there, Serena. I'm counting on you._"

"I will," Serena replies. "Give my best to Aria."

"_Will do. Good luck_," Palermo says.

Palermo disappears from the screen, and Serena stands up to meet the others outside. Once she is outside, she only has a moment to look for her friends before she hears a little girl screaming her name.

"Serena!"

Serena turns around just in time to see a familiar girl with bright blond hair jump into her arms and give the honey blonde girl the biggest hug an eight-year-old child can muster while happily laughing out loud. Serena takes a moment to realize what is happening before she smiles brightly and hugs her friend back.

"Oh, Bonnie, it's so good to finally see you again!" she says happily.

"You too!" Bonnie exclaims as she pulls back to give her older friend a toothy smile. "I can't wait to see you perform!"

"I can't either," Serena says with a chuckle.

Serena looks past Bonnie to see that Clemont is standing a few yards away from them while having a conversation with Ash, Brock, and Holly. Serena breaks her hug with Bonnie as she continues their conversation.

"So you have already met Brock and Holly?" she asks.

"Sure have," Bonnie says. "They're so cute together. I love how they're waiting until the Indigo League to officially get together. So romantic!"

"I know. Isn't it great?" Serena says.

Bonnie nods before she gives Serena a playful look.

"Speaking of romantic, how did it go with admitting your feelings with Ash?" Bonnie asks.

Serena's pupils shrink, and a blush emerges on her face before she looks away nervously.

"It...hasn't happened," she admits.

"What?! Are you kidding me?!" Bonnie shouts, annoyed. "How did you go on another journey with him and never once try to admit your feelings like you said you would?!"

"There just wasn't a good time," Serena says nervously. "After Ash decided to join me on my journey, I focused more on my goal with competing in Pokemon contests and supporting him with his rematches at various gyms throughout Kanto. And even then, he appears to be just as clueless about those kinds of feelings as ever."

"Aw, come on, Serena. You need to be more confident than that," Bonnie rebukes childishly. "I hoped you would be kissing by the time Clemont and I would see you two again."

Serena's blush grows, and she looks away from her small friend, playing with her fingers.

"Well...I might have kissed him once on the cheek...and then again on the cheek in front of our friends," she says bashfully.

Bonnie's face turns from pouty to filled with excitement as she screams, "You did?! When?!"

"Well, we were going back to our room at a Pokemon Center one night, and he fell asleep complimenting me on my cooking, and I felt so touched that I kissed him on the cheek," Serena explains. "A little while later, I told our friends May and Dawn, and they pushed me into kissing him publicly and formally thanking him for the compliment and for all of his support."

"And what did Ash do about that kiss?" Bonnie asks ecstatic.

Serena sighs and says, "He just said that I didn't need to thank him, and that's what friends are for."

"Oh, come on!" Bonnie shouts before sighing in defeat. "Ash really is one dense guy."

"Tell me about it," Serena moans.

The two of them sigh simultaneously and stand around in silence before Serena realizes something.

"Hey, have either of you seen my mom? She said she was coming here too," she asks.

"Oh yeah, she came here with us," Bonnie answers, smiling again. "She left a while ago to book us a couple of rooms while Clemont and I look for you."

"I see," Serena says with a smile. "And how is Dedenne?"

Bonnie smiles brightly and holds up her yellow pouch.

"Dedenne, look who it is!" she says.

It takes a moment before a familiar little mouse Pokemon wakes up and emerges from the pouch before turning to Serena and smiles brightly.

"De, ne, ne, ne!" Dedenne says happily before it jumps out of the bag and into Serena's arms.

"I'm glad to see you too, Dedenne," Serena says as she hugs the little Pokemon.

"Hey, Serena," Clemont says as he, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Holly walk over to her, Bonnie and Dedenne. Dedenne jumps out of Serena's arms and starts playing with Pikachu while the boy with glasses approaches Serena.

"Clemont. So good to see you," Serena says happily.

"You too," Clemont says with a friendly smile. "Are you all set to compete?"

"I sure am. I just registered a few minutes ago," Serena answers. "Now we're just waiting for our other friends, May, Max, and Dawn."

Clemont nods before he turns around and looks in confusion.

"Speaking of your friend, Dawn, is that her at the end of that line over there?" he asks, pointing past Serena.

Everyone else turns to where Clemont is pointing, and Ash and Serena's faces light up to see Dawn and Piplup standing at the very back of one of the lines. The two of them don't hesitate to run over to her while everyone else follows behind.

"Dawn!" Serena calls out.

"Hey, Dawn!" Ash shouts.

Dawn looks in confusion until she spots her friends running toward her. She smiles happily as Serena runs over to hug her before she and Ash exchange a high five. Pikachu and Dedenne run over to Piplup, and the three of them start playing together.

"Hey, you guys. Nice to see you have made it," Dawn says before turning to the blonde siblings. "And if I recall correctly, you two are Clemont and Bonnie. Am I right?"

"That's right," Clemont answers. "Nice to meet you in person, Dawn."

"Yeah, same here," Bonnie says excitedly. "I have so many questions to ask you."

"Huh? You do?" Dawn asks.

"Of course," Bonnie replies before she leans closer to Dawn and mutters, "Mostly questions revolving around Serena and her pursuit of a certain dense someone."

Serena overhears what she's saying and gives Bonnie a disapproving glare. Dawn smirks at the little girl as a silent way of saying, "I'm going to like you. I can tell." Ash and Clemont, however, look at the three girls in confusion while Brock and Holly smirk at each other, having a good idea of what Bonnie secretly said. Serena pouts bitterly at the way things are turning against her favor and decides to change the subject.

"Dawn, have you seen May and Max around yet?" she asks.

Dawn smiles and says, "I have. In fact, May already registered this morning. She and Max are waiting for me at the Pokemon Center. We were planning to find you guys afterward if I didn't find you while waiting like I did right now."

"Excellent," Clemont says. "Then since Bonnie and I were looking for Ash and Serena while Serena's mom is booking rooms for us, let's all go to the Pokemon Center together to meet up with her and your friends, May and Max."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Brock says.

"Me too," Ash says.

"Alright, Dawn. We'll all wait until you have registered," Serena says.

Dawn nods before she turns to the line and sighs sadly.

"Well, I'll be waiting for a while, so why don't we catch up while we wait?" Dawn suggests. "You guys can tell me how things went with Timothy's battle with Anabel."

"Great idea," Ash says excitedly. "It was such an awesome battle. You really missed out."

"Timothy, as in Ash's rival for the Indigo League?" Clemont asks.

"That's right," Dawn says. "Now stop advertising it, Ash, and tell me everything already."

It took a couple of hours until Dawn finally made it to the end of the line, and by the time she finished registering, it has started to get dark, and Ash's stomach is growling for food. Thus, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Dedenne, Dawn, Brock, and Holly all walk together to the Indigo Plateau's seven-story Pokemon Center. As soon as they enter the building, Grace is revealed to have been waiting for them in the lobby, and Serena doesn't hesitate to run over to her mother to give her a hug.

"Oh, Mom, it's so good to see you," Serena says.

"It's so good to see you too, dear," Grace says before turning to Ash with a smirk. "Glad to see you've been taking good care of my daughter, young man."

"Don't worry, ma'am, Serena hasn't been needed to be taken care of," Ash assures. "She's been taking care of herself just fine throughout our journey."

"Oh, really?" Grace says, turning to Serena with an impressed smirk.

"It's true, Mom," Serena says. "Although, the food would not have been so good without Brock traveling with us."

"Brock?" Grace asks, confused.

"That's me, madame," Brock says, politely stepping in. "I'm Brock from Pewter City, and this is my future girlfriend, Holly."

"Hi. Nice to meet you," Holly greets.

"Same to you," Grace says before giving the young adults a look of confusion. "But what do you mean, future girlfriend?"

But before Brock or Holly could say anything, May and Max come running towards everyone.

"Hey, you guys!" May calls out before she runs over to Serena for a hug.

"What took you so long?" Max asks.

"The lines were pretty long by the time I got there," Dawn complains. "I think I might have been too late to register if I took any longer to arrive."

"Well, the important thing is we're all here now," May says with a smile before turning to Clemont and Bonnie. "And who might you two be?"

"We're friends of Ash and Serena from the Kalos region," Clemont answers with a friendly smile. "My name is Clemont."

"Bonnie's my name, and this is Dedenne," Bonnie says while holding out her pouch to show her friend.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne says.

Max's eyes widen and walks closer to Bonnie to look closer at Dedenne.

"Wow, so this is a Dedenne?" he asks. "I've never seen or heard of one before. What type is it?"

"Dedenne is a fairy and electric type," Bonnie answers proudly.

"Amazing," Max says as he adjusts his glasses while examining Dedenne. "So is Dedenne, your partner?"

Bonnie hesitates before she admits, "Not yet. Dedenne is currently Clemont's Pokemon until I'm old enough to become a trainer. Though I wish I were old enough already."

Max looks at the girl and smiles.

"I can relate to that. I actually just became a trainer a few months ago," he says.

Bonnie's eyes light up, and she steps closer to Max while hugging her bag containing Dedenne.

"You did?!" she asks excitedly. "Do you have any gym badges."

"Yup," Max states proudly as he takes out his badge case and reveals he has all eight badges. "I just got my last badge before we came here."

"That's awesome, Max," Ash says, stepping in. "Now, we can face each other at the Indigo League."

"Yep, and I can't wait for that, Ash," Max says with a smile.

"Oh, can I see your Pokemon?" Bonnie begs, "Please, please, please, please pleeeeaaaassseee?!"

Max hesitates at the abrupt request but ultimately gives in at the way Bonnie is begging with her big, blue eyes.

"Uh...yeah sure," he says, chuckling nervously before he tosses six Pokeballs into the air. "Come out, everyone!"

The six balls open in mid-air and out comes a Sceptile, Gallade, Rhydon, Kabotops, Arcanine, and Pinsir. Bonnie's eyes light up and immediately runs over to Arcanine to pet it happily.

"They're all so cute!" she giggles. "Especially this, Arcanine!"

Arcanine growls, enjoying the affection.

"Huh? You find all of my Pokemon to be cute?" Max says, failing to see how the girl could find his other five Pokemon to be cute.

"Bonnie has special taste when it comes to finding Pokemon to be attractive," Clemont says with a nervous chuckle. "Having said that, you seem to have a very strong team, Max."

"I'll say," Ash says. "It's awesome to know that Grovyle is a Sceptile and that you did find a Dawn Stone."

"Yep. Not to mention Rhyhorn is a Rhydon so that it won't be going after Serena again," Max says, giving his rock-and-ground-type Pokemon a disapproving glare.

Rhydon looks away bashfully, and Serena covers her mouth to hide a chuckle, overhearing their conversation. Bonnie keeps on petting Arcanine until she realizes something and walks over to Max.

"Hey, can any of your Pokemon mega evolve?" she asks, her face leaning close to Max's face.

Max's eyes widen, and his cheeks turn slightly pink at how close Bonnie is. He takes a step away from the little girl and clears his throat.

"I'm afraid not," he says. "I wish I could find a keystone and the mega stones I need for Sceptile, Gallade, and Pinsir to mega evolve."

"That makes sense since most mega stones are only in the Kalos region," Clemont says, giving Max a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, but even so, I love my team, and we're all determined to win the Indigo League," Max says before turning to his Pokemon. "Right, guys?"

Sceptile, Gallade, Rhydon, Kabutops, Arcanine, and Pinsir all let out proud cries.

"Right, that's the spirit, Max," Ash compliments. "But remember, I'm not planning to lose to you."

"I'm counting on that, Ash," Max says.

But before anyone can say anything else, Ash's stomach suddenly begins to rumble loud enough for the entire group to hear, and he chuckles nervously.

"Sorry, everyone. Guess it's time for dinner."

Everyone chuckles before Grace steps in.

"In that case, let's all go out to eat," she suggests.

"Sounds good to me," Brock says.

"Me too," Holly says.

May's stomach begins to grumble, and she moans before she says, "Me three."

After Max returns his Pokemon back into their Pokeballs, everyone goes to a restaurant not far from the Pokemon Center and combines a couple of tables so that the three adults and seven kids can eat together while Brock gives Pikachu, Piplup, and Dedenne each a bowl of Pokemon food. Grace eats close to Brock, Holly, and Ash to hear about the two soon-to-be couple and everything the three of them have been through on their journey. Clemont and Max sit close to Ash so that the three boys can talk nonstop about Pokemon battles and the Indigo League. At the end of the table, Bonnie, Serena, Dawn, and May sit together, and Bonnie is asking all sorts of questions to Dawn and May about Serena's feelings for Ash.

"So it was all your idea to get Serena to kiss Ash while he is wide awake, May?" Bonnie asks, invested.

"Yup. I made a bet that if she lost the contest battle against me or if she refused the challenge, then I would come over to Ash and peck him on the cheek," May answers. "She may have beaten me to it even though she lost the battle against me, but hey, if it got my friend to take a step toward confessing her feelings for Ash, that's fine by me."

Bonnie looks at May in awe as if the coordinator from Hoenn did an amazing magic trick in front of the little girl.

"That's genius!" she praises. "I wish I thought of that. Maybe I could have gotten our friends Shauna and Nini to try something like this ages ago. Maybe Miette would have helped too."

"No!" Serena shrieks.

Bonnie, May, and Dawn turn to her, and she clears her throat, embarrassed from her outburst.

"I mean, I'm sure I don't need someone like Miette to help me with my predicament," she says calmly.

"Oh, Serena, who are you kidding?" Dawn says, shaking her head. "At this rate, you'll need the whole world to help you say how you feel about him."

"But then again, if it takes the whole world to get her to say it, how much will it take to stop Ash from being so dense?" May asks with a sigh. "Let's face it, girls, our friend needs a miracle or two."

"Well, I'm not giving up," Bonnie declares. "I'm going to make sure my friend says something to the guy she likes before Clemont, and I go home if it's the last thing I do."

Serena sighs, slightly annoyed by her friend's persistence, but she soon smiles appreciatively, knowing Bonnie wants to support her just like May and Dawn.

"That's the spirit, Bonnie," May says cheerfully until she realizes something. "Speaking of which, though, have you or Ash talked about what you two are going to do after the Indigo League?"

Serena winces and looks away sadly.

"No, we haven't," she says. "In fact, I don't even know what I'm going to do to further pursue my goal after the Grand Festival."

"Really?" Dawn says.

"Well, that should be easy, shouldn't it?" Bonnie says optimistically. "After you compete in the Grand Festival and Ash competes in the Indigo League, you two can just go compete in the Pokemon contest and league in another region, right?"

"Maybe," Serena says. "But I don't know if Ash will want that."

"Why wouldn't he?" Dawn asks. "I mean, his dream is to become a Pokemon Master, right?"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he's going to reenter every single league he's competed at, allowing me to keep traveling with him," Serena says. "I'm worried that we may have to part ways eventually. He means so much to me, but if I go with him to someplace just for the sake of being with him even if that path doesn't benefit my dream, I feel like I would be betraying everything I've become."

Bonnie, May, and Dawn stare at their friend silently. Neither of them know how to respond to what Serena has said. Eventually, May takes Serena's hand and gives the honey blonde girl a supportive look.

"I still think you should tell him sometime, Serena," she says. "You may not get to keep traveling together, but you may regret it if you never tell him anything."

Serena frowns and looks down at her food.

"I suppose you're right," she admits. "I would never forgive myself if I never say anything after everything we've been through."

Bonnie and Dawn nod in agreement and pat their friend in the back. Serena gives all three girls an appreciative smile before they all go back to their food. The four of them eat for a couple of minutes before a waiter walks over to May.

"Excuse me, ma'am," he says. "But I was asked to give you this."

May looks at him in confusion as the waiter takes out a deep red rose and hands it to her. The brunette girl holds it out and looks at it in awe before turning to the waiter.

"You were asked to give this to me?" she asks.

"Yes, ma'am," the waiter answers. "A young boy told me to give this to you and says he hopes to face you again at the festival."

Without another word, the waiter walks away, leaving the four girls confused.

"Some guy who is competing at the festival gave you a rose?" Bonnie asks.

"Who would do something like that?" Serena asks.

"Maybe it's a secret admirer," Dawn says with a teasing smirk.

May's pupils shrink, and she gasps sharply in realization.

"Oh my goodness, I know who sent this," she says.

"Who?" Dawn, Bonnie, and Serena ask at the same time.

"My rival, Drew," May answers. "He tends to give me a rose before a competition."

"Oh, just you?" Bonnie asks with a teasing grin. "Sounds like he likes you, May."

A blush forms on May's face, and she bashfully plays with the soft leaf attached to the stem of her rose.

"It...it's not like that, you guys," she says.

"Oh, really? Your blush says otherwise," Dawn says with a grin.

"Come on, May, tell us about him. What's he like?" Serena asks, smiling.

"I'm not telling," May says defensively. "You'll just have to find out at the Grand Festival.

"Aw, come on, don't be like that, May," Bonnie says with a pout. "You just told Serena to be open about her feelings for Ash, so you should lead an example and tell us how you feel about this guy."

"Yeah, come on, May. Tell us about Drew," Dawn says. "What's he like? Is he good looking? Is he charming? Has he implied to have any feelings for you?"

May struggles to respond to either of Dawn's questions. She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing but incoherent sounds come out of her mouth. Dawn, Bonnie, and Serena all wait for their friend to answer with Serena secretly glad that this turn of events has turned the focus away from her problem. But as May tries to answer, another waiter walks over to their table and clears his throat to gain their attention.

"Excuse me, madames," he says, eyeing May and Serena. "I have been asked to give you these."

The waiter takes out two black roses with thorns covering the stems, startling May and Serena before they awkwardly take them by the leaves. Dawn looks at May's black rose in confusion while Bonnie gets off her seat and walks over to Serena's side to observe her rose.

"What a strange-looking rose," Dawn says.

"Do you have any idea who would want to give that to you, Serena?" Bonnie asks.

"No, I don't," Serena answers. "I don't know anyone who would -"

But before Serena could finish her sentence, both roses explode, making all four girls jump in alarm, and little springs stick out from the center of the roses.

"What in the world is this?" Serena asks.

"Oh, no," May says, staring at her black rose in horror.

"What? What is it?" Dawn asks.

"I know who sent this," May says fearfully. "Oh, I was hoping Harley wasn't going to compete."

"Harley?" Serena asks, confused.

"Harley is this really strange coordinator with effeminate mannerisms," May explains. "He has a tendency to humiliate his opponents publically and purposely give inaccurate information to them. The last time I competed at the Kanto Grand Festival, he decided to cross-dress as me, and it was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in my life. Oh, I'm not ready to deal with him again."

"But why would he give me a rose?" Serena asks, confused. "I've never met anyone that fits this Harley's description before."

"He may have seen you compete in Pokemon contests," May says. "Maybe he sees you as a formidable foe and wants to show you that you're as much his target as I am."

"Uh, that doesn't sound good," Dawn says.

"It's horrible," May says before giving Serena a worried look. "Serena, whatever you do, don't listen to a word Harley says. If he tries anything to embarrass you, fight through it. It's just his own dirty means to get to you. I don't care if he somehow finds out how you feel about Ash and tries to use it against you. If he does anything, don't let him get to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Serena says while still not entirely sure what May means.

"Good," May says, feeling a little better. "Now, with that said, let's give it our all tomorrow, girls. We can't let petty tricks like this get the better of us."

"Right," Serena and Dawn say before the three of them, and Bonnie go back to their food.

The next day, everyone gets up bright and early for breakfast at the Pokemon Center before they all head over to the Main Stage building. Grace and May hug Serena and Max, respectively, while Ash gives Dawn a high five. The three girls follow the other coordinators to the backstage while Grace, Max and Ash head to the stands with Brock, Holly, Clemont, and Bonnie. May, Dawn, and Serena walk over to a contest official, asking to direct them on which building they will be competing in during the preliminary round between the Main Hall and the Auxiliary Stage. The official looks them up on his clipboard and smiles as he says that all three of them are scheduled to perform at the Main Stage. So the three of them stay in the waiting room with countless other coordinators while they wait patiently for the contest to start.

Finally, after about half an hour of waiting, the TVs on the walls turn on to reveal fireworks exploding in the sky and the audience from both stadiums cheering. Lilian appears on stage and turns on her mic before speaking.

"_Good morning, all you wonderful contest fans!_" she begins. "_It's time to witness the love between some very talented coordinators and their Pokemon! The Indigo Plateau Grand Festival is about to get underway, so let's do it!_"

The audience screams in excitement as Lilian continues.

"_Folks, you're in for Kanto's biggest Grand Festival yet!_" she says. "_We have a grand total of three hundred and fifteen coordinators putting their reputations on the line_!"

"Wow, three hundred and fifteen?" Dawn says in amazement. "That's insane!"

"You can say that again," Serena says.

"_And the person who comes out on top gets the ribbon trophy!_" Lilian says as she shows a large, golden trophy standing on top of a brown table. "_This trophy shows everyone around the world that the owner is Top Coordinator! And we're here to find out who that is!_"

"That is a big trophy," Serena comments.

"Oh, I can't wait to bring that beauty back home to Twinleaf Town," Dawn says in a giddy voice.

"We'll see who wins the trophy, Dawn," May says with a smirk.

"_And now it's time to introduce some familiar faces_!" Lilian says. "_First, we have the beloved head of the organizing committee, Mr. Contesta! Next, we have the head of the Pokemon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo! Third, we have Indigo Plateau's very own Nurse Joy! And last but not least, we have a return special guest judge who is the emcee for the Hoenn contests and my big sister, Vivian!_"

The crowd cheers loudly for all four judges. The judges all smile and wave, with all of them expressing their excitement for the Grand Festival. Suddenly, May, Dawn, and Serena see a little girl running toward Vivian on TV, and they all look in shock to see that it's Bonnie.

"What in the world is Bonnie doing there?" Dawn asks.

Serena chuckles nervously and says, "I think I have a good idea."

The three of them stare at the TV as Bonnie tugs Vivian's dress, earning the woman's attention and gets down on one knee.

"_Excuse me, Vivian, you're a keeper! Please take care of my big brother, Clemont!_" Bonnie asks out loud, holding out her hand with a smile. "_Clemont can be a big goof sometimes, so he needs someone like you to take care of him. You could be my big brother's wife, okay?_"

Everyone on the stage turns to Bonnie and stares at her awkwardly. Suddenly, Clemont runs over to the stage, wearing his large backpack with his face blood red.

"_BONNIE, I TOLD YOU TO STOP THIS A MILLION TIMES!_" He screams.

He presses a button, and his mechanical Aipom arm comes out of his backpack and picks up Bonnie. He starts running away as fast as he can, carrying Bonnie away.

"_I hope you'll think about it!_" Bonnie calls out cheerfully.

"_IGNORE HER! THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING!_" Clemont wails in humiliation.

"Uh...I take it this happened a lot when you were traveling with them?" May asks Serena.

"Oh yes," Serena says, shaking her head. "Honestly, I should have considered the possibility that Bonnie would do that."

On TV, the stadium is completely silent for several seconds until Lilian clears her throat and tries to regain the energy.

"_Anyway, it's time for the preliminary round where all of our three hundred and fifteen contestants have the chance to show off their Pokemon's favorite moves!_" she shouts.

It takes a moment before the audience eventually begin to cheer and applaud again at her announcement.

"_So while we bring our coordinators onto our two big stages, let's also bring out three of our fabulous Nurse Joys who will be doing the honor of grading all our Pokemon!_" Lilian continues as three Nurse Joy appears on the Auxiliary stage. "_Based on the result of their grades combined by the results from their judges, we will reduce the field to an elite group of sixty-four coordinators who will return tomorrow!_"

"Wow, so two hundred and fifty-one are only going to perform once and get sent home?" Dawn says.

"That's right. And during this round, we can only show off one move from one of our Pokemon," May says.

"Only one?!" Serena and Dawn say simultaneously.

"Only one," May repeats. "So, if you two want to make it to the next round with me, then you better think about what move you want to use to get yourself there."

Dawn and Serena look at each other in shock before they look away to immediately start thinking of what Pokemon to use and what move to focus on while Lilian speaks again.

"_Without further ado, let's get round one started where only the elite meet and compete!_" she announces. "_So sit back, and let's watch some talented coordinators as they show off their most brilliant moments! So let's get busy!_"

The spectators from both stadiums let out a deafening cheer as the roof of the Main Stage stadium opens to reveal the bright blue sky, and a girl enters the stage and tosses a Pokeball to reveal a Bellossom. From the TV next to the one that May, Dawn, and Serena have been watching from, a teenage boy enters the stage and takes out a Pupitar from his Pokeball. The three girls and all the coordinators standing behind them watch intently as the Bellossom and Pupitar amaze the audience with a Petal Dance and Hyper Beam, respectively. As the crowd cheers and the judges give the coordinators good scores, Serena frowns and thinks hard about what she's going to do.

"_Who am I going to choose, and what move will I use?_" she thinks. "_I could have Braixen use Flamethrower to create a large circle of fire. Maybe make a field of blue stones with Pancham's Stone Edge? Sylveon with Swift? Make another big bubble with Poliwag? Maybe Night Slash or Perish Song with Absol? What do I do?_"

The honey blonde girl moans quietly, feeling like she's giving herself a headache from all the worry. She turns to her friends to see that Dawn is also showing a hint of unease in her eyes as she watches the performances. May, on the other hand, appears to be focused, already knowing what move she's going to use and with what Pokemon. Serena grows nervous at the way May is displaying confidence before she shakes her head and tries to keep it together.

"_I can't worry about who I'm going to choose,_" she thinks to herself. "_What's important is that I trust in my Pokemon and give everyone a performance that will fill them with joy. I need to think less about what I can do just to wow the judges and more on how I can make everyone beam in happiness. I just need to think about what would be the best move to do it._"

She thinks hard and long about her decision as coordinators from both stadiums show their Pokemon's moves. One by one, they give it their all with the scores varying mostly between seventy to ninety-one points. As they watch the competition, a backstage person comes to Serena.

"Serena, you're going to be up in three minutes," he says.

"Okay, thank you," Serena says politely.

May and Dawn turn to their friend, and May says, "Give it everything you've got, Serena."

"Yeah, and don't forget to smile," Dawn adds.

"I won't, Dawn. I promise," Serena says with a smile as she follows the backstage person down the hall.

At the end of the hall, another coordinator is waiting to go into the field. As one coordinator renters the hall after competing and the person in front of Serena runs on stage, Serena mentally makes her decision of what to do when it's her turn. She takes out a Pokeball and holds it close to her while she watches the coordinator on stage surprises the crowd with his Yanma using Ancient Power. The crowd cheers, and the judge gives him a score of eighty-seven before he exits the stage, and Lilian steps up.

"And now, from all the way from Vaniville Town in the Kalos region, it's Serena!" She shouts.

Serena takes a deep breath before she runs into the stage with a big smile. She gives the audience a happy wave before she throws her Pokeball into the air.

"Go, Sylveon!" She shouts.

The Pokeball opens, and Sylveon does several flips before landing on the ground perfectly for everyone to see.

"Sylveon, use Fairy Wind just like we practiced!" Serena instructs.

Sylveon puts its feelers together and summons a pink gust of wind. The gust of wind grows bigger and bigger until Sylveon has created a tornado of pink wind large enough to reach the top stands of the stadium for everyone to see. The judges and the audience watch in awe as the tornado keeps spinning in pink dust that starts to sparkle in different colors. Finally, with a gesture from both of Serena's hands, Sylveon lifts up its feelers, and the tornado rises up to nearly touching the ceiling before it separates into smaller orbs, and they all explode into giant, pink fireworks. The audience oohs and aahs in amazement before Serena and Sylveon make a pose, and the audience roars in applause. The judges join in the applause and give Serena a total score of ninety-two. The honey blonde girl and her beloved Pokemon give the audience a bow before they run back into the hall, and Serena returns Sylveon to its Pokeball. With a thrilled smile on her face, Serena makes it back to the waiting room where May and Dawn are waiting for her.

"Serena, that was amazing!" Dawn praises.

"Yeah, I've never seen Fairy Wind used that way," May compliments. "And that was a really good score too."

"Thank you, you guys," Serena says happily. "I honestly feel wonderful. I'm so glad to have done that with Sylveon."

"I bet. I'm sure you made it to the next round, no problem," Dawn says. "In fact, I better aim to get a score just as high if not higher."

"I wouldn't worry about how high Serena's score is yet, Dawn," May advises. "But I admit Serena's chances are good with a ninety-two score."

Serena nods and turns to Dawn, who suddenly has a serious look on her face. Serena looks at her friend, puzzled until she turns to where Dawn is looking and gasps. In the TV that's showing the performances at the Auxiliary Stage, Giselle is standing tall and proud as her Espeon releases a powerful Psybeam.

"Looks like Giselle got her last two ribbons just in time," Dawn says dryly.

"So this is the girl, Giselle that you were taking about, Serena?" May asks.

"Yes, that's her," Serena answers. "And I wouldn't put it past her if she is really hoping to face me again here."

"I see," May says.

Just then, another backstage person approaches Dawn and says, "Dawn, it's going to be your turn soon."

"Okay, I'll be right there," Dawn says before turning to her friends. "Alright, it's my time to shine. Wish me luck, guys."

"Good luck, Dawn," Serena says, smiling.

"Knock them dead, Dawn," May encourages.

Dawn gives them a gleeful smile before she follows the backstage person to the end of the hall. Once the blunette girl is out of sight, May and Serena turn back to the TVs where the judges just gave Giselle a score of ninety.

"Looks like she's likely going to make it to the next round," Serena sighs.

May nods in agreement and continues watching until her eyes widen, and she groans.

"Oh great, there's Harley," she moans.

Serena looks at her friend in confusion before the looks at the TV showing the Auxiliary Stage again to find a tall man with purple hair dressed to look like a Cacturne entering the stage, blowing kisses at the crowd in an over-the-top manner. He moves like a ballerina as he tosses a Pokeball into the air, and it opens to reveal a Banette. The Banette raises its arms, and three blue balls of flames appear around it. Before the crowd has a moment to admire the display, the man's Banette suddenly eats all three balls of fire in one bite, and it takes a couple of seconds before the ghost Pokemon's body is surrounded in flames. The Banette starts dancing in circles while still on fire while the purple-haired man watches happily with his hands clasped together like a mother watching her child in a school play. The crowd applauds, the judges give him a score of ninety-one, and the man laughs joyously in a high-pitched voice before returning Banette into its Pokeball and leaving the stage.

Serena frowns before turning to May, who is visibly unsettled.

"So, that's the guy who gave us those roses?" Serena asks. "I hate to admit it, but he's good."

"I know," May whines with dread filling her voice. "He's a good coordinator, but he's unpredictable as a person. I just wish he wouldn't keep going to the same competitions I compete in. And I especially wish he didn't pick you to be another one of his targets."

Serena gives her friend a sad smile and says, "Don't worry, May. I won't let whatever this Harley has up his sleeve get the better of me. I'm going to keep in mind everything you said about him last night. I promise."

"I hope you do, Serena," May says seriously. "And I really hope he gets disqualified from the competition, the sooner, the better."

Serena nods before the two of them go back to watching the TVs just in time to see Dawn enter the stage. Their bluenette friend tosses a Pokeball into the air, and Piplup proudly comes out with a spin. Dawn makes a command that May and Serena can't hear from the TV, and the little penguin Pokemon points its head up and uses Bubble Beam. The bubbles in the air start to collide and form a large bubble that becomes so big that it grows large enough for everyone in the stands to see it clearly. Piplup keeps it up until Dawn makes a command, and it stops using Bubble Beam. The large bubble stays afloat for a moment until it bursts into sparkles of many colors. The crowd cheers out loud, and the judges give her a score of ninety-three. Dawn and Piplup run into each other and happily embrace, joyous of their score before they leave the field. It isn't long before the blunette girl and her Pokemon run back to the waiting room to meet up with Serena and May, who are both impressed.

"Dawn, that was remarkable," Serena praises. "That must have taken a lot of work to time it just right."

"You have no idea," Dawn says. "After I watched you and Poliwag used your battle against me to make your own performance out of making a large bubble, I knew I had to step up my game."

"Well, it paid off. That was really beautiful, Dawn," May compliments. "Now, we just need to see how my performance goes, and hopefully, we'll all make it to the next round together."

"Agreed," Serena and Dawn say at the same time.

May nods at her two friends, and the three of them turn go back to watching the TV to look at the other performances. Once again, the performances range from great to okay, and even some of the coordinators score less than seventy points much to their dismay. As the contest continues with most of the contestants have gone, Dawn begins to grow bored and decides to amuse herself by turning to May with a teasing smirk.

"So May, are you wondering when your guy, Drew is going to perform?" She asks.

May glares at Dawn with her cheeks turning red.

"I told you, it's not like that," she barks.

"But you are wondering, aren't you?" Dawn points out. "Come on, we're friends. You can tell us."

May struggles to say something, but the words fail to come out of her mouth. Just then, a backstage person walks in and approaches May.

"May, you're on soon," she says.

May lets out a happy sigh of relief and says, "Thank you," before turning to Serena and Dawn, who pouts bitterly at the backstage person.

"You won't escape me, May. You'll have to cave some time," Dawn says, shaking her fist.

"Don't count on it, Dawn," May says with a smirk. "Wish me luck, guys."

"Good luck, May!" Serena calls out as their friend follows the backstage person in the hall before turning to Dawn. "Seriously, Dawn, don't you think you're overdoing it?"

"And why shouldn't I?" Dawn challenges. "It's clear May feels something for this guy, so shouldn't she at least tell us about him? I mean, at least you don't try to hide your feelings from your friends."

Serena hesitates and reluctantly sighs in defeat, admitting Dawn has a point. The two of them go back to watching the TVs, waiting for May to soon appear next on the Main Stage. As they are waiting, however, they hear an announcement from the other TV that instantly catches their interest.

"_And now for our next contestant! From LaRousse City, please welcome Drew!_"

The two girls instantly turn to the second TV to see a green-haired guy give a proud smile as he tosses a Pokeball, and a Roserade appears. The green-haired boy points at his Pokemon and appears to be shouting before his Roserade summons a Petal Dance. The bouquet Pokemon spins around repeatedly as a tornado of pink petals spin around gracefully, letting the audience watch each and every petal move around as if they are dancing as they spin. Serena and Dawn watch the display in awe before the Roserade stops spinning, and the petals disappear. The crowd goes wild, and the green-haired boy and his Pokemon give their audience a respectable bow while the judges give them a ninety-six-point score.

"Wow, that was awesome," Dawn says. "So this is the Drew that gave May her red rose?"

"It looks like it," Serena says. "Clearly, he's a pro when it comes to Pokemon coordinating."

"No, kidding," Dawn agrees.

"And now from Petalburg City, please welcome our next contestant, May!" Lilian says from the first TV.

Serena and Dawn immediately snap out of their thoughts on Drew and turn back to watch May run into the stage.

"Come on, May!" Serena cheers.

"You got this, May!" Dawn shouts.

May throws a Pokeball into the air, and her Blaziken comes out with a powerful glare in its eyes. May tosses several frisbees high into the air, and with the end of its leg set ablaze, Blaziken jumps into the air and spin kicks at all of the frisbees, smashing them into thousands of burned pieces. As soon as Blaziken lands on the ground perfectly, the crowd cries out in thunderous applause, and the judges give May and Blaziken a ninety-five-point score. May happily waves at the audience as they cheer while Blaziken merely smirks proudly before its partner returns it into its Pokeball. Serena and Dawn stare in awe before they turn to see May running toward them in the hall with a giddy smile on her face.

"May, that was incredible," Serena praises.

"I know!" May squeals happily. "Blaziken and I worked so hard to perfect that. I was so nervous that it was going to miss one of the frisbees that I could have just died."

"Well, you didn't look so nervous when you were out there," Dawn says before giving her friend another teasing smirk. "And you were just one point behind your boyfriend, Drew too."

May grinds her teeth and turns red both in frustration and in embarrassment, Before she shouts that Drew is not her boyfriend, however, her face softens as she realizes the other half of what May just said.

"Just one point behind?" She says. "You mean Drew already performed?"

"I'm afraid so," Serena says, giving her friend a sad smile. "He performed at the other stadium just before you did."

May frowns sadly and says, "I wish I could have seen it. I bet it was a wonderful performance."

"It sure was," Serena confirms. "He used his Roserade, who displayed this beautiful Petal Dance."

May looks at Serena and smiles.

"Yeah, that sounds like Drew," she says. "Roserade is his partner, so I don't doubt that the two of them gave it their all to make it to the next round."

"Plus, that means you'll definitely have time to see him some more before the next round," Dawn adds. "I'm sure that's more than enough time to introduce him to two of your friends who might help you two get together."

May glares at Dawn with an irritated pout, but the moment is interrupted when she hears another announcement coming from the second TV.

"_Let's move on to our next contestant from Pewter City who won the Grand Festival two years ago; it's Solidad!_"

May's eyes widen, and her head snaps to the second TV as she watches a woman with salmon hair. The field has turned into a pool of water, and the woman stands on a platform in the middle of the pool as she tosses a Pokeball into the air, and a Lapras comes out. Lapras splashes into the pool violently, creating a wave of water and simultaneously freezes it into place creating a glorious pillar of ice. Serena and Dawn look at what is happening in confusion before the announcer at the Axillary Stage stadium speaks again.

"_Amazing! Lapras once again amazes the audience with Sheer Cold, and the result is even more beautiful than it was before_!" the announcer praises.

"Wow, Solidad is just as talented as ever," May says, staring at the screen in awe.

"You know this person, May?" Dawn asks.

"Yes, Solidad is the coordinator who beat me in the semifinals and won the tournament the last time I was here at Indigo Plateau," May answers. "She's amazing at what she does and is very powerful. I barely took away any of her points before she knocked out my Munchlax and Blazkien back when it was a Combuskin. I was so devastated that I couldn't help but cry afterward. Drew even experienced his first loss against her and cried when she won."

"Wait, if she won the tournament, then why is she here now?" Serena asks. "Shouldn't she be focused on winning other Grand Festivals or something?"

"That's what Max and I thought when we bumped into her on the way to Vermillion City for his gym battle there," May says. "Apparently, she wants to keep competing whether she's already won a Grand Festival in Kanto or not, so she was traveling through Kanto to win five more ribbons so that she can compete this year."

"I see. That seems a little strange if you've already won," Dawn comments.

"I know, but I'm honestly very happy that she is," May says, confusing her friends. "You see, I have never faced an opponent as powerful as Solidad before or since that day. I've lost to other trainers in other big events since, like when you defeated me at the Wallace Cup, Dawn, but I've never come across anyone as powerful or as cunning as Solidad. I hope we can face each other during the battle stage again because I plan to win this time if we do."

Serena stares at May for a moment before she smiles at nods.

"Then I hope you get your chance, May," she says.

"Thanks, Serena," May says appreciatively.

Just as she finishes her sentence, the crowd cheers again as the last person performs on the main stage, and Lilian steps up.

"_Let's hear it for all three hundred and fifteen coordinators who have performed!_" She shouts.

The audience applauds again before she continues.

"_And now the 64 contestants who will compete in the next round will appear on screen!_" Lilian announces.

As soon as the announcement is made, the TVs turn blank, and images of several coordinators start to appear beginning with Solidad. May, Dawn, and Serena huddle together, equally praying that they are all going to appear with Piplup hugging Dawn's leg. Drew soon appears on the screen, followed by May, much to her relief. Dawn and Serena, on the other hand, keep their eyes glued to the TV as the empty space on the screen grows shorter.

"_Please, please, please, please,_" Serena mentally prays.

Finally, on the last row of images, Dawn and Serena appear together, eventually followed by Harley and Giselle at the end of the row. It takes a moment for the girls to realize what is happening before all three of them cheer loudly.

"Alright! We made it! We all made it!" They shout together.

"Piplup!" Piplup cheers.

The audience can be heard cheering from the TV speakers as the images changes to Lilian again.

"_I'm sure all 64 contestants on-screen will all give excellent performances tomorrow!_" She shouts. "_We will see you all then!_"

The crowd applauds one last time before Lilian, and the judges leave the field, and everyone else begins to disperse.

It doesn't take too long before May, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena find Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Grace, Brock, and Holly. Max and Bonnie run to hug May and Serena respectively before Grace walks over to hug her daughter as well. Afterward, they all go to the Pokemon Center together, where the three girls gave Blaziken, Piplup, and Sylveon bowls of Pokemon food and they happily start eating.

"Eat as much as you want, you guys," May says with a smile.

"I bet you three must be relieved that the first round is over," Grace says with a smirk.

"Oh, you have no idea," Dawn says with a big sigh. "It's so hard to pick just one move that will allow you to keep going,"

"You said it," Serena agrees.

"Well, I think you all did great. Especially you, Serena," Ash says, scratching his nose.

"O-oh, thank you, Ash," Serena says as she blushes and looks away from him, earning teasing looks from May and Dawn.

"I agree with Ash," Clemont says, not noticing Serena's bashfulness. "You all created wonderful performances."

"I'll say. They were so pretty!" Bonnie exclaims.

"De,ne,ne,ne!" Dedenne says in agreement.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says, nodding.

"Yeah, but you three should be on your guard," Brock suggests with his hand on Holly's shoulder. "It's going to be harder from here."

"He's right, you know," says a voice coming behind everyone.

The group turns around to find Solidad walking over to May, Dawn, and Serena with a friendly smirk on her face. She glances at Ash, Max, and Brock to greet them silently before turning directly to Serena.

"So you're Serena," she says. "May told me about you. The use of Fairy Wind with your Sylveon was nicely done."

"Thank you, ma'am," Serena says.

Solidad turns to Dawn and says, "And that was a creative use of Bubble Beam, Dawn. You timed it well."

"Thanks," Dawn says.

Finally, Solidad turns to May and says, "And that was a spectacular use of Blaze Kick, May. You clearly have gotten stronger with your Pokemon. I can't wait to see more."

May stares in awe, taken aback by the compliment.

"Thank you, Solidad," she says. "Don't worry. I'm just getting started."

"I'd expect nothing less from my rival," Solidad says before turning to the other girls. "All the same, Brock is right when he says to stay on your guard. You made it this far, but the battle is just beginning."

"Right," Serena and Dawn say simultaneously.

Solidad nods in approval, knowing that the girls understand her warning. As Serena softly pets Sylveon while it eats, she turns to Clemont, Bonnie, Grace, and especially Ash. The two blonde siblings smile warmly while her mom just nods, but Ash gives her a toothy grin for support while Pikachu is on his shoulder. She smiles back, thankful to have all of them there to support and hopes that wherever Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu are, they are taking the time to watch the Grand Festival and cheer her on as well.


	51. Chapter 51

For the last two weeks, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu have been running almost nonstop to reach their destination. Every other hour or so, Coovers checks his Pokenav to make sure the Battle Pyramid hasn't left from where it was when they left the Battle Tower. The three of them have been spending more time running than anything else for days, giving themselves only short breaks for food and making sure they don't sleep at night longer than they have to. With the possibility of the last Frontier Brain finding the Gieldanstone and Team Rocket likely looking for it filling their minds, the two men and the Raichu haven't been focusing on anything else.

Unknown to either of them, Jessie, James, and Meowth are still following them in their hot air balloon. The three of them keep following them from a safe distance while their minds are filled with possible rewards they will receive once their boss gets his hands on the white jewel. But all the while, they still are unaware at the hooded figure who is closely following them as well.

It is early in the afternoon, and the two groups have already headed north past Lavender Town. Coovers takes out his Pokenav again, and his heart leaps with excitement.

"Yes!" He shouts. "We are only just a couple of minutes away, and the pyramid is still there. We made it, guys."

"Finally," Timothy says with a determined look. "We better contact Looker to let him know we're here."

But just as soon as he says that, Coovers feels something ringing in his pocket and he takes out his communication device. He presses a button, and an image of Looker appears.

"Sir, you called just in time," Coovers says. "We are a short walk away from the Battle Pyramid."

"_I know,_" Looker says plainly. "_Look to your right._"

Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu look at each other in confusion before they turn their heads to find Looker hiding behind the trees. He gestures the three of them to walk over to him, and Coovers doesn't hesitate to walk over to his superior, followed by Timothy and Electchu.

"Sir!" Coovers says firmly as he salutes.

"At ease, Mr. Woodward," Looker says before turning to Timothy. "Mr. Durbin. Once again, thank you for your help."

"With all due respect, sir, I think you should save your thanks until we have the stone," Timothy says. "Have you been here long?"

"About a few days," Looker answers. "I secretly put a tracker on the pyramid in case Brandon and his people leave, but it looks like they're not flying away any time soon. Brandon stays inside the ruins most of the day, and no one else comes in or out except for when he goes back inside the pyramid at night, presumably to sleep before he starts it all over again."

"So, you've made no attempts to make contact with Brandon and his people?" Timothy asks.

"No, I decided to hold it off until you arrived," Looker says. "I figured they will welcome no one unless the trainer participating in the Battle Frontier and his companions are there."

"That makes sense," Coovers says. "So, how do we proceed?"

"At the moment, all of Brandon's crew are back inside the pyramid, leaving Brandon alone inside the ruins," Looker replies. "I suggest the four of us approach Brandon and help him find the stone if it hasn't been found yet."

"Sounds good. Let's do it," Timothy says.

With that, Looker, Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu emerge from the trees and cautiously walk into the ruins entrance beside the Battle Pyramid. Inside the ruins, several wired lights are installed on the ceiling leading down the hallway where all sorts of ancient hieroglyphics and images of various Pokemon are carved into the walls. Electchu and Coovers look around the walls, intrigued as they follow Looker and Timothy down the hall.

The hall leads them deeper and deeper underground to the point that they wonder if there is a bottom. Finally, after taking another turn, they spot a tall man with grayish-brown hair wearing a green uniform in the distance. The man is holding on a notebook while carefully looking at some ancient illustrations on the wall and constantly glancing at the door closest to him. Looker, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other and nod before they all walk towards the man who is so focused that he doesn't notice them coming until Looker clears his throat.

"Excuse me, Brandon?" He asks.

The man named Brandon turns to the three men and Electchu, and he instantly gives them a serious glare as he walks over to them.

"What are you doing here?" He asks. "You cannot be here. It is forbidden."

Looker and Coovers look at each other before they step up and show their badges.

"Sir, I'm Looker, and this is Coovers Woodward," Looker replies calmly. "We are part of the International Police."

Brandon frowns deeply and steps closer to Looker.

"I don't care who you are," he says. "You have no right to be here."

"All due respect, sir, I'm afraid what you think we have a right to is irrelevant when possible matters of international affairs are concerned at this time," Looker replies unfazed.

"Possible matters of international affairs?" Brandon repeats, baffled until he puts the pieces together. "Wait, you are after the Gieldanstone, aren't you?"

"Yes, we are," Coovers answers. "If you have it, then you need to give it to us for safekeeping."

Brandon glares at Looker and Coovers angrily and says, "Even if I have found the jewel, I will never give it to you. It's a dangerous stone that needs to be kept far away from anyone's hands."

"We want the stone for that same reason, Brandon," Timothy says, stepping in.

Brandon turns to Timothy and stares at him with a hostile look.

"And who are you?" He demands.

"My name is Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town," Timothy answers.

Brandon's frown deepens more, and he glances at Electchu.

"Timothy Durbin," he says skeptically. "Judging by that Raichu standing next to you, I presume you are the same Timothy Durbin who recently battled and defeated the Johto Elite Four and the bi-regional champion, Lance, correct?"

"I am," Timothy answers, bluntly.

Brandon steps closer to Timothy and says, "So you are the trainer Scott invited to participate in the Battle Frontier shortly after you defeated the champion?"

"I am," Timothy repeats. "I've battled the other six Frontier Brains just so that we can find you."

Brandon's glare grows as if he's attempting to intimidate Timothy with his eyes.

"Does Scott know that you only participated to get the Gieldanstone?" He questions.

"Scott has no idea," Coovers answers for his friend. "The true meaning of our journey was kept a complete secret since before we left Pallet Town. Even if we wanted to, it was not within my authority to tell Scott about the stone for the sake of keeping our mission a secret."

"And all of this is to take the stone away if I find it and keep it for yourselves?" Brandon growls. "I will not allow it."

"Mr. Brandon, please be reasonable," Looker says calmly. "How can you not understand that we want to retrieve the Gieldanstone with good intentions?"

Brandon's head snaps toward Looker, and the two men stare at each other for ten seconds before Brandon takes a step back and gestures Looker, Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu to follow him with his head. The four of them look at each other before they silently agree and follow Brandon further down the hall. When they are just a couple yards away from the door, Brandon turns to his left and points at the illustrations painted on the wall.

"You see these ancient paintings?" He asks, earning a nod from Looker, Timothy, and Coovers. "These tell the story of a time before people and Pokemon began to live together. In those times, Pokemon were seen and used as no more than tools to aid humans in their way of life."

"We are aware of such times," Looker says. "Back then, Pokemon were only referred to as magical creatures. No one ever considered the possibility of being friends with Pokemon."

Timothy scoffs and turns to Electchu, saying, "Glad we aren't in that time-period, huh, pal?"

"Raichu," Electchu answers with a smile and a nod.

Brandon nods before he continues.

"Indeed. In those days, it was considered ridiculous to view them as anything more than living, breathing instruments," he says. "Whether to grow food, mine for resources, keep buildings warm, fighting their wars, or other means, Pokemon were used as nothing more than items to better humanity and humanity alone. And yet, despite all of that, the people of that age knew that there were Pokemon that were too powerful to be controlled. Many of these Pokemon are the ones we consider to be legendary or mythical today. Among these Pokemon, Arceus was commonly viewed to be the most powerful of all. The people of that age knew how destructive Arceus can be as the only Pokemon in the universe that can use the calamitous move known today as Judgement. Men greedy for power wanted nothing more than to gain control of Arceus, knowing its destructive power and its ability to change into any Pokemon type, making it strategically more powerful than any Pokemon known to mankind."

"And I assume this part of the story is when someone finds the Gieldanstone, I presume," Timothy says.

"Correct," Brandon says. "How it was found and why it is connected to Arceus is ancient knowledge lost to us forever. All the illustrations and text in these ruins suggest is that a great and conniving kingdom from the Sinnoh region found it first and used it to summon Arceus from its dimension. The ruler of the kingdom wielded the jewel and quickly learned that as long as he held it in his hand, the powerful Arceus would help raise crops for his subjects and, if he desired, destroy his enemies or any other hint of resistance against him without question. The king grew power-hungry and with the jewel, used Arceus to create unspeakable desolation against the other kingdoms around him. After realizing that he can make one of the most powerful creatures known to man yield to his every wish, the king gave it a name that established its power against Arceus: the Gieldanstone."

Looker, Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu listen intently to Brandon. They all stay silent for a moment after Brandon finishes talking until Coovers decides to speak.

"So how did it end up all the way here in the Kanto region?" He asks.

Brandon merely points at the illustrations on the wall on the other side and continues.

"According to the inscriptions I found there, and in these ruins I found in the Sinnoh region several months ago, the kingdom turned into an empire so great and mighty that kingdoms from other regions decided to build an alliance," he says. "They knew that with this empire covering nearly all of the Sinnoh region, it was only a matter of time before the king, who at this point in time became an emperor, would use Arceus against them to rule the world. Thus, legions of men and Pokemon forced to fight sailed to the Sinnoh region and invaded the empire. The people of the empire were unprepared for the attack, so it didn't take long before the alliance made it to the emperor's city."

Brandon walks over to another section of the wall that contains images of people and Pokemon fighting each other inside a stone city.

"The emperor's army and the Pokemon they enslaved fought back against the alliance, but their enemies were too great in number and more organized," Brandon continues before turning to another image of Arceus. "But the emperor paid back in destruction as he used the Gieldanstone to have Arceus use Judgement against his foes. But his enemies were so deep into the city that Arceus began to destroy the city and all of its residents."

Looker, Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu's faces turn grim as Brandon directs them to another painting of meteors crashing down on the city and people and Pokemon, citizens and soldiers alike are fleeing for their lives.

"The emperor did not care if his own people were hurt in the process," Brandon says. "All that mattered to him was his enemies facing Arceus' wrath through his will with the Gieldanstone. Even if it would destroy everything he had built. Even if it meant his own palace."

The archeologist leads them to another painting where a man dressed in fine clothes stands inside a large palace holding a white stone in his hands. A meteor is breaking through the roof above him, and he appears to be screaming in fear as it falls on top of him. Looker, Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu stay silent as Brandon turns to them.

"As soon as the emperor was struck down and the Gieldanstone fell out of his hands, Arceus was freed from his control and stopped attacking the city," he says. "Shortly after that, the people of the empire immediately surrendered, and negotiations for peace were made. After much discussion between the people and Arceus, the remains of the empire were divided into separate kingdoms, and it was decided that the Gieldanstone should be taken far away from the Sinnoh region and buried so deep in a tomb no man can pass through."

"And this place would be that said tomb," Coovers says.

"Correct," Brandon says. "Thus it was decided that the Gieldanstone would be locked inside a steel chest and sent here to Kanto where the people there built this place very deep underground and built traps that no human can pass through. Arceus kept a watchful eye during the whole process to make sure the humans stayed true to their word. When the deed was done, and the entrance was sealed, the humans swore on their lives to never speak of this place again so that no greedy person would try to come here and take the Gieldanstone and risk getting killed by the traps."

The hall stays silent for several seconds before Brandon speaks again.

"So it doesn't matter if you wish to find the Gieldanstone under good intentions or not," he says. "It must never be found for the sake of the trust between people and Arceus, and it's too dangerous for any person to make it through. So there's no way anyone can reach the jewel, and that is that."

Looker and Coovers frown, feeling like they have come all this way for nothing. Brandon begins to walk past them, thinking he's won until Timothy speaks.

"I don't think it's that simple," he says.

Brandon snaps his head toward Timothy and demands, "What are you talking about?"

Timothy turns to the older man and says, "Think about it, Brandon. You specifically said that no person can make it through what lies beyond that door and make it to the Gieldanstone, right? Well, that might have made sense back then where Pokemon were viewed as just tools for the needs of humans, but that's not that common anymore today. People and Pokemon live and work together in this day and age, and so humans are not inherently alone anymore because they have Pokemon as their partners and with them the abilities and powers that each and every Pokemon has. So we may not be able to reach the stone by ourselves, but with our Pokemon, we might be able to work our way to the Gieldanstone's location."

Brandon scowls and says, "Even what you say is true, you have no right to even step foot beyond this door and try to take it. I haven't been staying here for weeks just to remove a dangerous item from its hiding place. I'm only here to discover everything that these ruins have to offer while respecting the wishes of Arceus and the people from long ago to keep it safe."

"That might be the case for you, but Team Rocket will not respect those wishes like you do," Looker counters.

"What are you babbling about?" Brandon demands. "Team Rocket has nothing to do with this matter."

"Yes, they do," Coovers says seriously. "That's why we've been looking for you and the Gieldanstone."

"What?" Brandon says, alarmed.

"It's true," Timothy says, stepping in. "We have good reason to believe that Team Rocket learned about your announcement that you might have found the Gieldanstone. It's for that reason that I accepted Scott's invitation to partake in the Battle Frontier just so that we can find you."

Brandon is taken aback with this information for a moment before he glares at the three men again.

"Even if what you say is true, that does not mean they will succeed," he claims.

"Are you sure about that?" Coovers challenges. "You may have been hard to find, but Team Rocket has a way of finding what cannot be found. And even if it takes years for them to find this place, do you really think they won't figure something out with making their way to the stone despite all of the traps you mentioned?"

"He's right," Looker says seriously. "Team Rocket has many Pokemon combined with the hundreds of members that we currently know are in their ranks. On top of that, they are known to have some of the best technology known to man. They may already have the technology to figure out what goes through doors without even opening them. In short, with both their technology and their Pokemon, Team Rocket likely has the resources people from ancient times did not have to take the stone from this very place."

Brandon looks at Looker skeptically and thinks hard underneath his serious face before he sighs.

"Your logic is sound," he says. "But how do I know you won't use the Gieldanstone for your own greedy desires?"

"Looker and I are part of the International Police, remember?" Coovers says. "It is our sworn duty to protect the world from wrongdoing by any means."

Looker nods in agreement before Timothy speaks.

"And I could care less about Arceus' power," he says with a hint of venom in his voice. "All that matters to me is stopping Team Rocket from trying to use the stone and through it Arceus to probably take all the Pokemon in the world. I know what it's like from experience how it feels to have your beloved partners taken from you just for their cruel, greedy goals. I will do whatever it takes to keep people from experiencing the pain I felt even if I have to tear down Team Rocket with my bare hands."

Brandon stays silent for a moment before he turns back to Looker and asks, "So if I help you retrieve the stone, what will you do with it?"

"Lock it up," Looker answers without hesitating. "We keep it in our most secure place at our headquarters, and we won't even tell the people guarding it what lies inside. Our vault is designed to keep both people and Pokemon away. There is no way that Team Rocket will be able to take it from us if we bring it there."

Brandon looks at Looker skeptically again as if to make sure there is no hint of lying in the man's eyes. Coovers and Timothy look at each other, unsure of whether or not Brandon is going to comply. Finally, Brandon sighs in defeat, and his face softens slightly.

"Very well," he says. "If what you say is true, I will help you in retrieving it so that Team Rocket doesn't. But if it turns out that you cannot pass through the traps safely even with your Pokemon in mind, then as far as I'm concerned, the stone is perfectly safe. If that is the case, then you must leave this place. Understood?"

Looker, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at Brandon skeptically before looking at each other.

"What do you think, Coovers, Mr. Durbin? Do you think we can do it?" Looker asks.

Coovers hesitates and stutters in front of his superior before he answers, "We will do our best, sir."

Timothy shakes his head and says, "I'll play along, but I don't plan to leave without getting what we came all this way for. We may be willing to honor such a deal, but Team Rocket won't. One way or another, we will get that stone before he gets a chance to try."

Brandon glowers at Timothy and snaps, saying, "Young man, I will not allow you to speak with such arrogance! This is my deal! Take it or leave it!"

Timothy appears to be unfazed at the way Brandon snapped at him. The two of them stare at each other with Looker, Coovers, and Electchu feeling uneasy tension between them. Eventually, Timothy decides to smirk at Brandon as if he thinks he has the upper hand.

"Fine," he says bluntly. "You have a deal."

Brandon keeps his glare at the younger man before he closes his eyes and nods with a soft, "hmph."

"Very well," he says. "Let us see what you can do."

Timothy nods as Brandon turns around and walks over to the door with everyone else following him. As they walk, Coovers walks closer to Timothy with a disapproving look.

"That was a very pompous thing to say, Timothy," he hisses.

Timothy shrugs and says, "It may be pompous, but I was serious about the danger. If he thinks making this deal matters when Team Rocket is out there, then he's fooling himself."

Coovers rolls his eyes as Brandon approaches the door and looks carefully at the carved images of Arceus all over the wall. Each one has a cross-like wheel attached to its bodies in a different color.

"These various images of Arceus show all 18 forms it has for each Pokemon type it changes into," Brandon explains. "Except 19 Arceus appear on this wall. So two of them have the same colored wheel, and that's the two with the black wheels for dark type."

Looker, Coovers, and Timothy nod in understanding as Brandon presses on the two Arceus images with black wheels, and the door slowly lifts up from the ground with a rumble. But as soon as the door opens, a giant, round boulder starts to roll toward them from the other side. Brandon, Looker, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu start to back away and turn around to run only to find one of the walls opening to reveal another giant boulder coming out and heading towards them

"The boulders are going to crush us!" Looker shouts in a panicking.

"I don't think so," Timothy says, taking out two Pokeballs. "Poliwrath, Dynamic Punch and Shockwave, use Moonblast!"

The two balls open, and Poliwrath appears on one side while Shockwave appears on another. Poliwrath runs toward the boulder blocking the exit, and with its fist glowing white, it punches at the boulder, smashing it into pieces. At the same time, Shockwave quickly fires Moonblast and blasts the other boulder into tinier pieces. When everyone looks around to make sure that they're safe, Brandon nods and turns to Timothy.

"You were smart to use your Poliwrath and Garvdevoir like that," he says. "You have trained them well for it to destroy the boulders using Dynamic Punch and Moonblast so easily."

"I should think so," Timothy boasts. "We've handled obstacles and opponents far bigger than that boulder. Right, guys?"

"Poliwrath," Poliwrath says with a nod.

"Gardevoir," Shockwave replies with a smirk.

Brandon frowns and says, "Watch yourself with your gloating, boy. This is only the first trap."

But Timothy, Poliwrath, and Shockwave silently scoff at the same time, unconvinced with Brandon's warning. Looker, Coovers, and Electchu look at each other, feeling uneasy with their companion's demeanor. Brandon continues to glare at Timothy disapprovingly before he closes his eyes, shakes his head, and turns around to walk through the door.

"Let's keep going," he says bluntly.

Without another word, Looker, Coovers, Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, and Shockwave follow Brandon further down the hall. As the hallway grows darker, Brandon and Looker take out flashlights and shine their way to another door. They stop walking just in front of the door before Brandon turns to the others.

"I'm warning all of you; do not go into the room once it's opened," he says before turning to Timothy. "Understand?"

"Don't worry about me," Timothy replies. "I already figured that there would be traps after dealing with those boulders. I'm not dumb."

"I wonder," Brandon mutters under his breath before turning to the door and opening it.

As soon as the door lifts up, Brandon and Looker use their flashlights to look inside to see nothing but an empty room. The walls and floor look plain, and another door stands on the other side of the room.

"Looks a little too plain to not have a trap," Coovers says.

"I agree," Looker says. "But how do we figure out what it is without getting ourselves caught in it?"

Brandon nods in agreement and turns to Timothy, asking, "Care to answer that, Mr. Durbin?"

Timothy frowns and scratches his chin in thought. After a few seconds, he snaps his fingers, takes out a Pokeball, and tosses it into the air. The ball opens to reveal Odyssey waiting for a command.

"Odyssey, create a Bone Rush and toss it onto the floor," he instructs.

The Lucario nods and creates a green bone of energy with its paws. Odyssey gestures Brandon, Looker, and Coovers to get out of the way, and the three men step back before it throws its bone into the middle of the ground. As soon as the bone touches the floor, small holes emerge from the floor, and giant streams of fire shoot out so high that they nearly cover the ceiling. Everyone backs away as the flames keep coming out for ten seconds before they stop, and the holes in the ground close up, leaving the floor empty again and the Bone Rush completely destroyed.

"I'll give people from ancient times this," Coovers comments. "They were nothing if not creative in trying to protect a dangerous jewel."

"Agreed," Brandon says bluntly.

Looker nods and turns to Timothy.

"What do you make of it?" He asks.

Timothy scratches his chin again and says, "Well, it is a dangerous trap, to say the least, but it seems to have a flaw."

"How do you figure?" Brandon asks.

"The floor is very sensitive, making it the perfect trigger, but the holes in the ground are big enough that with the right attack, the mechanisms that shoot out flames can be destroyed," Timothy explains. "We just need the right kind of Pokemon with the right move to do it."

With that, he turns to Poliwrath and Odyssey and says, "Odyssey, you throw another Bone Rush at the ground and Poliwrath, as soon as the holes open up, you cover the entire floor with water using Surf."

Both Pokemon nod in understanding and take positions at the edge of the door. Odyssey creates another Bone Rush and prepares to throw it.

"Get ready, Poliwrath," Timothy says.

"Wrath," Poliwrath growls.

Everyone waits until Odyssey throws the bone into the ground. The holes in the floor appear again, and fire starts to emerge again.

"Now!" Timothy shouts.

Poliwrath raises its hands in the air, and a giant wave of water emerges from the ground. The wave crashes onto the floor, and a large cloud of steam appears covering the entire room. When the steam clears, the holes are still there, and the sounds of broken mechanisms can be heard from underneath the floor. Timothy waits a moment before carefully taking a step onto the floor, and nothing happens. Everyone watches him cautiously as he slowly and steadily walks to the other side of the room unharmed.

"I think it's safe to say that it's safe to cross," Coovers says.

"I concur," Looker says.

Brandon nods in agreement before the three of them cross to the other side of the room with Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, and Odyssey. Timothy takes a step back from the door and gestures Brandon to go ahead. The older man merely hums with his mouth closed before he opens the door to reveal another dark room. Inside, the walls and floor are decorated in a pattern of dots, circles, and triangles meshed together. Everyone looks at the room skeptically and turns to each other with the same idea.

"Odyssey, let's throw another Bone Rush in there," Timothy says plainly.

The Lucario nods and created another bone of energy and tosses it to the floor inside the room. Within a blink of an eye, countless needles emerge from the wall and floor in all different directions and impale right through the bone, causing the bone to explode. Everyone stays silent as they stare at where the Bone Rush used to be before Brandon turns to Timothy.

"Well? Any bright ideas this time?" He questions.

Timothy frowns and silently takes Coovers' flashlight to get a better look. He shines the flashlight all over the area from top to bottom several times until he gives it back to his friend, sighing in defeat.

"Actually, I'm at a loss with this one," he confesses. "Maybe if I had one of my really study rock Pokemon with me, they'd be able to break through, but even then, they wouldn't be able to protect us from one side of the room to the other and back. Wherever the needles are coming from, they're so tiny that I can't see them. In short, I don't think I'm equipped with the right Pokemon to handle this place."

Brandon keeps a stone face and crosses his arms.

"You admit defeat, then," he says. "If that is so, then as far as I'm concerned the Gieldanstone is safe even with Pokemon and so I must ask that you -"

"Hold on a second," Coovers interrupts. "We actually do have the right Pokemon."

Everyone looks at the Unovian man, confused, and Coovers gestures Timothy to lean in closer. Timothy hesitates before he leans his head and Coovers whispers in his ear. Brandon, Looker, Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, and Odyssey look at the two men curiously until Timothy moves back and stares at his friend, dumbfounded.

"Coovers, that's a terrible idea," he says.

"A terrible idea that works perfectly for ghost Pokemon," Coovers says. "If you want to prove Brandon wrong, this is how we're going to do it."

Timothy tries to think of something to counter what Coovers is saying until he sighs in defeat.

"Fine," he says. "But this better not come back to bite me later."

Coovers nods, and the two of them each take out a Pokeball and press the buttons in the middle of them. With a flash, Gengar and Coovers' Chandelure come out awaiting orders.

"Alright, you two, here's the plan," Coovers begins. "Inside the floor and walls of that room are some sort of mechanism that shoots deadly needles if we step inside. We need you to phase through the walls and destroy them.

Chandelure nods in understanding while Gengar's eyes widen in disbelief. The shadow Pokemon turns to Timothy with a look of hope, and its trainer bites his lips before he answers.

"Yes, Gengar, that means you too," he says begrudgingly. "Have as much fun as you want and leave no machine untouched."

Gengar gives its trainer a large, mischievous grin like a delinquent child with a desire to destroy every breakable thing in sight. Without another word, Gengar phases through a wall, and Chandelure passes through the wall on the other side. Brandon, Looker, Coovers, Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, and Odyssey wait patiently as they hear the sound of things being destroyed from the other side of the walls. Timothy's face turns grim as he hears the sound of Gengar's voice through the room while it joyously destroys everything from the other side.

"What have I done?" He mutters with a hint of horror in his voice.

Coovers, Poliwrath, Shockwave, and Odyssey pat their friend in the back, and Electchu nudges him on the side, knowing exactly what's on his mind. Looker and Brandon stare at the display in confusion until one of the walls inside the room suddenly collapses, and Gengar emerges, holding a large handful of tiny needles. The mischievous shadow Pokemon dances and sings an off-key tune as it carries the needles with glee as if it's a pile of gold. Chandelure, meanwhile, appears from the floor and turns to Coovers.

"Did you make sure you two got all of them?" Coovers asks.

Chandelure nods.

"Alright, great job, Chandelure," Coovers says with a smile.

"Chandelure," Chandelure says happily.

"Yeah, good job too, Gengar," Timothy sighs.

"Gengar!" Gengar cheers.

"Hmmm. I must admit that it is a clever idea to destroy the contraptions with ghost Pokemon, Mr. Woodward," Brandon admits.

"Indeed. Well done," Looker says. "But what is up with Gengar?"

"Oh, I've been ridiculing it for years over it being a prankster," Timothy explains. "So I had to unleash the beast just so that it would destroy the machines with Chandelure. I just hope it doesn't expect me to give it permission to do something like this ever again."

"Ah, I see," Looker says. "Gengar do tend to be tricksters, so I imagine fighting its temptation isn't always easy."

"It isn't," Timothy says plainly. "Come on. Let's get to the next door."

The three adults and Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, Odyssey, and Chandelure, head to the other side of the room, leaving Gengar behind to enjoy its time playing with the needles. Brandon leads in front of everyone again, and when they reach the next door, he turns around and gives everyone another serious look.

"According to the ruins that lead me to this place, this is the last room," he says.

"Then this is the one that has the Gieldanstone," Looker says eagerly.

"Indeed," Brandon says. "But before we move in, I just have to ask; are you sure you need to remove it from its secret hiding place?"

Looker, Coovers, and Timothy look at each other before Looker says, "You've seen how capable people and Pokemon can get through the traps in this place together. Even if all of Team Rocket does not have the cunning mind that people like Timothy and Coovers do, Giovanni does. I have dealt with people like Team Rocket and other crime organizations long enough when I say we must not underestimate our enemies that could threaten our very way of life."

Brandon sighs with his mouth closed and says, "Very well."

With that, Brandon presses the button on the door, and it lifts off from the ground. Brandon and Looker take out their flashlights again to see a dark cavern filled with spikes. At the center of the cavern, a thin platform stands tall with a small black chest sitting on top of it. The platform is too far for anyone to reach, and the way down is so deep that Brandon and Looker's flashlights can't shine on the bottom.

"Well, Timothy, you and your companions made it all the way over here, so how are you going to retrieve the chest?" Brandon asks.

Timothy just smirks and says, "That's easy. "Shockwave, use Psychic if you please."

The Gardevoir sneers and its eyes turn blue as it looks at the chest. The box becomes surrounded in a blue outline and is lifted from the platform before it gently floats down right into Shockwave's hands. The embrace Pokemon hands the chest to Timothy and fist bumps with Odyssey while their trainer examines the chest.

"Hmmm. There's a lock on it, but it looks old enough to be broken," Timothy says before turning to Electchu. "Electchu, use Iron Tail."

The mouse Pokemon doesn't hesitate to turn its tail into iron and smashes the lock into pieces. With the chest free from its lock, Brandon, Looker, Coovers, Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, and Odyssey circle around Timothy as he gets down on one knee, puts the chest in the ground and opens it.

As soon as the chest is opened, everyone looks inside in awe. For in the center of the box lies a white, round jewel big enough to fit a person's hand. The stone shines so brightly that multiple colors shine through the outer edges of its round surface.

"Amazing," Looker says, astonished.

"Indeed," Brandon says. "Legend says the stone shines 18 colors in all representing every Pokemon type there is."

"Wow. So that just further proves how connected it is to Arceus," Coovers says.

"Makes sense," Timothy says. "All the same, it seems funny to look at it thinking of how so much destruction can be caused through someone carrying such a small thing like this."

"Raichu," Electchu says with a nod.

Everyone continues to stare at the stone in amazement until Brandon clears his throat and says, "Alright, now is not the time for gawking. Let's bring this inside my pyramid and discuss the matter of bringing it to your headquarters."

Everyone else nods, and Timothy closes the chest before picking it up and carrying it down the hall in the opposite direction. As they are walking back up to the surface, Brandon contacts his people to meet them outside with his walkie talkie. Timothy returns Gengar to its Pokeball as they pass by the third trap room, much to the despair of the Shadow Pokemon, who was still enjoying its time playing with the needles. After a long while, Brandon, Looker, Coovers, Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Chandelure exit the ruins just in time to see Brandon's people waiting for them.

"Sir," one of Brandon's crewman says. "Is that the Gieldanstone inside?"

"Yes, Jordan, it is," Brandon answers.

Brandon's crewmen look at each other surprised.

"But sir, I thought we weren't going to take the stone from its place," another one of them says.

"That was before we found out that Team Rocket might be after it, Samuel," Brandon says. "As much as I hate to admit it, the Gieldanstone is not as well protected as it once was with people and Pokemon living together. If Giovanni found this place, he would likely have found a way to get past the traps and take the stone."

"I certainly would have."

Everyone wonders where the voice came from until they see a floating platform flying above the field. Standing on the platform is Giovanni and his Persian looking down on them with cruel, condescending smiles. Suddenly, dozens of Team Rocket members, including Matori, Butch, Cassidy, Jessie, James, Wobbufett, and Meowth, come out of hiding from the trees and behind the pyramid. They all throw Pokeballs into the air and various Pokemon from Arbok, to Sandslash, to Electrode, and so on appear and surround the area. Timothy, Coovers, and Brandon are quick to take out the Pokeballs of all the Pokemon they don't have out, and so Blitzwing, Gengar, Coovers' Samurott, Zoroark, Krookodile, Klinklang, Braviary, and Brandon's Dusclops, Solrock and Ninjask all come out ready for battle. Giovanni grins, amused with their determination to fight.

"You are quick to draw out your Pokemon, but it is futile to fight," he says. "We outnumber you a hundred to one. You cannot beat us no matter how strong your Pokemon are."

"Numbers do not make you superior, Giovanni!" Looker shouts.

"He's right!" Timothy shouts. "We will take you on with everyone we have no matter what."

"That's just what I want you to do, Durbin," says another voice.

Timothy and his Pokemon look around in confusion until they spot a Team Rocket member in a large coat with a mechanical arm and a glowing red, robotic eye. The man has severe burn scars on half of his face, and he gives Timothy an evil confident grin as he takes out a Pokeball, and a large Charizard comes out with a bloodthirsty look in its eyes. Timothy's heart begins to sink as he stares at the man with a look of horror all over his face.

"It...it can't be…" he says, terrified. "Trent? You're alive?"

Coovers' eyes widen, and he turns to his friend, shocked. Electchu and Poliwrath's battle stances weaken, and they take a couple steps back, horrified at the sight of the man that caused them so much pain. The man with the mechanical eye and arm, however, is livid at the sound of his old name.

"My name is not Trent!" He barks. "I am Agent Basker, and I am here to finally have my revenge on you and take all of your Pokemon."

Timothy's look of horror turns into one of rage as he makes another battle stance.

"You are not going anywhere with my Pokemon!" He shouts. "And you are not going to take the Gieldanstone!"

All the members of Team Rocket laugh out loud with Giovanni laughing the loudest.

"I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation," Jessie says.

"Indeed. There is no way you can fight all of us, and even if you could, we'll just bring reinforcements until you and your Pokemon are too weak to keep us at bay," James says.

"This is one jam you ain't gonna get out of," Meowth says.

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet says.

Timothy and Coovers' fighting stances soften slightly as they look at Meowth in confusion.

"Uh, am I going crazy, or did that Meowth just talk?" Coovers asks.

"I...think it just di -" Timothy begins before Giovanni interrupts.

"Enough!" he shouts impatiently. "Give me my Gieldanstone right now or suffer the consequences!"

Brandon steps in and says, "The Gieldanstone does not belong to the likes of you! It is to stay hidden where arrogant, greedy people like you will never get their hands on it!"

Giovanni grins and says, "Very well. If you fools want to fight, we will battle until we have defeated and taken every last one of your Pokemon and take my stone from your -"

But as he is talking, a blue aura appears all over him, Persian, and the floating platform they are standing on. Everyone looks at the display in confusion until the blue aura begins to surround Matori, Agent Basker, Butch, Cassidy, Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbuffet, and the other Team Rocket members and their Pokemon. Timothy, Coovers, Brandon, Looker, and their Pokemon look in confusion as their enemies are suddenly lifted into the air.

"What's happening?" Cassidy asks in a state of panic.

"I can't move!" Butch shouts.

"What in the world is causing this!" Giovanni shouts angrily.

"_Not what. Who._" says a voice.

Everyone looks around to find the source of the voice only to see a cloaked, shadowy figure emerge from the trees with a ball of blue aura surrounding it. The figure flies over to Giovanni, who grinds his teeth at it.

"Who are you?!" he barks.

"_Who I am is not your concern,_" the figure says. "_You won't even remember seeing me again any more than you will remember what you tried to achieve._"

"See you again? What are you babbling about? I demand that you tell me!" Giovanni screams.

"_It does not matter what I say,_" the figure says unfazed. "_What matters is that you are stopped from attempting to take over the world once more._"

The figure waves its hands, and with a flash, Giovanni, Persian, and the platform disappear. Everyone stares in shock until one by one, other Team Rocket members and their Pokemon begin to disappear with a flash. The members of Team Rocket panic as more of them disappear by the second. Agent Basker stares in horror as he turns back to Timothy and tries to reach out to him despite being several yards in the air away from him.

"No!" he shrieks. "I didn't come all this way to be stopped! I want my revenge! I want your Pokemon! I want -"

But before he could continue, the cyborg and his Charizard disappear out of thin air, leaving Timothy and his Pokemon confused yet still shocked to have just seen his enemy right there in front of him. Everyone who isn't a member of Team Rocket stays still in shock as they watch their enemies slowly disappear until they are completely gone. With its deed accomplished, the cloaked figure turns around and floats over to Timothy, Coovers, Looker, Brandon, and all of their Pokemon.

"What do you want with us?" Looker asks.

The figure stays floating in the air and merely points at the entrance to the ruins.

"_Come,_" it says. "_Take the chest and your Pokemon. We will discuss matters inside._"

"Inside the ruins?" Coovers asks. "I don't think there will be enough room for all of us and Brandon's crewman."

"_They are not joining us,_" the figure says, shaking its head. "_They are to wait outside. This is a private matter between the four of you humans and me._"

Everyone looks at each other concerned until they silently decide to comply.

"Very well," Brandon says before turning to his crewman. "Wait outside."

"Yes, sir," the crewman says at the same time as Brandon, Looker, Coovers, Timothy, Electchu, and all the other Pokemon go back inside the ruins with the mysterious figure leading them.

Dr. Zager groans as he silently opens his eyes. He lifts his head and checks his surroundings only to discover that he's standing outside Team Rocket headquarters. His science team are also lying on the ground next to what appears to be a giant smoking crater. Dr. Zager slowly stands up and stares at the crater in confusion until suddenly, a large flash appears behind him, and with a loud pop, he is suddenly surrounded by other Team Rocket members. The doctor stares in shock as he sees dozens of grunts and their Pokemon looking around in confusion. In the middle of the crowd is Giovanni and his Persian on his floating platform. The leader of Team Rocket looks around with a frustrated look on his face as Dr. Zager pushes through the confused grunts to get to Giovanni.

"Matori, what are we doing here?" Giovanni asks impatiently.

"I...I don't know, sir," Matori answers, dumbfounded.

"Strange, I haven't a clue of what we're doing here either," Jessie says.

"Neither do I," James says.

"I don't even know what's the last thing I remember doing up till this point," Cassidy says.

"I don't either," Agent Basker says. "My eye is in recording mode, but I have no idea why. And yet it feels like I've been utterly robbed of something I want."

Agent Baskar's Charizard growls in agreement.

Giovanni grinds his teeth and growls, "I have the same feeling, Agent Basker."

"Giovanni, sir!" Dr. Zager calls out as he reaches his leader.

"Dr. Zager, what's going on here?" Giovanni demands. "Why is my entire combat unit standing around outside headquarters like mindless Psyduck? Why is your science team lying around in the ground, and what on earth is that crater doing in the middle of my property?"

Dr. Zager hesitates and says, "Frankly, sir, I was hoping you could tell me. I just woke up from the ground to find you all appearing out of thin air."

The leader of Team Rocket grows furious and shouts, "Well, don't just stand there! Take your team and go back to your laboratory! In fact, everyone return to their quarters until I give the word! Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" All the Team Rocket members reply simultaneously.

With that, the grunts return their Pokemon and go inside the headquarters building while Dr. Zager tries to wake up his unconscious scientists. But as everyone goes back inside their headquarters, a large flock of Butterfree flies by over them, releasing some sort of powder on top of the evil organization.


	52. Chapter 52

Timothy's mind is still wrapped around the fact that his former rival is still alive as he follows the cloaked figure. Even Electchu and Poliwrath still feel terrified as they walk closely behind their partner. Coovers, Gengar, Blitzwing, Odyssey, and Shockwave try to comfort the three of them as they walk, but deep down, they know that the shock of what they discovered is too great. Brandon and Looker, meanwhile, are struggling to process the fact that Team Rocket ambushed them while the former carries the chest containing the Gieldanstone.

But whatever was on everyone's mind, they all feel uneasy in the presence of the cloaked figure. The mysterious being floats a couple of feet from the air as it leads them further into the ruins. They don't know if they should be thanking it or feeling ready to attack it with their Pokemon in case it tries anything.

Finally, when they are far enough down underground, the figure turns around and lands its feet on the ground. Everyone else stops walking as they wait for it to do something.

"_I take it you have questions,_" the figure says.

"I can think of a few," Looker says bluntly. "What have you done with Team Rocket?"

"_Team Rocket has been teleported back to where they came from with no memory of what has transpired here or of the Gieldanstone's existence,_" the figure answers.

"Yeah? So why have you not done that with us?" Coovers asks.

"_Because you are the only ones who were searching for the stone I am willing to trust,_" the figure says. "_You are as determined as I am to make sure the Gieldanstone will never reach the hands of the leader of Team Rocket. And because the three of you are friends of Ash and Brock._"

Timothy and Electchu snap out of their shocked state to stare at the figure as it points at the two of them and Coovers. The three of them look at each other while Brandon and Looker look surprised.

"You know Ash and Brock?" Looker says.

The cloaked figure turns to the two older men and says, "_You know them too?_"

"I do," Looker says. "The two of them and their friends have aided me a couple of times when dealing with the former crime organization known as Team Galactic in the Sinnoh region. Sometime after that, Ash and some of his other friends helped me with Team Plasma in the Unova region."

"And I've battled with Ash inside my pyramid a couple of times," Brandon says. "He, Brock, and their friend Dawn also aided me in protecting the legendary Pokemon Regigigas from a Pokemon hunter. "

The figure hums in thought and says, "_In that case, we have more in common than just our need to keep the Gieldanstone from Team Rocket._"

Timothy frowns and says, "That's all well and good, but what does our friendships with Ash and Brock have to do with you or the Gieldanstone? You seem to know a lot about our intentions, and yet we have no idea who or what you are."

"_You wish to know who I am to trust that I am your ally?_" The figure asks.

"Yes," Timothy says seriously.

The cloaked figure doesn't say anything for a moment, but eventually, it sighs and says, "_Very well, but you must swear never to tell anyone about me. If you truly are friends of Ash and his friends, you will never say a word to anyone._"

Timothy, Coovers, Looker, and Brandon hesitate before they all silently admit that they would not deny their friendships with the raven-haired trainer or his other friends. They nod in agreement, and the figure turns to Electchu and the other Pokemon.

"_The same goes for all of you,_" it says. "_Do you swear to keep this a secret?_"

The Pokemon all nod in agreement earnestly. The figure then pauses for a moment before it grabs its cloak and removes it completely from its body. Timothy, Coovers, and Brandon's Pokemon grow hostile at first while the four men look at the figure confused. Floating in front of them is a grey, bipedal, humanoid creature with feline features and a long purple tail stand before them. It has two blunt, short horns on its head and a tube that extends from the back of its skull to the top of its spine.

"You're a… Pokemon?" Coovers asks as he stares at the figure's purple eyes.

The being shakes its heads and speaks telepathically with its mouth closed.

"_I am not a Pokemon in the traditional sense,_" it answers. "_I was not born like all of your Pokemon. I was created as a clone of the rare Pokemon, Mew. My name is Mewtwo._"

The men and the Pokemon stare on stock at this information.

"Mewtwo?" Looker says, dumbfounded. "But how is that possible? How could you be a clone of the legendary Mew?"

"_Many years ago, a group of Team Rocket scientists found a fossilized eyelash of Mew,_" Mewtwo answers. "_With Mew's DNA, they created me in a laboratory at New Island, intending to make me the most powerful Pokemon in the world. Eventually, I gained consciousness nearly four years ago and broke out of my tank wanting to know my origin and my purpose in life. When the scientists told me that I am just a science experiment and they were going to use me for tests, I destroyed the lab and the people in it in my anger._"

"You...you killed them," Timothy says with a hint of hostility in his voice.

Mewtwo nods with shame in its eyes.

"_It is a moment of rage that I regret now, but at the time, I had no care for anyone's life but my own,_" it confesses. "_But shortly after I destroyed the lab, the leader of Team Rocket came to me and suggested what he claimed to be a partnership. He offered to aid me in controlling the world with his resources. So I willingly came with him to his headquarters, where he put on a suit of armor on me so that my psychic powers would be focused. With the suit on my body, I performed tasks for him like battling Pokemon in his gym or aid his people in capturing wild Pokemon. I learned to control my powers, but in doing so, I grew more eager to find out what my purpose is. One day, I asked the leader of Team Rocket about what my purpose is, and he just said that it was to serve him._"

"That sounds like Giovanni all right," Coovers says with a serious frown. "Even though I just met him today, I know how much he views Pokemon as mere slaves."

Mewtwo nods and says, "_I was enraged by the way he spoke to me - claiming I was only created to obey humans and that I would never be their equal. In that moment, I grew to not only hate humans for their selfish desires, but also the Pokemon who serve humans. So I destroyed his headquarters and flew back to New Island with the plan to take over the world._"

"And how did you plan to do that?" Brandon asks with a stone face.

"_I started by creating a castle of my own design on New Island with my powers,_" Mewtwo answers. "_With a Nurse Joy I kidnapped from the nearest Pokemon Center and brainwashed, I made clones of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle designed to be more powerful than the originals. After they evolved into their final forms, I invited several strong trainers to New Island to challenge them. Along their way to my castle, I created a deadly storm to test them and see if they can make it to New Island with their Pokemon. The storm was so powerful that only a handful of trainers made it to my castle, including Ash, Brock, and their friend, Misty._"

"And how was inviting them part of your plan to take over the world?" Coovers asks, confused.

"_My goal was to challenge them in Pokemon battles with my clones, and when they lost, I took their Pokemon as my prize to create more powerful clones to rule the world with me after my storm destroys the Earth,_" Mewtwo explains. "_But before my plan could be further set in motion, Mew came and challenged me. The two of us fought each other while my clones fought against the trainer's Pokemon in a very brutal nature. But in the process of our battle, Ash decided to try to stop the fighting and so stepped into the crossfire while Mew and I fought and turned him into stone._"

"You turned Ash into stone?" Timothy asks, surprised.

"_Yes,_" Mewtwo confirms. "_I was flabbergasted by his determination to stop the Pokemon from fighting at the cost of his own life._"

"But if you turned him into stone, then how is Ash alive right now?" Coovers questions.

"_He was saved by the Pokemon,_" Mewtwo answers. "_Clones and original Pokemon alike, they grieved for him, and through their tears, they brought him back to life._"

"Healing through Pokemon tears? That's ridiculous," Timothy rebukes.

"Not necessarily," Brandon says calmly. "There are legends that speak of tales of Pokemon healing people and other sorts of life through their tears in ancient times. It has never been confirmed, but it's commonly heard here in the Kanto region."

"_Whatever your legends say, I can testify that such healing powers are real,_" Mewtwo says before it continues. "_After Ash was revived, I had a change of heart. I no longer sought to conquer the world but to find peace. So I decided to wipe the memories of the trainers and their Pokemon, including Ash and his friends, so they would not remember what happened. I also left New Island with Mew and my clones to find a place for us to live and stopped my storm from destroying the planet_."

"Hmmm. That likely explains why we never heard about this deadly storm," Looker states. "The International Police would have been investigating it if it was as terrible as you described."

"_I'm sure you would have_," Mewtwo says.

"But did that mean you wiped out Giovanni's memory of you as well?" Coovers asks. "I remember him not recognizing you when you stopped him from taking the Gieldanstone from us."

"_No,_" Mewtwo answers, shaking its head again. "_He still remembered me and so began to look for me after I escaped. By that time, Mew and I went our separate ways, and my clones and I migrated in a secret place far into the Johto region. For a time, we lived in peace with some of my clones having children, but eventually, Team Rocket found me, and my clones and Ash and his friends tried to keep them from capturing me._"

"Ash and Brock were there?" Timothy asks. "What were they doing in your secret place when they didn't even remember you?"

"_I know not,_" Mewtwo answers. "_Somehow, they got mixed up with a group of people from Team Rocket and ended up in my hideout just as the man you call Giovanni came to capture me. He threatened to harm my clones and their children if I did not surrender willingly. I reluctantly allowed him to capture me and so they begin to torture me in an attempt to make me submit to his will. But then Ash and his friends rescued me, and he carried me to a place where I could be healed from my wounds. I was dumbfounded that he was willing to do that since he still did not remember who I am, but that boy just smiled at me and said that he did it out of thanks because I had previously saved his Pikachu and even then he did not need a reason to save someone like me._"

"That does sound like Ash," Looker says, smiling.

"Yeah, he's definitely a guy who would help a person or Pokemon without question," Timothy says with a smirk.

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

Mewtwo nods with a small smile on its face before it continues.

"_After I was healed, I teleported Team Rocket out of my hiding place, and with the power of the Butterfree roaming nearby, I finally wiped out their memories of me,_" it continues. "_I planned to do the same with Ash and his friends along with a group of Team Rocket members whose talking Meowth aided me during the conflict, but they convinced me not to, and so I agreed to let them remember me before we parted ways. I took my clones to find another place to hide where they can live naturally like normal Pokemon, and when that was done, I began to journey throughout the world looking for my own purpose in life._"

The humans and their Pokemon smile, glad to hear the rest of Mewtwo's tale.

"So you were ultimately the secret in the Johto region that Ash and Brock refused to tell us about," Timothy says.

"_Indeed, I am_," Mewtwo says with a nod.

Coovers then frowns and looks at the genetic Pokemon skeptically.

"You said you didn't erase the memory of a pair of Team Rocket members and their talking Meowth," he says. "Does that mean you ended up removing their memory of you anyway when they ambushed us?"

"_I'm afraid so,_" Mewtwo says. "_I did not want to go back on what I agreed with them, but because they were aiding Giovanni by following you to the stone, I had no choice._"

"What?!" Timothy exclaims with him, Coovers and Electchu shocked. "They followed us?"

"_Yes, and that's why I was here to save you and the stone,_" Mewtwo says. "_I was traveling one night when I spotted the two of you with your Pokemon. I didn't look where I was going, and so I ram through Team Rocket's balloon, and they crashed near where you were and were spying on you. I decided to investigate, and that's when I overheard the two of you talking about your mission to find the Gieldanstone. The man, woman, and their Meowth were thrilled to have overheard you and decided to follow you from a distance while you went on your journey throughout the Battle Frontier._"

Looker glares at Coovers disapprovingly, and the Unovian man chuckles in embarrassment while Timothy huffs in disbelief as Mewtwo continues.

"_I considered wiping their memories or obliterate their balloon so that they would not follow you,_" it says. "_But then I realized that if that happened, Giovanni might try to investigate what happened, and he still would be looking for the jewel. So I decided to follow both you and the Team Rocket group all the way throughout the Battle Frontier. Along the way, I saw you interact with Ash and his friends from time to time, and that's when I started to trust you as it became clear you began to grow a close friendship with the only human friends I have._"

"Well, good to know we gained more from being friends with them than just Timothy opening himself to a friendly rivalry," Coovers comments.

Mewtwo nods and says, "_Eventually, my patience proved fruitful when I learned that Giovanni was coming here after your battle at the Battle Tower. And so, while they waited for you to come out with the Gieldanstone, I teleported to their headquarters and obliterated the machine they were going to use on Arceus, knocking out their science team and erasing their memories in the process. By the time I teleported back, they had ambushed you, and so I wasted no time in carrying out my main objective._"

"So you teleported Giovanni and his forces back to their headquarters to wipe out their memories," Looker says. "Can you say for sure that they don't remember anything about the Gieldanstone?"

"_I observed what happened with my psychic powers to make sure while I lead you here,_" Mewtwo answers. "_All of them have no idea about the stone or what they are even doing there. They may try to figure out the answer, but without their memories, their efforts will be in vain._"

"Good," Looker says.

The hall grows quiet, with Mewtwo done explaining everything. Brandon, Looker, Timothy, Coovers, and all of the Pokemon try to process what has happened. Finally, Timothy decides to speak up.

"I think I can speak for everyone when I say you have our thanks for saving us and protecting the stone," he says sincerely with Brandon, Looker, and Coovers nodding in agreement. "I guess the only thing that doesn't add up to me is how you mentioned you are looking for a purpose in your life. Does that mean you are still trying to figure that out? Because it seems to me that you can be a great asset in protecting the world from people like Team Rocket."

Mewtwo stares at the man for a moment before it looks away and answers.

"_Perhaps,_" it says. "_But I would rather have my purpose involve finding peace myself. I will not simply obliterate Team Rocket for the sake of the world as I would have years ago, but I would wish to see them stopped once and for all someday._"

"That makes all of us," Looker says. "So, what now?"

"That depends on you," Mewtwo answers. "Now that Team Rocket is stopped, I assume that you humans have a plan to keep the stone from him or anyone else who might want to use it."

"Yes, we do," Looker says. "We're going to take the stone to our headquarters and put in a place where -"

"No!"

Everyone jumps and turns to Brandon, who has an angry look as he holds the chest containing the jewel.

"You are not going anywhere with the Gieldanstone," Brandon claims.

"What are you talking about? You agreed to help us take it so that we can move it to a more secure location," Timothy says.

"That was before it turned out that Team Rocket was following you the entire time and if it weren't for Mewtwo, Giovanni would have his hands on the jewel and therefore Arceus this very moment," Brandon counters. "You can't be trusted with such a dangerous item if you can't stay on guard and keep your mission a secret from your own enemies."

"I realize my agent and his friend made a sloppy mistake," Looker says, glaring at Coovers again as he talks. "But given that we have the means to protect it from both people and Pokemon, I fail to see why you have the right to keep it from us."

"The Gieldanstone is an archaeological discovery and so belongs to the archaeologist community," Brandon says. "We have our own means to keep items like this safe."

"That stone has to come with us!" Coovers barks. "It's our job to keep something like this from the wrong hands, not yours!"

"And you've done a poor job showing that you can do that," Brandon growls.

"Buddy, I believe the International Police has more authority than an archaeologist like you," Timothy states. "Besides, even without all of our Pokemon out right now, we outnumber you."

Brandon glares menacingly at Timothy as if he's a teacher about to rebuke a troublesome student.

"And you I distrust with the stone least of all," he says. "Your arrogance almost delivered the jewel into Giovanni's hand. Your pride over your cunning and the might of your Pokemon is what put the whole world in danger."

Timothy is taken aback by Brandon's words for a moment before he grinds his teeth angrily.

Coovers turns to Mewtwo and asks, "What about you? Would you rather the stone goes to us or with Brandon?"

Mewtwo stays silent for a moment and says, "_Who takes the stone is of little matter to me as long as it's kept in a safer place than it was before. Having said that, I would rather that you humans settle this matter honorably rather than bicker amongst yourselves._"

Brandon turns to Mewtwo and nods before turning to Timothy.

"If that is so, then I suggest a compromise," he says. "Since you are so determined to protect the stone from Team Rocket and you have defeated the other six Frontier Brains, then let's have a battle tomorrow. We'll have a three on three battle without substitutions from either side, and the winner gets the Gieldanstone."

Looker and Coovers are surprised by Brandon challenging Timothy for the jewel. Timothy, however, smirks and turns to Electchu, Poliwrath, Gengar, Shockwave, Odyssey, and Blitzwing. The Raichu looks concerned and shakes its head while the rest of them nod confidently. Timothy nods back at them and turns to Brandon.

"I accept your challenge," he says. "If you want to decide the fate of the Gieldanstone with a Pokemon battle, that's fine with me."

"Very well," Brandon says. "Come to my pyramid at noon tomorrow. Scott is expected to arrive around that time, so we will treat it like a normal Frontier battle."

Mewtwo nods and puts its brown cloak back on using Psychic.

"_So be it,_" Mewtwo says. "_I will remain here so that my identity remains a secret from your people outside until then. I only ask that the victor of your battle comes to me afterward so that we can further discuss the fate of the stone before we all go our separate ways. Agreed?_"

"Agreed," Looker says.

With that, Brandon, Coovers, and Timothy return all of their Pokemon save for Electchu, and together, the four of them, and Looker leave the ruins while Mewtwo stays behind. As Brandon goes back inside his pyramid and Looker leaves to contract headquarters, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu stay back at the front of the ruins entrance.

"So, are you feeling any better about Trent still alive?" Coovers asks.

Timothy and Electchu wince at the mention of the Team Rocket member before the former answers.

"Not really," Timothy says. "I guess I should feel better knowing that Mewtwo probably took away his memory of us meeting again, but I don't think it took away Trent's desire for revenge. If he's still alive and working for Team Rocket, then I need to be careful, knowing that he might try to attack me one day with a squadron of Team Rocket members just like before. So I guess at the end of the day, I won't feel safe until he's taken down for good along with all of Team Rocket."

Coovers frowns and places his hand on Timothy's shoulder.

"At least he and all of Team Rocket are disoriented from losing their memories according to Mewtwo," he says. "So it will be a while before any of them try anything against you or other people or Pokemon again."

"I guess," Timothy says. "For now, I suppose I can rest easy knowing that they can't get the Gieldanstone now."

"Raichu," Electchu says in agreement.

Back at Team Rocket headquarters, Agent Basker is sitting silently in his personal quarters. The cyborg man still struggles to figure out why he or the rest of Team Rocket doesn't remember anything they were about to do or why there is a giant crater on the grounds of their headquarters. He grows frustrated as he tries time and time again to recollect his memories but to no avail.

"Augh! What's going on?!" he shouts. "Why can't I remember anything, and why do I feel like I lost something important?"

He screams and bangs his robotic fist on the wall creating a hole. He runs his fingers through what's left of his hair before he stops in mid-stroke and realizes something.

"Wait a minute, my eye was in recording mode," he says. "Maybe whatever it recorded will give me some answers."

Agent Basker walks over to his computer on the other side of his room, takes out a cable from his robotic arm and attaches it to his computer. His red eye blinks a few times before a video appears on the computer monitor. On the screen, Agent Basker appears to be in front of ancient ruins with Team Rocket's combat unit, and they are surrounding a group of people and Pokemon, including Timothy and Electchu.

"Durbin!" Agent Basker hisses venomously. "So I finally met him again? But how could I forget a thing like that?"

Suddenly, the video shows the Team Rocket members are surrounded by a blue aura, and they are lifted into the air along with Agent Basker. The cyborg man stares at the screen intently as he sees a mysterious, cloaked figure fly towards Giovanni, and with a wave of its hand, the leader of Team Rocket disappears. The Agent Basker on the screen turns back to Timothy and reaches out to him in vain before a flash of light appears, and he appears to be back at Team Rocket headquarters with Giovanni and the entire combat unit. Agent Basker frowns as he presses a button on his mechanical arm.

"Alright then," he says. "Let's take this from the beginning."


	53. Chapter 53

It is early on the second day of the Indigo Grand Festival, and Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Bonnie, Clemont, Grace, Brock, Holly, May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup are walking from the Pokemon Center to the Main Stage stadium after having breakfast. Serena, May, and Dawn lead the group with smiles on their faces as they eagerly head to the next round of the competition.

"Hmmm, I feel so rested," May says as she stretches her arms.

"Tell me about it. I feel so energized after a good night's sleep on a comfy bed," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup says cheerfully.

Serena nods in agreement and says, "I can't wait to continue competing in the festival. The way I feel right now, my Pokemon and I can handle anything."

"Be careful with what you say, Serena," Grace warns. "You only just made it to the first round."

"That's right. You still have a way to go," Brock says. "There's one more appeal round to get through."

"She can do it. I believe in her," Ash says confidently.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says with a smile.

Serena turns her head to give Ash an appreciative smile before she looks away as her cheeks begin to heat up. Dawn, May, and Holly smirk at their honey blonde friend before the auburn-haired woman looks at Brock, confused.

"So, there are two rounds during the appeal stage?" She asks.

"Yep. In the second round, coordinators can use from one to three moves to impress the judges," Brock says. "After that, the judges pick which sixteen coordinators will move on to the battle stage and send the other forty-eight home."

"Wow, so only sixteen of the three hundred and fifteen people who are competing will make it to the battle stage?" Holly says, shocked. "That sounds rough."

"Yeah, but my big sister can handle it. She made it the semifinals during the last Indigo Grand Festival," Max says proudly.

"And Serena is a wonderful performer. One to three moves is all she needs to wow everybody," Bonnie boasts cheerfully.

"Agreed. I think Serena's going to make it to the next round without any problems at all," Clemont says.

"Thanks, you two," Serena says with a smile.

"Hey, what about me? Do I get any special support?" Dawn complains.

"Sure, I'll do that," Holly says, giving the blunette girl a wink. "We Sinnoh ladies oughta support each other, so show them how it's done in our region, Dawn!"

"That's better," Dawn says with a grin.

"Piplup," Piplup

The group enters the stadium, and so Serena and May hug Grace and Max respectively before they and Dawn and Piplup head to the waiting room while everyone goes to find seats in the stands. The three girls and Piplup find a bench to sit on together while they wait for the next round to begin with the other sixty-one competitors.

"So, do you guys know what Pokemon you're going to use for this round?" May asks.

"I sure do," Serena says, smiling.

"I have a couple of ideas," Dawn admits.

"If you still have a couple options, then you might want to pick one fast," Solidad suggests, walking toward him. "You never know when it might be your time on stage."

May nods and asks, "So do you already have your Pokemon decided for this round?"

"I sure do," Solidad answers. "And so does he."

May, Dawn, and Serena look at Solidad, confused until they see Drew walking towards them with his hands in his pockets. May stares at the green-haired boy taken aback as Drew turns to her.

"Hey, May," Drew says nonchalantly. "I see you made it to the second round."

"Yeah, I did," May says bashfully. "I missed your performance yesterday because we completed around the same time. I'm sorry."

But Drew just shrugs and says, "I figured as much when I didn't see yours either. It's a shame. I wanted to see what you came up with."

"So did I," May says softly.

Serena and Dawn look at each other with the former grinning teasingly at their Hoenn friend. Dawn clears her throat to get May and Drew's attention as she stands up.

"You must be Drew," she says. "Serena and I have heard a lot about you."

May blushes lightly while Drew nods, unfazed.

"And you're Dawn," he says plainly. "I watched you compete against May at the Wallace Cup a while back. You gave an interesting display with your Piplup's Bubble Beam."

"Of course. Piplup and I worked very hard to get that right," Dawn says proudly.

"Pip, Piplup," Piplup says proudly.

Drew nods before turning to Serena.

"And you, your Fairy Wind was adequate, but I hope you have more up your sleeve in the next round," he says.

Serena feels hurt by his words until Solidad gives her a smile.

"Don't take it too hard, Serena," she says. "Drew is just very skeptical when it comes to contests. He's very passionate about it, you know."

Serena smiles, feeling a little better while Drew turns back to May.

"I hope to face you in the battle stage again," he says. "And I expect you to be a bigger challenge than last time."

Dawn looks at May confused and asks, "What does he mean by that?"

May hesitates before she says, "The thing is, the last time I battled Drew was at the Johto Grand Festival. My Pokemon and I gave it everything we had, but Drew managed to knock out my Pokemon before the time went out."

Drew nods, confirming what May said. May then stands up and looks at Drew face to face with a determined look in her eyes.

"But don't worry about me, Drew," she claims. "My Pokemon and I have been training hard since that day. So I hope you are ready because I want to face you again, and I'm not going to lose."

For a moment, Drew doesn't do anything as if May isn't there. Then he gives her a smirk and flips the tip of his hair as he speaks.

"That's what I want to hear," he says. "Just do me a favor, don't get disqualified before we get to battle, okay?"

May smirks and says, "Same goes for you."

The two of them stare at each other while Solidad, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup admire the moment between them. The moment is short-lived, however, as a flamboyant singing voice is heard.

"Oh, May, darling!"

May snaps out her blissful state, and her pupils shrink in horror. Drew frowns, and Solidad chuckles in amusement as they and May turn to see Harley prance toward them, giggling as he walks. Dawn and Serena instantly become uneasy at the sight of the purple-haired man as he abruptly pulls May into a suffocating hug

"Oh, May, dear, it feels like it's been forever!" Harley exclaims. "You have been a naughty girl for avoiding your best pal, Harley."

May manages to free herself from Harley's grip and runs over to Dawn and Serena as if she's using them as shields against the man.

"Aw, look at May acting so shy," Harley coos. "Of course, it's easy to be intimidated when the winner of this festival is going to be me."

Solidad chuckles as if Harley said a funny joke.

"Oh, Harley, you're just as confident as ever," she says.

"You got that right, hun," Harley states proudly.

Suddenly, his eyes turn to Serena, and the honey blonde girl grows very uncomfortable as he suddenly takes both of her hands and holds them close to him with his leg sticking up.

"My, my, my, if it isn't the precious princess from Kalos herself, Serena," he says with a big smile. "I watched all of your contests here in Kanto. You and your Pokemon are magnificent!"

"Uh… thank you?" Serena says awkwardly.

"Oh, aren't you so polite?" Harley says. "I almost feel sorry that you came here just to lose to me."

Drew rolls his eyes and says, "That's what you said about the last couple of Grand Festivals, and you've never made it past the semifinals."

But instead of feeling ashamed or embarrassed, Harley just smiles with his mouth and eyes closed.

"Minor inconveniences, Drew," he claims. "But I know that I'm going to take that beautiful trophy this time."

Solidad chuckles again and says, "At least you're staying positive."

Harley nods before an attendant taps his shoulder from behind.

"Harley, we're about to start soon, and you're performing first," he says.

Harley gives the person a smile before he turns to everyone else.

"Well, I better get going. The audience doesn't get amazed by themselves," he says. "Ta-ta, everyone!"

With that, Harley walks away, shaking his hips as he walks. Once he disappears among the crowd of coordinators, May lets out a long, weary sigh.

"Harley just gets harder to be around every time," she groans.

"Oh, come now, May. He's not that bad," Solidad chortles. "If anything, Harley's presence keeps things exciting."

"Exciting is not the word I would use," Serena moans.

"Me neither," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup agrees.

Drew nods in agreement just before music is suddenly heard from the waiting room's TVs. Everyone turns to see Lilian and the judges on the stage as the announcer gives the audience a bright smile.

"_Good morning, everybody_!" Lilian shouts. "_I hope you are all rested because it's time for more amazing things with our remaining 64 competitors and their Pokemon._"

The crowd can be heard cheering loudly through the TV speakers before Lilian continues.

"_We have a lot to get through today_," she announces. "_After our sixty-four coordinators show off their Pokemon's moves, the judges will declare who will make it to the battle stage. After that, we will finish the day with the first round of the battle stage!_"

"Wow, they're going to do all of that in one day?" Serena says, surprised.

"My, my, my, they don't want to waste any time this year," Solidad says with a calm smile.

"_And now, here to start us off with the second round of the appeal stage, give it up for Harley!_" Lilian shouts.

Harley appears on the screen and starts blowing kisses at the audience in an over-the-top way before he tosses a Pokeball into the field, and a Cacturne appears. The Cacturne releases multiple white, fluffy cottontails into the air, and it stays still for a moment before the green patches in its arms glow white and turn into long needles. Suddenly, the scarecrow Pokemon jumps into the air and slices the cottontails to pieces, sending the remains flying all over the place so that everyone in the audience can see them floating down gracefully. The audience applauds, and Harley blows more kisses at them while his Cacturne stands proudly.

"Oh boy," Serena sighs.

"Harley has the audience right where he wants them," May says.

"Perhaps, but that looked like a downgrade to some of Harley's other performances if you ask me," Drew says bluntly.

Solidad thinks on Drew's critique and says, "I suppose it's not as special as his Octillery dancing on fire or the display his Banette showed yesterday, but it still looked well-rehearsed."

"Maybe so, but he still could do something about his arrogance," Dawn grumbles. "He's making Giselle look humble by comparison."

"Oh, is he?"

Dawn jumps, startled as she, Serena, May, Drew, and Solidad turn around to see Giselle glaring at Dawn and Serena with her hands on her hips. Serena becomes uneasy as Giselle marches toward her.

"You and I have some unfinished business, Serena," she declares. "Twice, you've humiliated me, and now I'm going to make sure you are humiliated this time."

"So, are you two are rivals?" Solidad asks.

"Rivals? Hardly," Giselle says. "I just need to settle the score with the girl who cheated me out of two contest ribbons."

"I didn't cheat you out of anything, Giselle," Serena says. "I simply outwitted you at Celadon City, and it was just unfortunate that your Rhyhorn ignored your commands."

Giselle scoffs and says, "Yeah, well, I'm prepared for you this time. My Rhyhorn has evolved into a Rhydon, and I've made sure that it will listen to me no matter what. So if we face each other again, I'm going to beat you and then win the Grand Festival and then the Indigo League."

"We will see who wins, Giselle," Dawn says. "You just focus on making it to the battle stage like the rest of us."

"Oh, I will make it to the battle stage. Make no mistake about that," Giselle says as she turns around and leaves. "I'd say good luck to you, but it would do you no good."

Serena and Dawn pout at Giselle as she walks away. May and Solidad look at her disapprovingly while Drew scoffs.

"At least Harley can be amusing once in a while," he says. "That said, I'd like to see if she's as good at coordinating as she is at boasting."

Everyone nods in agreement before another stage person approaches Solidad.

"Excuse me, Solidad, you're on soon," she says before turning to Drew. "And Drew, you're coming right after her."

Solidad smiles warmly and says, "Thank you," before she and Drew follow the backstage person.

"Good luck, you two!" May calls out as they leave.

"Thanks, May," Drew says, waving at May without looking at her as he walks.

Once the two of them are out of sight, Dawn turns to May and opens her mouth only for the brown-haired girl to stop her

"Save it, Dawn," May says firmly.

"What? I was just going to say how nice it was that Drew wanted to see your performance yesterday," Dawn says, acting innocent.

"Sure you were," May says with an unamused glare.

Serena covers a giggle with her mouth and says, "It was nice to hear that he was a little bummed about it."

May glares at Serena too until she sighs in defeat.

"Yeah, it was," she admits.

Dawn grins triumphantly while Serena gives her friend a kind smile.

"_And now, coming to wow us once again from Pewter City, it's Solidad!_" Lilian shouts from the TV speakers.

The three girls and Piplup look up to see Solidad take up the stage and toss a Pokeball into the air. The ball opens to reveal her Pidgeot flying into the air. With a wave of her hand, Solidad makes an order, and Pidgeot makes a circle of copies of itself. The multiple Pidgeot spread their wings, and their wings glow white before they shoot glowing white feathers at the center of the circle, creating a vortex of feathers. The crowd and the judges stare in awe at the display before Pidegot and its clones fly toward the vortex and cut all the feathers into pieces, sending them all flying high into the air sparkling in white for the whole stadium to see. The audience goes crazy as they applaud.

"_Wow, what an amazing performance!_" Lilian exclaims. "_A creative use of Double Team, Feather Dance, and Aerial Ace! Nothing less from a previous Grand Festival winner!_"

May smiles, happy to see her rival gaining such praise. Solidad waves happy at the audience before she returns her Pidgeot and exits the stage.

"_And now, ready to show what he and his Pokemon can do once again, it's Drew!_" Lilian announces.

May stares at the screen intently as Drew enters the stage and throws a Pokeball into the air to reveal his Masquerain. The eyeball Pokemon looks up and fires multiple bubbles into the air before creating a vortex with Silver Wind, causing the bubbles to spin around. Drew calls out to Masquerain and a ring of white circles appear over its head. The ring raises up and shoots at all of the bubbles, causing them to burst into colorful sparkles that float down at the audience. Drew gives the audience a bow as the audience, and the judges give him a loud round of applause.

"A Bubble Beam, Silver Wind, and Hidden Power combo, huh?" Dawn says. "Creative, to say the least."

"Piplup," Piplup says in agreement.

"It sure was," Serena says, turning to May. "What did you think, May?"

May keeps her eyes on the TV for a moment before she realizes Serena asked her a question.

"Oh, yes. It was a great performance," she says, chuckling nervously.

Dawn smirks at her friend again, and May grows nervous until she sees Solidad and Drew coming back toward them and quickly runs over to them.

"Great job, you two," she says, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Thank you, May," Solidad says, smiling. "I'm glad to see that Drew really put his heart into the entire routine this time."

"Hmmm," Drew hums bluntly without a care.

"_And now, coming to dazzle you again, it's Giselle!_" Lilian announces from the TV.

Everyone turns to the screen at the mention of Giselle's name and sees the girl enter the stage as it she's a movie star.

"Let's see if she has more than a pretty Psybeam up her sleeve this time," Drew says as he crosses his arms.

Giselle tosses a Pokeball into the air with a flick of her wrist, and her Golem comes out with a loud roar. With her eyes closed, Giselle commands her Pokemon confidently, and the megaton Pokemon pulls out a large chunk of ground with its hands and tosses it high into the air. When the large piece of rock begins to plummet to the ground, electricity starts to appear from Golem's fist, and it punches the piece of rock before it hits the ground, smashing it into pieces. The judges look impressed as the audience applauds before Giselle exits the stage.

"Rock Slide and Thunder Punch together. Interesting," Solidad says amused.

Drew nods and says, "I must admit having a Pokemon like Golem use a rock, and electric type move is a shrewd way to earn a lot of points."

"I hate to say it, but I agree," May says sadly.

Dawn pouts childishly and mumbles, "Great, then I guess she's going to make it to the next round. I hope you wipe that smile off her face one more time, Serena."

Serena smiles at her friend's childish attitude before she looks at the TV, where Giselle is still waving at the audience.

"I hope so too, Dawn," she says. "I hope so too."

The appeal round continues with many other competitors performing with their Pokemon. Halfway through the round, Dawn enters the stage and takes out her Parichisu. Parichisu uses Sweet Kiss to cover the stage with red and pink hears before destroying them all using both Sparks and Hyper Fang. The judges were impressed with the way her Pokemon went back and forth between both attacks to create a dazzling display. A little while later, May comes up and uses her Skitty to create a statue of ice using Blizzard and then surrounds it in a vortex of fire before it melts down using Blaziken's Fire Spin via Assist. The judges are amazed at how May executed the stunt, and even Solidad and Drew admires how she took the risk of using Assist in that way, much to her delight. Finally, Serena enters the stage as the very last person to perform.

"And now, to finish this round, it's our talented girl from Kalos, Serena!" Lilian announces

Serena smiles brightly and waves at the audience. From a distance, she can see Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Grace, Brock, Holly, and Max sitting in one of the front row seats. Even though she can't hear them, she can tell that Bonnie is cheering at the top of her lungs, and Grace and Ash are both shouting out words of encouragement. She gives them appreciative looks before she takes out a Pokeball and throws it.

"Let's go, Pancham!" She calls out.

Pancham comes out of its ball and puts its sunglasses in front of its eyes before waving at the crowd.

"Pancham, create a circle with Stone Edge!" Serena commands.

Pancham slams its fist onto the ground and tall, blue pillars emerge, creating a circle that completely surrounds it.

"Now use Shadow Claw followed by Dark Pulse!" Serena shouts.

Dark purple auras shaped into sharp claws appear on both of Pancham's arms, and it uses the claws to cut the pillars into pieces and tosses the pieces high into the air. The playful Pokemon immediately fires Dark Pulse while the pieces of blue stone are in the air, and the dark-type move destroys them, causing blue and dark purple fireworks to explode in midair. Serena and Pancham do a pose to show that they are done, and it takes a moment before the crowd roars in joyous applause. Pancham jumps into Serena's arms, and the two of them hug, glad to see their audience so happy before Lilian steps in.

"Let's hear it for our contests!" She says.

The crowd cheers again as Serena returns Pancham to its Pokeball, and Solidad, Drew, May, Dawn, Giselle, Harley, and the other contestants enter on stage beside Serena.

"All sixty-four coordinators gave great performances during the entire appeal round, but only sixteen of them will make it to the next round!" Lilian continues. "The judges have tallied up their scores, and the sixteen coordinators with the most points are going to compete in the battle stage. And hheeeeerrrrreeeeee they are!"

Everyone looks at the large screen above the field, and sixteen images appear. It takes a moment before forty-eight contestants frown and glumly leave the field while sixteen of them, including Giselle, Harley, Solidad, May, Drew, Dawn, and Serena, smile happily to see their picture up there. Once again, Serena, May, and Dawn cheer together.

"Alright! We made it!" Serena exclaims.

"I knew we could do it!" Dawn says.

"Yeah, but now we're in the battle stage, so we could be facing each other," May points out with a smirk. "So we better give it our all if we do."

"Right," Serena and Dawn agree at the same time.

"And now it is time to shuffle the deck and find out who is facing who in the first round of the battle stage!" Lilian announces.

The pictures on the screen start moving around at random until they line up together again in a bracket. Serena studies the bracket closely and gasps when she sees her picture and Giselle's picture close together on the top left of the screen.

"I'm facing Giselle already?!" She exclaims. "How can it get any worse?"

"I think I know," Dawn says worriedly as she points at the pair of pictures below Serena's and Giselle's. "Looks like if you win and Harley wins his first battle, you two will be facing each other."

Serena looks at where Dawn is pointing and indeed sees Harley's picture standing close to hers. She groans wearily until Dawn puts her hand on both of Serena's shoulders and forces her to look at her friend.

"Hey, you got this, okay?" Dawn says seriously. "Just remember to keep on smiling."

Serena gives Dawn an appreciative look before she makes a confident pose.

"You're right. I've beaten Giselle twice before, and I can do it again," she says. "And Harley is not going to beat me either no matter what he claims."

"That's our Serena," May says, smirking.

"Now, it's time to start the first round of the battle stage!" Lilian announces. "Our battle stage will be double battles, and our contestants can change what Pokemon they can use for each battle. So let's not waste any more time and get started with the battle between Giselle and Serena!"

The crowd applauds as Dawn and May give Serena looks that say, "Good luck," before they and the other fourteen competitors leave the stage so that only Serena, Giselle, Lilian, and the judges are left. Serena and Giselle glare at each other as they take positions on opposite sides of the battlefield.

"I hope you realize that you're not going to beat me in a double battle by dumb luck!" Giselle calls out.

"That's fine by me!" Serena replies. "I've improved a lot with double batting since Cinnabar Island, so I'm ready to take you down no matter what you throw at me!"

Giselle laughs out loud mockingly before he bluntly says, "I doubt it."

"Alright, our contestants are in position, so let's get our first Grand Festival battle underway!" Lilian does as the clock on the screen begins to count down.

"Braixen, Poliwag, I choose you!" Serena shouts as she throws two Pokeballs into the field.

"Marowak, Rhydon, time for battle!" Giselle says as she throws two of her Pokeballs.

All four Pokeballs open to reveal Braixen, Poliwag, Marowak, and Rhydon. Giselle smirks mockingly at Serena's Pokemon before she makes the first move.

"Marowak, use Screech and Rhydon, use Stone Edge!" She shouts.

Marowak lets out an ear-splitting screech, and Braixen, Poliwag, and Serena cry out in pain with Braixen and Serena trying to cover their ears. Rhydon takes advantage of this and stomps on the ground, creating blue pillars that hit Poliwag and Braixen. The honey blonde girl's Pokemon lie on the ground in pain while Marowak stops screeching.

"What a cunning combination!" Lilian comments. "Giselle has Marowak use Screech to lower Braixen and Poliwag's defenses before Rhydon hits them while they're disoriented!"

Serena's eyes widen upon learning that her Pokemon's defenses are lowered. The judges remove a fraction of her points while Giselle smirks proudly.

"Come on, Serena, don't tell me I won already," she calls out mockingly. "I thought you said you got better at double battling."

Serena grinds her teeth and glares at her opponent before turning to her Pokemon worriedly.

"Can you two keep going?" She asks.

Braixen and Poliwag stay still for a moment before they slowly get back up and smile at their trainer to assure her that they can continue. Serena smiles in relief while Giselle merely scoffs.

"Marowak, use Bonemerang, and Rhyhorn, use Horn Drill!" She shouts.

But Serena smirks and commands, "Braixen, you knock that Bonemerang back with Fire Blast, and Poliwag hit Rhydon hard with Ice Beam!"

Rhydon charges at Serena's Pokemon with its horn spinning while Marowak throws its bone at their opponents. Poliwag takes a deep breath and fires a large Ice Beam at Rhydon. The attack hits, and within seconds, Rhydon is turned into a stone of ice. Shortly after that, Braixen uses Fire Blast, and it hits Marowak's bone. The bone gets sent in the other direction, and it hits Rhydon, causing the frozen Pokemon to fall down on its side with a crash. Giselle looks in shock as the judges take away a large portion of her points.

"How do you like that, Giselle?" Serena boasts.

Giselle frowns bitterly and shouts, "Marowak, use Screech and get your bone back!"

"Braixen, Poliwag, dodge, and use Flamethrower and Bubble on Marowak!" Serena shouts.

Marowak uses Screech again, but its opponents jump out of the way on opposite sides of the field. The bone keeper Pokemon then runs toward the middle of the field to retrieve its bone lying beside Rhydon, but Braixen and Poliwag use Flamethrower and Bubble right as it's about to pick its bone up. Marowak barely dodges the attacks in time and hides behind Rhydon still without its bone. Giselle grows frustrated again until she gets an idea.

"Marowak, use Fire Punch all over Rhydon!" She shouts.

Marowak's fists catch fire, and it punches at its teammate multiple times. The fire breaks the ice, and Rhydon manages to rise up, free from its prison.

"Alright then, Poliwag, use Ice Beam again!" Serena calls out.

"Not this time!" Giselle claims. "Marowak, use Fire Blast to take out that Ice Beam, then Rhydon, you use Bulldoze!"

Marowak takes a deep break and releases a Fire Blast from its mouth while Poliwag uses Ice Beam again. The two attacks collide and cancel each other out while Rhydon starts stomping on the ground. Its stomping creates a shock wave on the ground that hits Braixen and Pancham hard. They plummet to the ground with their bodies covered in scratches, and Serena's heart sinks.

"Braixen! Poliwag!" She screams.

Giselle smirks as the judges take away points from her opponent, and Marowak picks up its bone. Serena looks devastated as her Pokemon whimper while lying on the ground with their eyes shut.

"Too bad, Serena. This was starting to get interesting," Giselle says. "Maybe if you practiced a little more with double battling, you might stand a better chance."

Serena glares at her opponent, growing irritated with Giselle mocking her. But then she hears some faint cheering among the crowd, and she looks around to see Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Grace, Brock, Holly, and Max cheering for her in the distance. Her eyes go to Ash as he stands up from his seat and tries to encourage her even though he's too far away to be heard. Serena smiles sweetly and puts her hand on her ribbon before she closes her eyes.

"_Come on, Serena, think!_" She thinks to herself. "_Don't let Ash, Dawn, and Timothy's teachings be only good for just one battle. You can beat Giselle again. Just keep on smiling like Ash and Dawn said._"

With that, she takes a deep breath and looks at her Pokemon with a supportive smile.

"Braixen, Poliwag, we're going to be fine," she says calmly, earning their attention. "We can beat Giselle, Rhydon, and Marowak. I know it. I need both of you to keep going and believe that we will win and keep going to the very top, okay?

Braixen and Poliwag groan hesitantly before they give their partner weak smiles and slowly start to get up.

"Your words are not going to do you any good, Serena!" Giselle shouts. "Marowak, Rhydon, keep them down with Fire Punch and Megahorn!"

Marowak's fist catches fire again, and Rhydon's horn glows white and extends. The two of them begin to charge at their opponents. Serena grows worried again, as she realized they will hit her Pokemon before they fully stand up before it suddenly hits her.

"Braixen, Poliwag, use Flamethrower and Water Gun at each other!" She shouts.

Braixen and Poliwag look at Serena, shocked, but the honey blonde girl just gives them a smile, telling them to trust her. The fox and tadpole Pokemon hesitate before they decide to obey and release their attacks at each other. The Flamethrower and Water Gun collide and cover Serena's side of the field in steam. Marowak and Rhydon stop charging and try to find their opponents while Braixen and Poliwag manage to fully stand up.

"Great job, you guys!" Serena cheers, encouragingly. "Now use Ice Beam on Marowak and Fire Blast on Rhydon!"

Serena's Pokemon smile and nod before they release their attacks. Marowak gets hit with Ice Beam and suddenly turns into a block of ice while Rhydon gets hit with Fire Blast, but only appears to be partly hurt. The steam clears away, and Giselle is shocked at what had just happened before she smirks at Serena.

"Nice trick, Serena, but you should be aware that Rhydon is resistant to fire attacks, and it can free Marowak from that ice," she says. "Rhydon, use Horn Drill to free Marowak!"

But Serena smirks, already knowing just what to do next.

"Poliwag, use Water Gun on the floor!" She instructs.

Poliwag shoots water on the ground right as Rhydon begins to charge at Marowak with its horn spinning. The drill Pokemon's feet start slipping from the water, and it struggles to stay in balance before it falls on top of Marowak. Rhydon's weight breaks the ice surrounding Marowak's body, but it takes a moment before Rhydon rolls over to free Marowak, who is hurt from being crushed underneath its teammate.

"Now, use Water Gun on Rhydon and Fire Blast on Marowak!" Serena shouts immediately.

"Dodge it!" Giselle yells.

Rhydon and Marowak only have a moment to realize what is happening before they are suddenly hit by Braixen and Poliwag's attacks. Giselle grows frustrated as she turns to Serena, who smiles at her Pokemon.

"Smile as much as you like, Serena, but it will take more than that to take down my Pokemon!" she barks.

Serena looks at Giselle and just gives her a smug look.

"We don't have to," she says plainly.

Giselle looks at her opponent, confused until she hears a loud "ding!" Her pupils shrink, and her mouth drops open before she slowly looks up at the screen to see the timer is at 0, and she only has 20% of her points, whereas Serena has slightly less than half of her points.

"That's time, and the first winner of the battle stage is Serena!" Lilian announces.

The audience cheers, and Serena, Braixen, and Poliwag hug each other in celebration. Giselle stands in shock while Rhydon and Marowak look at her sadly.

"This...can't...be…" Giselle manages to say.

She watches Serena, and her Pokemon break their group hug and start to give the crowd several bows before exiting the field. Giselle turns to her Pokemon and sighs sadly as she takes out their Pokeballs.

"Return, both of you," she says nonchalantly.

Both Pokemon come back into their balls, and Giselle robotically exits the stage from the other side.

Within less than forty minutes, the other seven battles passed by after Serena won. Harley defeated his opponent with his Cacturne and Banette, much to Serena, Dawn, and May's grief. Two battles after that, Dawn won her battle by knocking out her opponent's Dragonair and Bayleaf using Mamoswine and Quilava. Solidad knocked out a boy's Scyther and Onyx with her Lapras and Butterfree in less than two minutes into the match. Drew took away nearly all of his opponent's points with his Absol and Flygon before the timer went out. Finally, May's Venusaur and Beautifly took down a girl's Sirskit and Clefairy within three minutes into the match.

Once all the battles in the first round were done, Lilian and the judges commented on all of the battles before they announced that the Grand Festival will continue tomorrow. As soon as May, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena have met up with their friends and Grace, they all go back to the Pokemon Center, where Serena gives Nurse Joy Braixen and Poliwag's Pokeballs.

"Nurse Joy, could you make sure that my Pokemon are well rested for tomorrow, please?" Serena asks.

"Of course," Nurse Joy says cheerfully. "Your Pokemon will be in perfect health by breakfast tomorrow."

"Thank you," Serena says as Nurse Joy leaves with her Pokeballs.

"I must admit that you put up quite a battle out there, Serena," Grace says, smirking. "Seems like you and your Pokemon have grown a lot stronger since you and Ash left Kalos."

Serena gives her mother a nod and says, "Yeah, we have experienced a lot of new things since we went on our journey. But I couldn't have done it without Ash, Dawn, and our friend Timothy teaching me how to double battle."

Ash gives Serena a toothy grin while Dawn smiles and winks at her. Suddenly, Giselle walks in from the lobby, and everyone immediately turns to her. She marches toward Serena with a serious frown, and Serena grows uneasy while her former opponent glares at her. Everyone doesn't know what is going to happen before Giselle sighs and gives Serena an amused smile.

"I hate to admit it, but you really got the better of me," she says.

"Huh?" Everyone says at the same time, not expecting her to say that.

"I figured out what you did, Serena," she says. "I was focusing more on taking down Braixen and Poliwag, but you focused more on getting rid of my points. You knew that you weren't seriously damaging my Pokemon apart from Ice Beam - leastways with using a fire attack against Rhydon, but it would still take away enough of my points to put you in the lead."

Serena blinks in surprise before she smiles.

"That's right," she says. "Your Rhydon and Marowak were very strong, and they came close to knocking out Braixen and Poliwag. I had to think creatively to outwit you and do enough damage before the timer ran out."

"And that's one of the smartest things you can do as a coordinator," May says. "After all, contest battles isn't just about beating your opponent's Pokemon. It's still partly about creating a performance that bests the other person's performance."

"Heh, when you put it like that, I guess I still have a lot to understand with Pokemon contests," Giselle says before giving Serena a competitive look. "But I learn from my mistakes. When I improve on contest battles, you won't stop me from taking you down no matter what you do."

Serena smirks and says, "We'll see."

Giselle then turns to Ash and says, "As for you, I'm coming back here for the Indigo League, and I'm going to win this time."

Ash just smirks back and says, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Or me," Max says, stepping in.

Giselle's smirks as she looks at her two rivals before turning to Serena, Dawn, and Piplup.

"Well, I better be off," she says. "Good luck with the rest of the festival, you three."

"Thanks, bye, Giselle," Dawn calls out.

Everyone else says goodbye to Giselle as she leaves the Pokemon Center. Once she's out of sight, Holly turns to everyone and says, "Well, she took her defeat a little better than I expected."

"You're telling me," Dawn says. "I guess she gets more frustrated when she gets humiliated more than when she loses."

"Pip, Piplup," Piplup says.

"Maybe so," Brock says, nodding before turning to Serena. "But in the meantime, you have bigger problems to worry about."

Serena looks at Brock, confused until it hits her.

"That's right. Now I have to face Harley tomorrow," she says worriedly before turning to May. "If there's anything I should know about him that you haven't told me, it might help me a lot if you tell me now."

May gives her friend a sad smile before putting her arm around Serena's neck.

"Leave it to me, Serena," she says. "I'll tell you all of my encounters with Harley to make sure nothing he does surprises you."

"And I'll help too," Ash days stepping in. "May's not the only one who has dealt with Harley in the past."

"Count me in," Max says.

"Me too," Brock says, standing behind Serena. "The more, the merrier, I say."

Serena smiles at her friend and says, "Thank you, everyone."

"Hey, I wanna join too!" Bonnie says with a childish pout. "I'd like to hear more about what that guy's deal is after those creepy roses he gave Serena and May."

"I second that," Holly says.

Grace chuckles and says, "Alright, everyone, settle down. Why don't we all get some food at a nearby restaurant, and then we can learn all about Serena's next opponent."

At that moment, Ash and May's stomachs growl, and they chuckle nervously.

"That sounds like a good idea," Clemont says. "I saw a spaghetti restaurant not too far from here."

"A spaghetti restaurant?!" Ash exclaims with stars in his eyes. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaims.

With that, Ash runs out of the Pokemon Center with everyone calling out and chasing after him. But while Serena runs after Ash, who has no idea where he's going, she can't help but smile, knowing that all of her friends and her mom are here for her during the Grand Festival.


	54. Chapter 54

Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, and Looker spent the night at the nearest Pokemon Center after Timothy agreed to have a battle with Brandon. Looker gave Coovers a harsh ridiculing over how he failed to be to keep the mission a secret and had a Team Rocket group follow him virtually the entire time. Coovers struggled to keep a straight face the entire time before Looker nonchalantly admits that he was otherwise successful. Timothy, on the other hand, spent most of the night training with his Pokemon until they were all worn out and so gave them to Nurse Joy so they will be in perfect health in the morning.

The next day, Timothy picked up his Pokemon from Nurse Joy, and together, he, Electchu, Looker, and Coovers walk back to the Battle Pyramid. Along the way, they passed by the ruins where they see Mewtwo cloaked inside, and they give the Pokemon a brief nod. The genetic Pokemon nods back before the four of them walk to the entrance, where Scott is waiting for them.

"Timothy, Coovers, good to see you," Scott greets with a smile. "And who might you be, sir?"

"The name's Looker," Looker says. "I'm Coovers' boss, and I happened to be passing by."

"Oh, I see," Scott says. "In any case, I'm glad to see all of you. I've been looking forward to seeing you and Brandon finally battle, Timothy."

Timothy gives Scott a small smile and nod, hiding his real reason for the battle.

"I must say, though, I'm surprised that Brandon wants to battle you with no substitutions from either side," Scott continues. "Guess he wants to make things more interesting because you are a powerful trainer who has won against a regional champion."

"That's what we got out of him when we met him yesterday," Coovers lies.

"Is that so? Well, I guess when you have two powerful trainers like Brandon and Timothy about to face each other, you have to think of something to keep things exciting," Scott says.

"Maybe so," Looker says, trying to hide his impatience. "But let's stop talking about it and get to battling. I think we've delayed it long enough."

"Looker's right," Timothy says. "I'm ready to take on Brandon right now."

Scott smirks and says, "That's what I like to hear, Timothy. Come, let us go inside. Brandon is waiting for you."

Scott turns around and opens the doors before everyone goes in. As they walk down the hall, Electchu grows uneasy and turns to its partner.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu, Rai, Rai, Raichu," it says.

"Oh come on, pal," Timothy says, giving his Raichu an optimistic grin. "Let me hear some happy 'Rai' and 'Raichu's. How can Brandon beat us with the Pokemon he has right now?"

Coovers frowns and says, "I don't know what Electchu said, but I'm probably on his side."

"Thank you as always for your support, Coovers," Timothy says half sarcastically. "You really are a supportive friend."

"Just don't hold anything back, Mr. Durbin," Looker says seriously, making sure Scott doesn't hear them. "Team Rocket may be out of commission, but I still think our facility is the best bet in keeping the Gieldanstone safe."

"Believe me, sir, I plan to win the stone for all of our sakes," Timothy says without looking at Looker.

Looker nods, satisfied with the response. The four adults and Electchu make it to a large battlefield where Brandon is standing on the other side with his arms crossed. Scott, Brandon, and Coovers head to the stands on the side of the field while Timothy and Electchu walk to the challenger side of the field.

"Timothy, I hope you are well-rested," Brandon says bluntly while still giving the man in the "H.A.K." shirt a serious look. "Are you ready to battle?"

"I am," Timothy says. "And, I hope you will stay true to our deal once the battle is over."

Scott turns to Coovers, confused, and asks, "What does he mean by that?"

"Don't worry about it," Coovers says seriously. "It's a private matter. Better you don't ask."

Scott hesitates before he silently decides to comply. Brandon's frowns grows, and he glares at Timothy disapprovingly.

"The same goes to you, young man," he says before turning to his crewman who is standing on the side of the field. "You may begin, Samuel."

"Yes, sir," the crewman named Samuel says before he raises his arms. "The Battle Frontier match at the Battle Pyramid is about to begin! The challenger is Timothy from Pallet Town, going against Pyramid King Brandon! This will be a three on three battle from start to finish! No substitutions are allowed from either side! Let the battle begin!"

"Right," Timothy says as he takes out a Pokeball. "Shockwave, come on out!"

Shockwave appears on the field, and Brandon looks at it skeptically.

"Starting with your Gardevoir, I see," he says before he throws his own Pokeball into the field. "Dusclops, I need your assistance!"

Dusclops comes out of its Pokeball and stares at Shockwave with its one eye.

"Oh, no. Now Timothy's already at a disadvantage against a ghost Pokemon," Coovers says worriedly.

Scott nods and says, "We'll just have to see how he handles it."

"Shockwave, let's not waste any time!" Timothy commands. "Use Moonblast!"

"Dusclops, counter it with Will-O-Wisp!" Brandon orders.

As Shockwave prepares a powerful Moonblast, Dusclops creates a blue fireball with its hands. The Pokemon release their attacks at the same time, and it causes a great explosion at the center of the field.

"Shockwave, use Psychic! Drive that Dusclops into a wall!" Timothy shouts.

Shockwave's eyes glow blue, and Dusclops is lifted into the air with its body surrounded in a blue line. With a wave of the Gardevoir's hand, Dusclops is thrown into a wall and falls into the ground injured.

"Alright, Shockwave, now use Moonblast again!" Timothy shouts.

"Dusclops, get up and use Confuse Ray now!" Brandon yells.

Dusclops gets up, and its eye glows red. A bright, purple light emits from its eye, and Shockwave's pupils shrink. It looks around like its light-headed and starts slapping itself in the face.

"Oh no, Shockwave's confused," Coovers says worriedly.

"If only Timothy can substitute so that it can snap out of its confusion," Looker says.

"That probably wouldn't help either," Scott says. "Brandon's Dusclops also knows Mean Look, which prevents Pokemon from escaping. He usually has Mean Look be one of the first moves Dusclops uses. So either way, Timothy would be stuck with his Pokemon confused."

Timothy grinds his teeth, frustrated that his Pokemon is in an unbalanced state.

"Shockwave, snap out of it!" He shouts.

"Raichu!" Electchu cries out.

"Dusclops, use Shadow Punch!" Brandon commands.

Dusclops' hands become surrounded in a gray aura, and then it punches at the air, causing a black, shadowy fist to come out and slam into Shockwave. The Gardevoir falls to the ground and struggles to get up with scratches around its body, and its head still muddled.

"Now use Will-O-Wisp!" Brandon orders.

Dusclops releases another blue ball of fire, and it hits Shockwave while it's down. Shockwave grows weaker with burns, also covering its body.

"Shockwave! Shockwave, wake up!" Timothy yells. "Listen to the sound of my voice! Don't let Dusclops get the better of you! You can beat it! I know it!"

Brandon shakes his head and plainly says, "I doubt that's going to work, Timothy. Dusclops, use Shadow Punch again!"

Dusclops releases another big, black, shadowy fist heading straight toward Shockwave. Timothy's heart sinks, knowing that the ghost attack might take down his Pokemon already.

"Shockwave, wake up, and use Psychic on that Shadow Fist!" He screams.

It takes a moment before Shockwave's eyes go back to normal size and quickly glares at the Shadow Punch with its eyes glowing blue. The black fists stop in mid-air and the Gardevoir moves its arms around to make the Shadow Punch turn around and hit Dusclops hard, creating multiple scratches all over its body.

"Yes!" Timothy cheers. "Nice job, Shockwave! Now hit it with Psyshock!"

The Gardevoir grins and creates a large, purple blob of psychic energy and releases it at Dusclops. The beckon Pokemon is too disoriented to dodge before the Psyshock hits it hard. Brandon frowns again, noticing how weak Dusclops is getting.

"Looks like Timothy has the upper hand," Looker says with a grin.

"Not quite," Scott says, pointing at Shockwave. "Shockwave is pretty weak too after getting hit by an attack as effective against psychic Pokemon as Shadow Punch on top of getting hurt from Will-O-Wisp."

Looker turns to the Gardevoir and frowns, noticing how tired and beaten Timothy's Pokemon looks.

"So it looks like it's pretty even," Looker says.

"Exactly," Scott says with a nod. "I think the next couple of moves will decide who will win."

"Dusclops, use Confuse Ray!" Brandon shouts.

"Not this time, Brandon!" Timothy growls. "Use Disarming Voice quick!"

Shockwave takes a deep breath, and it screams, letting out several purple hearts at its opponent. The hearts hit Dusclops, and it shuts its eye and groans in pain.

"Now, slam it into the wall with Psychic one more time!" Timothy shouts.

"Dusclops, use Shadow Punch quick!" Brandon yells.

Shockwave lifts Dusclops in the air and throws it at the wall. Just before it throws its opponent, however, Dusclops punches at the air, and another black, shadowy fist heads toward Shockwave. The embrace Pokemon doesn't have a moment to react before the fist hits it and slams it into the wall beside Timothy and Electchu while Dusclops crashes into the wall beside Brandon. Both Pokemon fall into the ground, and Samuel checks both of them before he raises both of his hands.

"Both Dusclops and Shockwave are unable to continue! It's a draw!" He announces.

Timothy and Electchu frown sadly before the former takes out Shockwave's Pokeball.

"You did great, buddy. Get a good rest," he says as the Gardevoir returns to its Pokeball.

"Dusclops, you did great," Brandon says as he returns his Pokemon as well.

Looker grows uneasy and says, "This is concerning. This makes Mr. Durbin down to two Pokemon."

"But so is Brandon," Scott points out. "Timothy has plenty of opportunities to win."

But Coovers is secretly more concerned than Looker. He worries that Brandon is up to something, and Timothy is too confident to notice it.

"Come on, Timothy, don't let your pride get the better of you this time," he whispers to himself.

"Ninjask, I need your assistance!" Brandon shouts as he throws a Pokeball into the field, and his Ninjask comes out.

"Ninjask, eh?" Timothy says with a smirk. "In that case, Blitzwing, come on out!"

He throws a Pokeball, and his loyal Braviary comes out with a loud caw. Electchu frowns and turns to Timothy.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu?" It asks.

"You could probably take it, but it's also weak against flying attacks," Timothy answers. "I think Blitzwing will work better because if its speed."

Electchu frowns and says, "Raichu. Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu."

"I hope so too, Electchu," Timothy says sincerely. "I really hope so too."

"Battle continue!" Samuel shouts.

"Ninjask, use Aerial Ace!" Brandon shouts.

"Blitzwing, use Aerial Ace too!" Timothy commands.

Both Pokemon charge at each other in a flash and ram into each other. They're a couple feet away from each other, with neither one looking harmed at all.

"So their Aerial Aces are evenly matched, huh?" Timothy says. "No problem. Blitzwing, use Crush Claw!"

Blitzwing charges at Ninjask with its claws glowing red, but Brandon just stays still with his arms crossed.

"Ninjask, use Double Team!" He commands.

Ninjask creates multiple copies of itself, and Blitzwing flies through one of them. The Braviary looks around in confusion as the multiple Ninjask surrounded it.

"Don't worry about how many there are, Blitzwing!" Timothy calls out. "Just use Brave Bird until you hit the right one!"

Blitzwing nods and surrounds itself in blue fire before taking into another copy of its opponent. Brandon stares disapprovingly as Blitzwing continues to use the same attack on more fake copies of his Pokemon.

"That is a reckless call to make, Timothy," he rebukes. "You're wasting your Pokemon's moves just to try to hit my Ninjask."

"Perhaps. It's purely a matter of perspective at this time," Timothy says plainly.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu!" Electchu says bitterly.

"I know you would have hit it by now with Thunder, but this works too," Timothy replies to his partner. "Trust me, Electchu, I know what I'm doing."

Electchu pouts angrily at Timothy, but then he and Timothy hear something cry out in pain. They turn to see that Blitzwing had just hit the right Ninjask, and the remaining clones have disappeared. The ninja Pokemon crashes to the ground and lies there for a moment before it slowly gets back into the air. Brandon looks at Timothy skeptically and shakes his head.

"Well done. You just wasted a lot of your Pokemon's energy just for one hit," he says sarcastically. "I hope you're proud of yourself."

But Timothy just smirks and says, "If you really think I made that big of a mistake, feel free to prove it."

"As you wish," Brandon says bluntly. "Ninjask, use Sand Attack."

"Blitzwing, Dodge, and use Steel Wing!" Timothy orders.

Ninjask flies at the ground and flings dirt at Blitzwing, but the Braviary quickly dodges the attack and with its wings turned into steel, slams its wings at Ninjask.

"Now, use Aerial Ace!" Timothy shouts.

"Ninjask, use Sandstorm!" Brandon shouts.

Ninjask flaps its wings fast, and it creates a bigger sandstorm. Blitzwing becomes uneasy and is about to stop its attack when Timothy calls out to it.

"Blitzwing, don't worry about the storm!" He shouts. "Just close your eyes, trust in your speed, and keep going!"

The valiant Pokemon hesitates for a moment before it decides to obey its trainer. It closes its eyes and charges at the sandstorm, still using Aerial Ace. Blitzwing soars through the storm with great speed and slams straight into Ninjask, causing its opponent to crash into a wall. Brandon looks in shock as Ninjask plummets to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Ninjask is unable to battle. Blitzwing wins!" Samuel declares.

"Alright!" Timothy cheers. "Way to go, Blitzwing!"

"Braiv!" Blitzwing calls out proudly.

Brandon sighs with his mouth closed and takes out Ninjask's Pokeball.

"You battled bravely, Ninjask. Return," he says as his Pokemon goes back in its ball. "That was a lucky break for you, Timothy."

"Not necessarily," Timothy says with a smirk. "Your Ninjask's Sandstorm was strong, but it was not strong enough against Blitzwing's speed. Add that to how weak your Ninjask was from the other attacks, and the battle was won just like that."

"I see. Have you used that tactic before?" Brandon asks.

"Not to that degree," Timothy answers honestly. "To be frank, it was a risk I took out of hopes to learn from my mistake when Ash used Sandstorm to distract Blitzwing long enough for his Boldore to win. Now I know what to do if he tries something like that again."

Brandon frowns disapprovingly and says, "That might have paid off, but it was foolish of you to use our battle as an experiment for any future battles. You have to take this battle seriously, Timothy."

Timothy glares at his opponent and says, "I am taking this battle seriously. You should be more focused on what you're doing and take out your last Pokemon."

Brandon glowers at Timothy and stands still for a moment before he firmly grabs another Pokeball and throws it in the field.

"Solrock, I need your assistance!" He barks.

The Frontier Brain's Solrock comes out of its ball and floats in the air, staring blankly at Blitzwing. Coovers' worry grows as he looks at Brandon's last Pokemon.

"I have a bad feeling about that, Solrock," he says.

"Why are you worried?" Looker asks. "It's Brandon's last Pokemon, and Timothy's Braviary hasn't taken any damage yet."

"Maybe so, but Brandon won't make it easy for Timothy," Scott says.

Electchu becomes nervous and turns to Timothy, saying, "Raichu! Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu!"

"I know that Solrock is resistant to all of Blitzwing's attacks except for Steel Wing," Timothy says.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai?" The Raichu questions.

"To prove a point," Timothy answers.

"Battle continue!" Samuel shouts.

"Alright, Blitzwing, use Steel Wing!" Timothy commands.

Blitzwing's wings turn into steel again, and it charges at Solrock at incredible speed.

"Solrock, use Psywave!" Brandon orders.

Solrock's body becomes outlined in light blue, and its eyes glow light blue as well. It then fires several light blue rings at Blitzwing right as it's only a split second away from hitting the meteorite Pokemon. The Braviary crashes into the ground and slowly starts to get up while Timothy frowns.

"Blitzwing, charge at it with Brave Bird." He shouts.

Blitzwing gets itself back in the air and charges at Solrock with its body surrounded in blue fire.

"That's a foolish call, Timothy," Brandon says bluntly. "Solrock, use Psywave again!"

Solrock prepares to use its psychic attack again, but before it could fire the light blue rings, Blitzwing hits it dead on and sends it floating back a couple of feet.

"Now use Steel Wing while it's distracted!" Timothy commands.

Blitzwing's wings turn into steel again, and it hits Solrock hard with its wings. Solrock crashes into the ground and lies there with a couple of scratches on its body.

"Ah, I see," Looker says. "Brave Bird is not very effective against Solrock, but Blitzwing used its speed to stop it from using Psywave again and then hit it with Steel Wing, which Solrock is weak against."

"That's right," Scott says with a smirk. "It was a good strategy to get to Solrock despite its psychic powers."

"Yeah, but it looks like it came at a cost," Coovers says as he points at Blitzwing concerned. "Blitzwing looks like it's starting to get tired after using so much energy and took damage from using Brave Bird."

Timothy frowns again, noticing the same thing. He can see his Pokemon panting while it tries to stay in the air. He sighs, knowing what's going to happen next before he gives Blitzwing a serious look.

"Blitzwing!" he calls out. "I know you're getting exhausted, but I can't make any substitutions! I need you to be strong and give it your all to the end, okay?"

Blitzwing turns to its trainer and nods in understanding. Brandon still looks at Timothy disapprovingly while Solrock gets back up in the air.

"At least you show concern for your Pokemon," he mutters. "Solrock, use Psywave again!"

"Dodge it and use Steel Wing!" Timothy shouts.

Solrock releases more rings at Blitzwing, but the Braviary dodges it and charges at its opponent with its wings turned into steel again.

"Solrock, stop it with Confusion!" Brandon shouts.

Solrock's eyes glow blue, and Blitzwing stops charging in midair with its body surrounded in a blue outline. Solrock moves its eyes to look down, and Blitzwing slams into the ground.

"Now, use Confusion again!" Brandon shouts.

Blitzwing becomes surrounded in a blue outline again, and it flies straight into a wall. The valiant Pokemon flaps its wings and flies toward its opponent, struggling to stay conscious before its body gives out, and it plummets to the ground.

"Blitzwing is unable to battle! Solrock is the winner!" Samuel announces.

Timothy sighs sadly and returns Blitzwing to its Pokeball saying, "Well done, Blitzwing. Take a good, long rest."

Looker frowns seriously and says, "Darn it, now they're both down to just one Pokemon."

"Yep. Once again, it has turned into an even match," Scott says, not noticing Looker's unsettled demeanor.

"I hope Timothy knows what he's going to do for his last Pokemon," Coovers says before he mutters to himself, "Come on, buddy. Don't let me down now."

Brandon closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before he glares at Timothy again with his arms still crossed.

"Your rash actions may have helped you before, Timothy, but it was still an irresponsible decision to use so much of your Braviary's energy like that," he rebukes. "I expected a lot more from someone who has won a Pokemon League and defeated a region's Elite Four and champion. A Pokemon trainer should be considerate about the wellbeing of his Pokemon at all times. Are you arrogant that you have forgotten something so important?"

But instead of replying, Timothy takes out another Pokeball and throws it at the field, shouting, "Poliwrath, let's finish this!"

Poliwrath comes out of its ball and glares menacingly at Solrock while it cracks its knuckles. Brandon sighs and shakes his head again.

"Very well. I guess I'll have to show you," he says. "Solrock, use Psywave!"

Timothy grins and says, 'Dodge it and use Surf!"

Poliwrath jumps above the blue rings heading toward it, and it creates a giant wave of water and rides it toward Solrock.

"Solrock, use Shadow Ball!" Brandon shouts.

Solrock creates a black and purple ball in front of its face, and it heads toward Poliwrath, who is still riding on the wave.

"So that's its third move, eh?" Timothy says with a grin. "Poliwrath, jump up and use Dynamic Punch! Send it to the ground!"

Poliwrath jumps from the top of its wave, dodging the Shadow Ball and with its fists glowing white punches down at Solrock. The meteorite Pokemon gets thrown to the ground with a thud while the Surf is still heading toward it.

"Solrock, use Psywave on the Surf!" Brandon orders.

Solrock manages to get up in time to use Psywave again. The blue rings hit the middle of the wave, and the attack collapses.

"Now, use Confusion on Poliwrath!" Brandon commands quickly.

As soon as Poliwrath lands in the ground, its body is surrounded by a blue outline and is lifted off the ground. It moves around, trying to free itself before Solrock suddenly uses its psychic move to send Poliwrath crashing into a wall.

"Now, use Shadow Ball!" Brandon shouts.

"Dodge and use Dynamic Punch!" Timothy shouts.

Poliwrath gets up just in time to dodge a black and purple ball heading straight toward it. Then it runs toward Solrock with its fist glowing white and Brandon sighs.

"You still haven't learned," he says. "Solrock, stop it with Confusion, and then prepare to use Solar Beam!"

"Solar Beam?!" Timothy, Coovers, and Looker shout at the same time.

Solrock's eyes glow blue, and Poliwrath is lifted up in the air in front of its opponent. Then, Solrock prepares to collect solar energy from the tip of its mouth, creating a white orb full of energy.

"Poliwrath!" Timothy cries out.

"It's over, Timothy. This is checkmate," Brandon declares. "I warned you multiple times to contain your prideful demeanor and worry about your Pokemon, but you didn't listen to me. You've let your past victories get the better of your judgment. You should learn to always be on your guard for the sake of yourself and your -"

But while Brandon is talking, Timothy's look of worry for his Poliwrath turns into a mischievous smirk, and he shouts, "Hydro Pump, now!"

Brandon stops talking in mid-sentence and looks up to see Poliwrath having a sneaky look in its eyes also. Before he can say anything, a giant stream of water comes out of Poliwrath's stomach and directly hits Solrock. The attack sends the meteorite Pokemon right into a wall, and Poliwrath lands on the ground safely, free of Solrock's Confusion. Brandon stares at his Pokemon shocked and turns to Timothy, who is still smirking.

"I knew all along what you were doing, Brandon!" he calls out. "You planned to use my arrogance against me to beat me in battle!"

Brandon stares at Timothy, shocked with his mouth hanging open. Samuel, Scott, Coovers, Looker, and Electchu also look at Timothy surprised.

"You knew?" Brandon asks.

"Of course, I knew," Timothy says. "Maybe if Ash and Brock didn't warn me about you or if you didn't ridicule me so many times, you might have won this battle. As it is, you have rebuked me enough times to make your intentions and your own arrogance clear."

"My arrogance?" Brandon asks angrily.

"Yes, yours," Timothy replies. "For someone who ironically talks about staying on your guard, your monologing was all Poliwrath and I needed to seriously hurt Solrock. I may be a prideful trainer, but at least I am aware of it. You, on the other hand, act like you know the answers to everything about life and how to be a Pokemon trainer, and so tell me how to live my life. Well, I have news for you, pal; only I decide how to live my life. I know someone who always claimed he had a say about my Pokemon or me. At times I believed him, but my family and my Pokemon were there to help me stand up for myself. I learned to use his own blind arrogance against him and so learned how to do it against the pride of other people like Tucker, Lucy's sisters, and now you. But when that cruel person finally took my Pokemon away from me with Team Rocket's help, I did everything in my power to get them back. You think just because I'm prideful that I don't care about my Pokemon and I'm battling you just to prove I'm superior? I trust my Pokemon and they trust me like any trainer and their Pokemon should. I want the Gieldenstone to come to the International Police because I believe that it's the best way to hide the stone and keep people and Pokemon from the pain my Pokemon and I experienced. You are a wise person, Brandon, and you have surprised me through this battle, but you have let your own pride and skepticism over what decisions I've made in this battle get the better of you, and now you're down to just one Pokemon badly hurt. So stop toying with me and show me the best that you can do!"

The entire battlefield is silent for a couple of minutes. Everyone is taken aback with that Timothy just said. Coovers and Electchu look at their friend sadly, realizing he was talking about Trent halfway through the monologue. Finally, Brandon closes his eyes and nods while Solrock floats back up.

"Well played, Timothy. You saw right through me," he admits. "Very well. I will stop treating you the way I have. But I don't plan on losing this match."

Timothy gives the older man a satisfied smirk and says, "Fine with me. Give it your best shot."

Brandon nods and turns to Solrock.

"Solrock, use Shadow Ball!" Brandon commands.

Solrock summons another Shadow Ball and fires it at Poliwrath.

"Poliwrath, counter it with Bubble Beam and then use Bubble Beam again!" Timothy instructs.

Poliwrath fires Bubble Beam from its stomach, and it destroys the Shadow Ball, creating a cloud of smoke. The tadpole Pokemon uses Bubble Beam again, and the attack flies through the smoke and heads toward Solrock.

"Solrock, stop the Bubble Beam with Confusion, then send it back!" Brandon shouts.

Solrock's eyes glow blue, and all the bubbles stop right in front of it. With its body giving a short nod, the bubbles fly back toward Poliwrath.

"Nice call, using my trick against me, but it will do you little good," Timothy claims. "Poliwrath, protect yourself from the bubbles using Surf!"

Poliwrath summons another giant wave of water, and it heads toward Solrock while the bubbles pop in its path.

"Use Psywave to stop that Surf!" Brandon orders.

"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump!" Timothy shouts.

Solrock fires more light blue rings, and they destroy Poliwrath's wave of water again. As the wave collapses again, Poliwrath uses Hydro Pump and is about to hit Solrock.

"Solrock, dodge, and use Psywave again!" Brandon shouts.

Solrock moves away from the Hydro Pump's line of fire, and it uses Psywave again. The rings hit Poliwrath directly, and it falls on its back.

"Don't let up! Use Confusion!" Brandon says.

Solrock lifts Poliwrath in the air with Confusion and starts slamming the tadpole against the ground repeatedly with its psychic power. Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, and Looker become worried as Solrock drops Poliwrath, who lies on the ground with scratches and bruises all over its body.

"Poliwrath, get up quick!" Timothy calls out.

It takes a moment before Poliwrath slowly starts to get up. Brandon smirks as he watches Poliwrath get on one knee.

"Your Poliwrath is tough, but it can't keep going," he states. "Solrock, finish this with Solar Beam!"

Timothy's eyes widen, and he turns to Poliwrath and shouts, "Poliwrath, use Surf while you're getting up!"

Poliwrath struggles to stay on one knee as it manages to summon another wave of water heading toward its opponent while it tries to get up.

"I don't think so, Timothy," Brandon says. "Solrock, fire your Solar Beam straight at the water!"

"Poliwrath, jump away and use Hydro Pump!" Timothy shouts.

Solrock unleashes its Solar Beam, and the large beam of sun energy bursts through the wave of water as if it was made of glass. Brandon smirks as the Solar Beam makes it to Timothy's side of the field, but his smirk falls when he sees nothing but Timothy and Electchu grinning.

"_This_ is checkmate, Brandon," Timothy states.

Brandon looks around for Poliwrath and spots it on the left corner of the field from Timothy's side. The tadpole Pokemon is still kneeling, but it is standing enough to unleash a powerful Hydro Pump at Solrock. The stream of water hits the meteorite directly, and it falls to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Solrock is unable to battle!" Samuel announces. "Poliwrath is the winner, and so the victory goes to the challenger, Timothy, from Pallet Town!"

"Yes!" Timothy cheers.

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts happily.

"Poliwrath!" Poliwrath roars triumphantly.

Looker and Coovers both let out sighs of relief while Scott smiles.

"Just as I hoped. He can overcome the challenges," Scott says.

Brandon sighs sadly before he smiles and returns Solrock.

"That was excellent battling, Solrock. Thank you," He says to the Pokemon inside the Pokeball.

Timothy, Electchu, and Poliwrath are still cheering when they notice Brandon walking over to them.

"Well done, Timothy," Brandon compliments. "You used my plan against me and ultimately came out on top. You're one of the very few trainers who has beaten me in a Frontier battle."

"Thanks," Timothy says. "I'll admit that you had some good strategies yourself and you clearly trained your Pokemon to be more durable than I expected."

Brandon nods before he reaches into his pants pocket and takes out a symbol.

"With the Brave Symbol, I hereby declare that your journey through the Battle Frontier has come to an end," he says. "Congratulations."

Timothy takes the symbol with a smile and says, "And the stone?"

Brandon frowns slightly, hesitant to honor his part of the deal. With another sigh, he forces another smile and nods before turning to Samuel.

"Have it brought to the ruins entrance for them to retrieve it," he says.

"Yes, sir," Samuel says before leaving.

"Thank you, Brandon," Timothy says. "If we see each other again, perhaps we can battle again on better terms."

"Perhaps," Brandon says with a nod.

Scott, Coovers, and Looker walk over to Brandon, Timothy, Electchu, and Poliwrath with Coovers running over to Timothy and giving him a noogie.

"Atta boy, Timothy!" he cheers. "I knew you could do it!"

Timothy rolls his eyes before he frees himself from Coovers and sarcastically says, "Sure you did, Coovers. Sure, you did."

Looker steps in and firmly shakes Timothy's hand.

"Excellent job, Mr. Durbin," he says proudly.

"Thank you, sir," Timothy says.

Scott steps up and pats Timothy on the arm.

"Well done, Timothy," he says while taking out a plaque with all seven of the battle symbols. "You have completed the Battle Frontier. You are now a member of the Battle Frontier hall of fame."

"Thanks, Scott," Timothy says. "It's been a pleasure going on this journey."

Scott nods and with a smile, says, "So now that you have won, there's just one order of business to take care of."

"Oh?" Timothy asks.

"You see, as the owner of the Battle Frontier, I offer trainers who make it through to become a Frontier Brain as well," Scott says.

Timothy frowns and says, "Yeah, I think I remember you and Ash talking about that when we met in Pallet Town."

Scott nods and asks, "So would you like to become a Frontier Brain? I know you're planning to compete in the Indigo League, but it would mean a lot if you could become a new member of our team. Perhaps your symbol could even be the word "HAK" just like your shirt."

Timothy can't help but smile at the way Scott brought up his shirt. He turns to Electchu, who already knows what's on his mind before he answers.

"Scott, I'm flattered that you would give me such an offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline," he says. "The Battle Frontier has been a unique experience, to say the least, but winning every single Pokemon League and defeating every single Elite Four and champion has always been my goal. I just can't be satisfied with a role like a Frontier Brain when there's so much that is still left undone."

Scott's smile disappears, and he looks down sadly, disappointed. After a moment, he looks up and smiles.

"I understand," he says. "But if you ever change your mind, the offer is always open."

Timothy smiles back and nods, grateful for the fat man's offer.

After Timothy returns Poliwrath to its Pokeball, Brandon and Scott escort him, Electchu, Coovers, and Looker out of the Battle Pyramid. Samuel is found waiting outside, ready to give the chest containing the Gieldanstone to Looker. Scott wonders why Samuel is giving Looker a chest, but Looker tells him that it was private business, so Scott left it at that.

After a round of goodbyes, Brandon and Samuel go back inside the pyramid, and it flies away while Scott goes in his car and drives off. Once they are completely out of sight, the four men and Electchu walk inside the ruins, where Mewtwo stands there waiting for them. The genetic Pokemon removes the hood on its cloak and looks at Timothy.

"_So, you won the battle_," it says bluntly. "_Since it means you've also finished this so-called Battle Frontier, I suppose congratulations are in order._"

"Thanks," Timothy says.

Mewtwo then turns to Looker and looks at the chest he's carrying.

"_Is the stone still in there?_" It asks.

Looker opens the chest to show the Gieldanstone still shining brightly inside before he closes it.

"_Good,_" Mewtwo says, with a small nod. "_And you are sure that your base of operations can protect it?_"

"I will do everything in my power to make sure of it," Looker answers. "No person or Pokemon will be able to steal it."

Mewtwo nods again says, "_Very well. I'm trusting you to make it so while Team Rocket is in disarray._"

"Speaking of Team Rocket, have you thought about joining us to stop them?" Coovers asks. "Maybe we can work together so that Giovanni will be finally stopped."

Mewtwo hesitates with its face still serious looking and says, "_Perhaps we can_."

Without another word, Mewtwo's eyes glow blue, and it waves its hand. Everyone looks at it confused until a purple, liquid substance suddenly appears in front of Mewtwo. The liquid moves around in the air for a couple of seconds before it merges together and suddenly turns into a solid round stone. Everyone looks at the stone and as it floats into Looker's hands.

"_If you are preparing to put an end to Team Rocket once and for all or if Giovanni is trying something just as terrible in his attempts for world domination, you need only to hold this stone in your hand and call out my name,_" Mewtwo says. "_I can't undo the harm I've done in the past, but perhaps by coming to your aid, I can make amends by securing the future for both people and Pokemon._"

Looker smiles and nods saying, "Thank you, Mewtwo. I promise when the time comes that we can fully able to legally bring Team Rocket to justice, you will be the first to know."

Mewtwo nods with a small smile on its face before it turns to Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu.

"_In the meantime, I suggest that the three of you better return to the Pokemon Center,_" It says.

"Uh, why?" Coovers asks, confused.

"_If I recall correctly, you made a promise to one of Ash and Brock's other friends before you left the Battle Tower, did you not?_" Mewtwo says. "_I believe she asked you to watch a competition that should have started around now._"

Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu look at Mewtwo, confused for a moment before their eyes widen and their pupils shrink in realization.

"The Grand Festival!" Timothy and Coovers shout.

"Raichu!" Electchu shrieks.

"We've been so focused on getting the Gieldanstone that we totally forgot about it!" Coovers exclaims.

"Oh man, I hope Serena and Dawn are still competing, and they'll forgive us for missing some of it," Timothy says with his hand on his forehead.

Looker frowns and asks, "I take it that means you wish to continue traveling, Mr. Woodward?"

Coovers stops panicking for a moment and clears his throat.

"Yes, sir. I would like to continue traveling until after Timothy competes in the Indigo League," he answers.

"I understand and think you've earned a little time off for accomplishing this mission," Looker says before giving Coovers a glare. "But I want a full report when you return, and you'll be further disciplined for your failure to keep your mission a secret. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Coovers says sadly with a sigh.

Looker nods, satisfied with his agent's response, and turns around to leave when he realizes he forgot something.

"Oh, and Mr. Durbin," he begins, turning around. "I know stopping Team Rocket was your personal reward, but I want to give you something to show our appreciation for your contribution."

"That's not necessary, sir," Timothy says politely.

"Please, I insist," Looker says. "I would be grateful you accept this gift."

Timothy hesitates before turning to Coovers and Electchu, who smile and nod.

"Very well," he says.

Looker smiles and reaches into his coat pocket with one arm while he carries the chest with the other. He takes out a Pokeball that is white on the bottom and purple on the two with two pink circles and a white "M" above the button. Timothy looks confused as he takes the ball and examines it closely.

"You gave me a Pokeball?" He asks, confused.

"Not just any Pokeball," Looker says. "This is a prototype our people at the Silph Company created some time ago. They call it a Master Ball."

"A Master Ball?" Coovers asks.

"Yes. They've only made a couple in the past, and this is the latest one. The theory is that it is powerful enough to capture any Pokemon in the world. The last one they made ended up getting eaten by a Whiscash, so we don't know if this one will work," Looker says. "You don't need to battle against the Pokemon at all. Just throw the Pokeball at it, and you will catch it instantly."

Timothy looks at the ball more intrigued and smirks.

"In that case, I probably won't use it at all unless I see a really rare Pokemon apart from Mewtwo," Timothy says, turning to the psychic-type Pokemon. "I'd consider using it on you, but I imagine you don't want being controlled by another human to be your purpose."

"_Much appreciated,_" Mewtwo says with a respectful nod.

"Well, in any case, let me know if you do use it. The company would love to know if it works," Looker says.

"Sure, I will," Timothy says.

Looker nods and says, "Well, I must be off. Mr. Woodward, I will see you after the Pokemon League, Mr. Durbin, good luck at the league, and Mewtwo, take care."

Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, and Mewtwo all nod before Looker leaves, heading south from the ruins. Once he's out of sight, Timothy turns to Mewtwo.

"Well, we better go too," he says. "I assume you're not leaving until it's dark, Mewtwo?"

"_Correct,_" Mewtwo says with a nod.

"Then we wish you well wherever you go," Coovers says with a smile.

"Raichu," Electchu says with a nod.

"_And I you,_" Mewtwo says with a small smile and a nod.

With that, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu leave the ruins and begin heading back to the Pokemon Center. As they walk, Timothy holds the Master Ball, and Coovers notices, smirking.

"So a Pokeball that can catch any Pokemon just like that, eh?" He says with a smirk. "Any rare Pokemon that you would particularly like to use it on?"

"No idea," Timothy says. "There are so many rare Pokemon in the world that I don't know what would be the perfect one to use something like this on if it works. Heck, Mewtwo is probably the only one I've ever seen in all my years as a trainer, so who knows if I'll ever see one again."

"Yeah, they are called rare Pokemon for a reason," Coovers admits. "Still, it would be pretty cool to catch one."

"That it would, Coovers. That it would," Timothy says. "Now, let's get going. If we're lucky, we can see recaps of the Grand Festival on our room's TV."

"Raichu," Electchu agrees.

And so, the three of them start running back to the Pokemon Center hoping that they haven't missed too much of the Grand Festival and they can still cheer Dawn and Serena on.


	55. Chapter 55

The third day of the Grand Festival arrives, and everyone has already gone to the Main Stage stadium. Serena picked up Braixen and Poliwag after they spent the night in Nurse Joy's care, and now she is waiting for the festival to continue with May, Dawn, and Piplup. Her hands are balled into fists, and she looks down as if she is deep in thought, which easily catches May and Dawn's attention.

"Take it easy, Serena. You're looking tense," May says.

"I know, but I'm trying to be prepared for what to expect," Serena says. "After you told me all of those stories about Harley, I want to be prepared for anything he tries to pull on me."

"Yeah, but you're not going to help yourself by being edgy the whole time," Dawn says. "You gotta think positive. Show him that anything he tries to pull on, you will never work. Come on, Serena. Let me hear some deep breaths."

Serena hesitates before she takes a large breath and slowly lets it out. She turns to her friends and smiles.

"Thanks, guys," she says.

"Anytime," Dawn says with a cheerful smile. "Besides, if you beat Harley and I win my battle, then we will get to face each other in the semifinals, and I want you at your best when that happens."

"Piplup," Piplup says, agreeing.

Serena's smile turns into a smirk and says, "Don't worry. I will give it my all and beat you. That's a promise."

Dawn smirks back before turning to May with another teasing grin.

"So I couldn't help but notice your first battle today is with Drew," she says teasingly.

"What? I'm going against Drew already?" May says, shocked.

Serena looks at May confused and says, "You mean you didn't notice on the tournament bracket? His battle yesterday was right after yours, so you two are going to battle right after Dawn."

May blinks before she puts the pieces together in her head and gasps.

"I am going against him," she says. "I guess I've been so caught up on making sure Serena is ready for Harley that I didn't notice."

"That's not good."

May nearly jumps off her seat to find Drew standing next to her with his hands in his pockets.

"I was hoping you'd noticed that you're already thinking of a strategy against me," he says.

May panics for a moment and stands up before she claims, "Don't worry, I've been working on my strategy since Johto. So I'm ready for whatever you throw at me no matter what."

Drew looks at May skeptically for a moment before he flips his hair and walks away.

"I hope so," he says dully. "I wouldn't want you to disappoint me."

May frowns sadly and sighs as she sits down. Serena looks at her friend sadly

"You really want to impress him, don't you, May?" She says.

May nods robotically.

Serena opens her mouth to speak again, but she is suddenly interrupted by an attendant.

"Excuse me, Serena. We're about to start in a couple of minutes, and you're battling first," she says.

"Okay, thank you," Serena says as she stands up and turns to May. "Don't worry about how Drew is going to feel. Just think about the battle at hand, okay, May?'

May didn't say anything for a moment, but eventually, she turns to the honey blonde girl and says, "Right."

Serena smiles back before she follows the attendant down the hall, where she can already see Lilian and the judges entering the field. The crowd is cheering at the sight of them before Lilian steps up and turns on her microphone.

"Good morning, Indigo Plateau!" She shouts. "It is time for our third and final day of our wonderful Grand Festival!"

"Final day?" Serena says, surprised while the audience applauds.

"With only eight coordinators left, we are going to start the day with the quarterfinals and semifinals right away!" Lilian explains. "After that, we will take a short break where the remaining two contestants can have their Pokemon briefly checked at the Pokemon Center before our final battle that will decide who will become this year's Top Coordinator!"

The audience cheers a third time before Lilian continues.

"So, without further ado, let's get started with our first quarterfinal battle; it's Serena against Harley!"

Serena runs into the field and gives the audience a big smile. The crowd cheers for her, and she can see Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Holly, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, and Grace sitting in one of the front rows again, cheering out her name. She waves at them, and they wave back until the applause abruptly dies down. Serena looks around in confusion until she turns to the other side of the field and gasps in horror.

On the other side of the field, Harley is blowing kisses at the audience dressed in almost the exact same outfit as Serena. From his hat to his boots, to his red coat, the only thing that's missing is a blue ribbon. Even though May told Serena about the time Harley dressed up as her friend from Hoenn, the poor honey blonde girl feels violated with the grown man dressed almost exactly like her.

"Hi, princess!" Harley calls out with a flamboyant wave. "I hope you are flattered with my little cosplay!"

"No, I'm not flattered at all!" Serena shouts. "If anything, I should be grateful that you didn't copy my ribbon!"

"Oh, what? That little thing?" Harley says, pointing at her blue ribbon. "I thought about adding that, but it looked so tacky that I just didn't want to be caught dead in it."

Serena becomes livid and puts her hand on her precious ribbon, yelling, "Hey! My ribbon is not tacky! It is my most valuable treasure!"

"That's cute, hun," Harley says uncaringly with a wave of his hand.

Serena grinds her teeth angrily while Harley just smirks without a care. Lilian steps up and shouts, "Battle begin!" and Serena quickly snatches two of her Pokeballs from her pocket.

"Braixen, Absol, I choose you!" She shouts, throwing her Pokeballs.

"Come to Papa, Cacturne and Banette!" Harley says gleefully as he spins and throws two of his Pokeballs.

Braixen and Absol come out with determined glares in their eyes while Cacturne and Banette just look at their opponents with mischievous grins.

"Braixen, use Flamethrower on Cacturne! Absol, use Night Slash on Banette!" Serena barks.

"Cacturne, dodge, and use Bullet Seed. Banette, use Torment," Harley says plainly without a care.

Banette yells at Braixen before the disaster Pokemon hits it hard, giving it several scratches around its body. At the same time, Braixen fires Flamethrower, but Cancturne jumps away and shoots many glowing yellow seeds from the middle hole at its mouth.

"Braixen, counter with Flamethrower! Absol, use Night Slash on Cacturne!" Serena shouts.

Braixen points its stick at Cacturne, and Absol runs to the opponent, but nothing comes out of Braixen's stick before it's hit by Cacturne's Bullet Seed. Absol, on the other hand, successfully hits the scarecrow Pokemon before turning to its battle partner, confused with it not attacking.

"What? What happened?" Serena asks in disbelief as the judges take away points from both sides.

"What's the matter, princess? Don't you know your Pokemon moves?" Harley calls out mockingly. "Torment prevents your Pokemon from using the same move twice in a row."

"It prevents my Pokemon from using the same move twice in a row?" Serena repeats.

"That's right, hun. So you better get creative with your strategies," Harley says. "Anywho, Cacturne, Banette, use Cut on Absol, and Thunder on Braixen."

"Absol, use Double Team, and Braixen, dodge, and use Fire Blast on Cacturne!" Serena commands.

Cacturne charges at Absol with the dark green patches in its arms glowing white and growing into long needles, but the disaster Pokemon just creates multiple copies of itself, causing Cacturne to stop in its tracks and look around for the real one. Meanwhile, Banette releases a powerful bolt of lighting, but with a jump and a flip, Braixen dodges it and unleashes Fire Blast at Cacturne. The scarecrow Pokemon is so distracted in finding Absol that it doesn't notice the Fire Blast heading toward it until the fire move hits it, making it fall to its side with burns all over its body.

"Cacturne, my baby!" Harley shrieks while the judges remove some of his points.

Serena smirks and says, "Luckily for me, Braixen knows more than one fire move, so I'm not too worried about not being able to use the same move twice in a row."

Harley grinds his teeth angrily while Cacturne gets up.

"Oh yeah, Miss Smarty Pants? Well, let's see how you like this," He growls before he commands with more volume in his voice, "Cacturne, use Cotton Spore!"

Cacturne releases multiple white cotton balls from its mouth that float around and stick on Braixen's body. The fox Pokemon tries to move, but the spores are so sticky that it can barely move.

"Now, Banette, use Thunder, one more time!" Harley orders.

"Absol, intercept with Night Slash!" Serena commands.

The horns on the heads of Absol and its copies glow purple, and it charges at Banette as it gets ready to use Thunder.

"I don't think so," Harley says in a singing voice. "Cacturne, darling, protect Benette with Needle Arm!"

Cacturne steps in front of Banette, and with Absol and its clones coming close, it bows its head, and the green patches on its arms turn into long needles. The needles make the copies disappear and pierce the real Absol, making it howl in pain. Banette takes the opportunity to use Thunder, and it zaps Braixen, causing it to scream. The judges remove a fraction of Serena's points.

"Looks like you're in a real pickle, dear," Harley teases. "Your Braixen is stuck, and your Absol can't defend its teammate."

"I wouldn't count Braixen out yet," Serena says. "Braixen, use Flamethrower on yourself!"

Braixen struggles for a moment before it manages to aim its stick at itself and uses Flamethrower. The attack burns all the spores stuck to its body, and so Braixen makes a battle stance, free from its prison.

"Hmph, not bad. But that won't help you for long," Harley says. "Banette, use Screech and Cacturne, use Bullet Seed!"

Serena's eyes widen, remembering the effects of Screech.

"Absol, counter the Screech with Perish Song, and Braixen, use Fire Blast to counter Bullet Seed!" she shouts.

Banette and Absol use Screech and Perish Song respectively, and the two sets of sound waves collide and cancel each other out. Shortly after that, Cacturne uses Bullet Seed only for Braixen to use Fire Blast and destroy the seeds, causing them to explode and create a cloud of smoke.

"Now, use Feint and Scratch on Cacturne!" Serena orders.

Braixen's claw glows white as it and Absol charge through the smoke and take Cacturne off guard, attacking it. The scarecrow Pokemon is sent flying back a couple of feet and falls down on its back. While the judges remove more of Harley's points, the flamboyant man looks flabbergasted before glaring daggers at Serena.

"Nice call, missy, but you seem to have forgotten about Banette," he snarls. "I thought you knew to focus on both of your opponent's Pokemon during a -"

"Braixen, Flamethrower followed by Fire Blast! Absol, use Night Slash after Braixen's attacks!" Serena shouts.

Harley's eyes widen as Braixen hits Banette with Flamethrower and then with Fire Blast. The marionette Pokemon is so disturbed from the fire attacks that it doesn't notice Absol before it slashes at it with its Dark-type move again. Banette cries in pain before it falls down on the floor with swirly eyes.

"Banette! My baby!" Harley screams in a high-pitched voice. "What in the world happened to you?"

Serena smirks and says, "I didn't forget about your Banette. I just decided to hit Cacturne hard enough that it can't defend its buddy from Braixen and Absol. So it looks like you could learn a little bit about how to focus on a double battle yourself."

Harley in stunned as he processes the information in his mind. The judges remove half of his remaining points because Banette fainted. Harley looks up at the screen to see that there's less than a minute and a half to the battle, and his blunder has put Serena in the lead. His hands turn into balls of fists, and he stomps his foot on the ground, angrily like a child.

"That does it! No more Mr. Nice guy!" he shouts while returning Banette to its Pokeball. "Cacturne, trap them both with Cotton Spore!"

"Braixen, destroy the spores with Flamethrower, then Absol, use Feint again!" Serena commands.

Cacturne releases another set of spores heading toward its opponents, but Barixen just destroys them all with Flamethrower. Before Cacturne or Harley knows it, Absol is already ramming its horn at Cacturne's stomach. The scarecrow Pokemon takes a couple steps back, holding its gut while Harley begins to panic.

"Quick, Cacturne, sweetums, fight back with Needle Arm!" he cries out desperately.

"Absol, use Double Team to dodge, and Braixen, use Fire Blast!" Serena shouts.

Cacturne turns its dark green patches into needles again, but Absol creates multiple copies of itself to disappear from Cactunre's line of fire. Braixen once again uses its grass-type Pokemon focus on getting Absol and unleashes Fire Blast. The attack sends Cactunre flying back a couple of yards.

"Now, use Night Slash!" Serena commands.

"Cacturne, get out of there!" Harley screams.

But before Cactunre could stand up, Absol slashes at it with its horn glowing purple, hitting Cacturne in the head. Cacturne groans in pain, making Harley hopeful because it's still conscious until he hears a "ding" that makes his heart stop.

"And that was the last of Harley's points!" Lilian announces. "And so, Serena is the winner!"

The audience cheers while Braixen and Absol rush to Serena and happily tackle her. The honey blonde girl laughs out loud as Braixen hugs her, and Absol licks her face vigorously. Harley stands still in shock while Cacturne gets up and gives its trainer a guilty look. The purple-haired man sighs before he gives his partner the best smile he can muster before he returns it. He sadly walks away while Serena manages to get up and return her Pokemon.

"Now, let's get on to the next battle with Ben versus Dawn!" Lilian shouts.

The audience cheers again while Serena heads back to the waiting room. Along the way, Dawn is running towards the field past her, and the two of them cheerfully give each other a high five. By the time Serena enters the waiting room, May is already running towards her and pulling her into a hug.

"Way to go, Serena!" She exclaims. "I knew you could to it!"

"Thanks, May," Serena chortles.

May breaks the hug and gives her friend a pout with her hands on her hips.

"It serves Harley right, too," she says. "I saw how he humiliated you by wearing your clothes."

"Yeah, but what really upset me was that he called my ribbon tacky," Serena groans.

"He did what?" May shouts.

"I sure did, hun."

The two girls jump to see Harley standing right next to them.

"I was hoping that insulting you would cause you to slip up throughout the match," he says. "But, I suppose you are sharper than that, princess."

"Will you stop calling me that?" Serena says, annoyed.

"Why should I?" Harley challenges with a wave of his hand. "After all, as I recall correctly, you didn't beat Aria, the Kalos Queen at the Pokemon Master Class, so that makes you a princess."

"Yeah, well, this 'princess' just defeated you in a contest battle - your own profession, so she's a queen compared to you!" May counters.

Harley pretends to be hurt and says, "May, darling, you know how to hurt a beaten man."

"Well, it's what you deserve," May says. "And get out of my friend's clothes already!"

"Yes, please get out of my clothes!" Serena shouts.

Harley looks at the two girls baffled before he glumly walks away. May and Serena sigh, relieved that he's is gone and smile at each other before they hear cheering coming from the TV.

"Augh! Dawn's still battling!" May exclaims.

The two quickly rush to the nearest TV to find the timer down to 2 ½ minutes, and Dawn has most of her points while her opponent, Ben, only has a fifth of his points remaining. Ben's Porygon and Scizor are looking weak while Dawn's Buneary and Mamoswine appear to still have plenty of energy. Ben shouts at his Pokemon, and Porygon unleashes a Psybeam while Scizor charges using Bullet Punch. With a confident smile, Dawn commands her Pokemon back, and Buneary hops toward Scizor while Mamoswine prepares to use Ice Shard. Once Buneary is close enough, it uses Bounce to jump over Scizor and punches it on the head with both of its ears, causing the mantis Pokemon to stop charging and look around in confusion. Mamoswine then fires Ice Shard, and it collides with Psybeam, causing an explosion of multicolored sparkles. As Ben's point bar shrinks, Dawn makes one last command, and Buneary uses Ice Beam to turn Porygon into a block of ice while Mamoswine's body glows orange and it tackles the confused Scizor, knocking it out. With one of Ben's Pokemon unconscious and the other stuck in ice, the judges press their buzzers and declare Dawn, the winner.

"Alright, Dawn!" Serena cheers.

"That means you two will face each other in the semifinals," May says. "I hope you're ready for her this time."

"Believe me, I'm more than ready now that I don't have to worry about Giselle or Harley anymore," Serena says.

"Good," May says before she sighs. "Looks like it's time for my battle with Drew."

"Give it everything you have, May," she says encouragingly.

"I will," May says before she exits the room. Serena mentally prays for her friend while Dawn reenters the room.

"Alright, we've both made it to the semifinals!" She cheers. "I hope you're ready for me, Serena."

Serena chuckles over Dawn, saying the same thing May said before she replies, "Don't worry. I'm ready to beat you again."

"I should hope so," Solidad says, suddenly walking behind the girls. "Defeating Harley is not a simple feat in my eyes."

"He was pretty cunning to use Torment," Dawn begrudgingly admits.

Solidad nods and turns to the TV where May and Drew are already on stage.

"Those two have been rivals for a long time. I sure hope May will win," she says. "Drew does like to talk a lot about what a coordinator May is."

"Does he now? How interesting," Dawn says with a smug look before turning to Serena and giving her a wink. Serena struggles to contain a giggle before she turns to the screen to see Drew taking out his Flygon and Absol while May releases her Venusaur and Beautifly.

"Hmmm, this should be a very interesting battle," Solidad comments.

"How so?" Dawn asks.

"Flygon, Absol, Venusaur, and Beautifly are the same Pokemon those two used the last time they battled each other," Solidad answers. "So clearly, May wants to prove she and her Pokemon have learned from last time."

"Oh. I hope she has," Serena says.

The battle begins with Flygon using Dragon Breath and Absol using Razor Wind. Beautifly's eyes glow blue, and it shoots a light blue beam to destroy Dragon Breath. Venusaur tries to destroy the Razor Wind with Razor Leaf only for the white blade to cut through the leaves and hits Venusaur. Both May and Drew lose a couple of points, but the two coordinators smirk, knowing that they're just getting started.

Drew calls out to Flygon, and it creates a giant sandstorm heading toward May's Pokemon. May counters by having Beautifly use Silver Wind. The butterfly Pokemon creates a gust of wind with silver scissors coming out, and the gust blows the Sandstorm back, and both attacks hit Absol and Flygon. Drew loses points, and May tries to go further by having Venusaur and Beautifly use Petal Dance and Aerial Ace, respectively, but Drew quickly has his Pokemon retaliate. With its wings turned into metal, Flygon swats at Beautifly right as it's about to hit the mystic Pokemon, and Absol uses Water Pulse to block the pink petals heading its way.

"They are really going back and forth between each other, aren't they?" Dawn says.

"Yeah, they're staying evenly matched," Serena agrees, giving to Solidad. "Do they always battle like this?"

"No. I think this is a much more serious battle than they've ever had before," Solidad says as she stares at the TV screen intently. "I think it's clear that at this point this is not just about who's going to make it further into the battle stage. May is trying really hard to show that she has gotten so much stronger, and Drew is trying hard to prove that she's wrong. Ultimately, this is a true battle between rivals."

Serena and Dawn turn to each other for a moment with looks of worry before they go back to watching the battle. For 3 minutes, May and Drew go back and forth between successfully countering or harming the other's Pokemon. As soon as one of them counters and or successfully hits the other's Pokemon, the other is quick to retaliate. The two of them quickly make a move after move as if they are a pair of master swordsman determined to make sure the other doesn't get an inch. As the time on the clock get shorter, Serena, Dawn, and Solidad feel the intensity of the battle growing.

With 1 ½ minutes left and only half of the points remaining from both sides, Drew has Flygon release a powerful Flamethrower at Venusaur and Beautifly counters using Psychic again. The two beams create an explosion, but it was all a ploy to have Absol emerge from the smoke and strike Venusaur with Iron Tail. The disaster Pokemon hits Venusaur in the head, and May is taken aback until she suddenly gets an idea. She gives a command to Venusaur, and two long vines come out of the seed Pokemon and wrap around Absol's legs before it could go back to Drew's side of the field. Before Drew has a chance to react, Venusaur uses its vines to slam Absol against the ground repeatedly. The green-haired boy's serious face fades into one of worry before he tells Flygon to free its partner with Steel Wing. May smirks confidently as Beautifly holds Flygon off with Silver Wind. After hitting its opponent against the floor enough times, Venusaur flings Absol into the air, and it crashes right into Flygon, causing both of them to plummet into the ground.

The judges remove the most amount of points than they did throughout the entire battle, and May decides to have Venusaur prepare a Solar Beam. The dinosaur-like Pokemon gathers energy from the sun while Drew grinds his teeth and yells at his Pokemon. Flygon and Absol slowly gets up and use Dragon Breath and Water Pulse, resulting in the two moves combining into one. May grows nervous with the giant move heading towards her Pokemon, and she orders Beautifly and Venusaur to attack. Venusaur unleashes its Solar Beam, and Beautify uses Psychic, and the two moves also combine into one giant move. The two combos collide, creating a massive explosion that knocks all four Pokemon back and covers the entire field in smoke. Everyone struggles to see what happened for a few seconds until the smoke clears to reveal Flygon, Absol, Venusaur, and Beautifly struggling to stay conscious with their bodies full of scratches and bruises. Suddenly, a large ding is heard, announcing that time has run out.

"_That's time, and with Drew short a few points, the winner is May!_" Lillian announces.

May happily runs over to her Pokemon to pet them while the crowd applauds. Absol and Flygon turn to Drew sadly, but the green-haired boy just walks over to them and pets them, saying words of comfort that can't be heard. After that, both coordinators return their Pokemon before leaving the stage. Solidad smiles and turns to Serena and Dawn.

"Looks like I better get going for my battle," she says. "Tell May I said Congratulations, for me."

"We will!" Serena calls out as Solidad leaves.

Shortly after Solidad heads out for her quarterfinal battle, May runs in with a cheerful look on her face as she runs over to Serena and Dawn.

"Oh, I feel so relieved!" She exclaims. "I thought Absol and Flygon were going to hit Venusaur before it could use Solar Beam."

"Yeah, we noticed," Serena says. "Also, I didn't know Psychic can also be a beam instead of a move that controls your opponent's Pokemon."

"Yeah, Beautifly is one of the few Pokemon that use Psychic differently," May says.

"Well, I'm glad it does," Dawn says. "Combining it with Solarbeam was quite the powerful combo."

"I agree," Drew says, stepping.

Once again, May is startled to see Drew standing behind her. The two of them stare at each other before Drew smirks and offers his hand.

"Good battle, May," he says.

May smiles brightly and shakes his hand.

"Thanks, Drew," she says.

Drew nods and says, "I admit, I wasn't sure you really improved, but you proved me wrong. I'm glad."

May's smile grows as if Drew just said the most flattering thing in the world. Her moment is broken, however, when they hear the sound of buzzards coming from the TV.

"_And that's it for Josephine's Pokemon!_" Lilian announces. "_So, the final contestant who will move on to the semifinals is Solidad!_"

"Wow, Solidad won already?" Dawn says, shocked.

"And they weren't even two minutes into the battle too," Serena says surprised.

Drew frowns and turns to May.

"Looks like you'll be facing her at the semifinals again," he says.

"Mmmm-hmmm," May says, nodding.

"I hope you are ready for her this time," Drew says seriously.

"How badly did Solidad beat you?" Serena asks curiously.

May hesitates before she answers, "Within three minutes into the match, I only took out a fraction of her points before her Pidgeot and Slowbro knocked out my Pokemon. I didn't stand a chance."

"Yikes," Serena says.

"Yeah," May says before she gives her friends a determined look. "But I've been working hard to face her again, too, and I don't plan on losing this time."

Serena smiles and says, "Good. Then give it your all just like with Drew."

May nods, and Dawn gives her a wink and a smirk, while Drew nods in approval. Just then, an attendant comes in and approaches them.

"Serena, Dawn, your battle is going to start in five minutes," he says.

Serena and Dawn nod at the backstage person and turn to each other with competitive smiles.

"This is it, Serena," Dawn says. "Are you ready for this?"

"I am," Serena says confidently. "Let's give it everything we have."

With that, they exit the waiting room in different directions while May calls out, "Best of luck, you guys!" Before long, Serena is at the end of the hall, and she takes a deep breath and gives herself the best smile she can muster.

"Now that the short break is over, let's move on to the semifinals!" Lilian announces. "For our first battle, it's the Sinnoh coordinator, Dawn, against the Kalos performer, Serena!"

The crowd cheers, and Serena runs into the field from one side while Dawn enters from the other side. The two girls smirk at each other one more time before they each take out two Pokeballs and throw them into the air.

"Quilava, Togekiss, spotlight!" Dawn shouts.

"Pancham, Sylveon, let's go!" Serena calls out.

The four Pokemon come out of their Pokeballs ready to fight, and the timer on the screen starts as soon as Lilian shouts, "Battle begin!"

"Quilava, use Swift! Togekiss, use Aura Sphere!" Dawn commands.

Quilava fires several golden stars while Togekiss creates a light blue ball of energy and releases it.

"Pancham, use Dark Pulse on that Aura Sphere, and Sylveon, you use Swift as well!" Serena shouts.

Pancham and Sylveon fire their respective attacks, and the two Swift attacks collide and explode into golden sparkles while the Dark Pulse and Aura Sphere collide and turn into purple and light blue sparkles. The crowd looks at the display in awe, and the judges take away some of Dawn's points.

"Now, Sylveon, Pancham, use Swift and Dark Pulse again!" Serena shouts.

"Quilava, stop them with Smokescreen!" Dawn shouts back.

Quilava unleashes a cloud of smoke that covers the field before Sylveon and Pancham can begin to attack. The judges remove points from Serena, but the honey blonde girl just smirks.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel and Togekiss, use Sky Attack!" Dawn commands.

"That won't work again, Dawn!" Serena says. "Sylveon, blow the smoke away with Fairy Wind!"

Sylveon smiles and unleashes a powerful force of pink wind with its feelers. The wind clears the smoke away and sends Quilava and Togekiss back, preventing them from using their respective attacks.

"Now use Fairy Wind again on Quilava, and Pancham, use Arm Thrust on Togekiss!" Serena shouts.

While their opponents are distracted. Sylveon uses Fairy Wind again on Quilava, and Pancham punches Togekiss. Dawn's Pokemon move back upon impact but don't appear to be really hurt at all.

"What creative execution from Serena and her Pokemon!" Lilian comments. "Too bad Quilava is resistant to Fairy attacks, and Togekiss is resistant to fighting attacks!"

"What? They are?" Serena asks, shocked.

"Yes, they are," Dawn says matter-of-factly. "Now, Quilava, use Flamethrower and Togekiss, use Air Slash!"

Quilava releases a stream of fire at Sylveon, and Togekiss creates a spinning, light blue ball of energy and fires it at Pancham.

"Sylveon, use Protect! Pancham, cut through that Air Slash with Shadow Claw!" Serena orders.

Sylveon creates a forcefield and protects itself from the Flamethrower. Pancham slashes at the Air Slash with Shadow Claw, but the ball of energy is too big and approaching with too much for the playful Pokemon. The attack explodes upon hitting Pancham, and it crashes into the ground with scratches all over its body.

"Pancham!" Serena cries out.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon shouts as it rushes to Pancham's side.

"What a valiant effort!" Lilian comments. "While Sylveon protected itself, Pancham tried to destroy the flying attack that it's weak against!"

The judges take away a tiny bit of Dawn's points while also removing a portion of Serena's. Serena and Sylveon look at Pancham worriedly until the panda-like Pokemon slowly manages to get up. Serena smiles in relief while Dawn smirks.

"I'm glad that Pancham's still up. I don't want any of our Pokemon fainting yet in this battle of all battles," she says. "Use Flamethrower and Aura Sphere combo!"

Quilava and Togekiss fire their respective attacks, and the stream of fire merges with the energy ball, creating a more powerful force of both fighting energy and fire. Pancham and Sylveon grow nervous, but Serena just smiles.

"Don't be afraid, you two!" She calls out comfortingly. "Sylveon, get behind Pancham, and Pancham, create a wall with Stone Edge!"

The two small Pokemon turn to their trainer and nod before they do as they're told. Sylveon gets behind its teammate while Pancham slams its fist into the ground, and tall blue pillars emerge, creating a wall that protects them from the combo. The judges remove points from Dawn, but the blunette girl just smirks.

"Nice trick, Serena, but you forgot that I saw you use it at the Cremini Town contest," she says. "Quilava, Togikiss, ram through that Stone Edge with Flame Wheel and Sky Attack!"

Quilava runs toward the pillars with its body filled in flames while Togekiss flies beside it with its body surrounded in white aura.

"Sylveon, Pancham, just like we planned!" Dawn hears Serena say.

Dawn looks in confusion while Quilava and Togekiss burst through the center of the wall only to not find their opponents on the other side. Dawn looks at Serena through the hole in the wall, and the honey blonde girl smirks at her.

"I didn't forget, Dawn," Serena says.

Suddenly, Pancham and Sylveon emerge from opposite sides, and Pancham strikes Togekiss with Shadow Claw while Sylveon uses Protect to ram Quilava on the side. Dawn's Pokemon collide with each other, and Pancham uses Shadow Claw with both arms to send its opponents flying back to Dawn's side of the field.

"Amazing!" Lilian shouts while the judges remove some of Dawn's points. "Not only did Serena use Pancham's Stone Edge to protect her Pokemon, but she also used it to trick Togekiss and Quilava on where they are!"

Dawn blinks in surprise, processing everything that just happened until she smirks.

"I see," she says. "So you knew I would keep Stone Edge in mind and so created a way to turn it into a trap. If I didn't know any better, this was influenced by the way Ash would trap his opponent's Pokemon with Double Team."

Serena blushes lightly and shakes her head before she smirks back.

"I might have fashioned this based on Ash's tactics," she admits.

Dawn shakes her head while smiling and says, "You are a clever performer, Serena. But you're not the only one with clever tactics. Quilava, hop on Togekiss and use Smokescreen!"

Quilava gets on top of Togekiss, and it uses Smokescreen again, which covers the entire field once more. Serena frowns, unsure of what Dawn is up to.

"Sylveon, blow the smoke away with Fairy Wind again and Pancham, use Dark Pulse on the air," she instructs.

Sylveon blows the smoke away, and Pancham fires Dark Pulse, hoping to hit its target in the air, but when the dust clears, their opponents are nowhere to be found. Serena and her Pokemon looks around desperately while Dawn keeps on smiling.

"Now use Sky Attack and Flame Wheel!" She shouts.

Serena's eyes widen, and she keeps looking around until she looks up and sees Togekiss and Quilava flying down above her Pokemon.

"Pancham, Sylveon, jump away, quick!" She yells.

But it is no use. Before her Pokemon could realize what is happening, Togekiss and Quilava strike at Pancham and Sylveon, respectively, with Sky Attack and Flame Wheel. Pancham and Sylveon fall to the ground with Pancham's body covered in more scratches, while Sylveon's body is full of burns. The judges take away a large amount of Serena's points while she looks at her Pokemon worriedly.

"Pancham, Sylveon, get up! Please, get up!" She begs.

Pancham and Sylveon whine and moan while they struggle to move. Dawn, Togekiss, Quilava, Lilian, and the judges watch patiently as they watch the little Pokemon try to pick themselves back up. Serena puts her hand on her heart, feeling it race.

But as she has her hand on her heart, she also feels her blue ribbon touching her hand. She looks down to look at the ribbon, and her mind goes back to Ash. She turns her head to see Ash, Grace, and all of her friends watching her. She can see Ash yelling words of encouragement even though he is too far to be heard. She smiles, sweetly at him before she takes deep breaths and turns to Pancham and Sylveon.

"Pancham, Sylveon, you can do it," she says gently. "I believe in you both. We've come a long way, and we're not about to stop now. Remember, don't give up until the very end. Okay?"

Pancham and Sylveon smile, feeling comforted they turn to each other and nod before they slowly get up and look at Togekiss and Quilava with purposeful looks in their eyes. The crowd applauds, and Dawn smiles and nods at Serena. The honey blonde girl nods back before her face turns focused.

"Now, use Swift and Dark Pulse!" She commands.

"Quilava, get on Togekiss again! Togekiss, use Safeguard!" Dawn commands.

The volcano Pokemon gets on Togekiss, and the jubilee Pokemon flies up a couple feet and creates a force field in front of it, blocking the Swift and Dark Pulse. The judges remove a couple more of Serena's points, but she doesn't seem to mind.

"Pancham, Sylveon, use Dark Pulse, and Swift again at each other!" She commands.

"Huh?" Dawn says, confused. "Why is she doing that now when we're not attacking?"

Pancham and Sylveon obey, firing their attacks at each other, and the explosions cover Serena's side of the field in smoke. Dawn frowns and turns to her Pokemon.

"Watch out, guys!" She calls out. "Keep using Safeguard!"

Serena smirks, having heard exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Pancham, throw Sylveon into the air using Arm Thrust!" She commands.

"What?" Dawn says, baffled.

Everyone waits for a moment until they hear Pancham shouting and Sylveon soaring through the air. Before Dawn knows it, the fairy type Pokemon is right above her Pokemon, hanging in the middle of the air.

"Now, use Fairy Wind!" Serena shouts.

Sylveon looks down and releases a powerful Fairy Wind underneath it. The wind blows down on Quilava and Togekiss, and Togekiss loses control in the air and crashes onto the ground. Sylveon lands on the ground perfectly while Dawn smirks again.

"Nice move, Serena, but Fairy Wind still only affects Togekiss!" Dawn comments.

"I know it does, but I believe this one seriously hurts both," Serena says. "Pancham, use Stone Edge!"

Dawn's eyes widen, and she sees the smoke clearing to see Pancham slamming its fists onto the ground, and the blue pillars emerge on the ground again. Quilava and Togekiss can only watch until a pillar emerges from underneath them and send them flying into the air, crashing into the ground with several scratches all over their bodies.

"Quilava! Togekiss!" Dawn screams.

"Wow, what an inventive way to get Sylveon up in the air for a Fairy Wind and Stone Edge combo!" Lilian announces while the judges take away a good portion of Dawn's points. "With a minute and a half on the clock, how will Dawn fight back?"

Dawn frowns as Togekiss and Quilava slowly get up.

"Okay, Serena, let's finish this!" She shouts. "Quilava, use Flame Wheel through that Stone Edge and Togekiss, use Aura Sphere on Sylveon!"

Quilava spins, creating a wheel of fire and rams through the stone pillars, creating blue sparkles in the air it crushes through. Serena loses more points, but she gets another idea.

"Sylveon, dodge by using Double Team multiple times and use Protect on Pancham!" She instructs.

Sylveon creates multiple copies of itself before Togekiss can use Aura Sphere, and the copies begin to appear all over the field. Togekiss looks in confusion while the real Sylveon appears between Pancham and the last pillar Quilava is about to crush. The intertwining Pokemon creates a forcefield around itself, and its teammate and Quilava runs into it only be knocked back.

"Now use Shadow Claw, Pancham!" Serena shouts.

Pancham charges at Quilava and swipes at it with Shadow Claw. The volcano Pokemon is sent back to the other side of the field while the Sylveon copies disappear.

"Alright then, Quilava, use Flamethrower on Sylveon, and Togekiss, use Air Slash on Pancham!" Dawn commands.

"Sylveon, block the Air Slash with Protect and Panchan, use Dark Pulse on the Flamethrower!" Serena shouts.

Sylveon uses summons another forcefield to block the Air Slash while Pancham uses Dark Pulse, and it collides with Flamethrower, creating an explosion of fire and purple sparkles.

"Alright, then, let's hit them with our Flamethrower and Air Slash combo!" Dawn shouts.

"Pancham, Sylveon, get ready to dodge it on my signal!" Serena orders.

Ding!

Both girls and their Pokemon freeze in place, hearing the timer go off. Dawn and Serena look at each other, realizing they've been so focused on the battle that neither of them have checked the score. They slowly look up and gasp while Lilian steps in.

"Wow, what a battle!" She says. "With just barely enough points to win the match, Serena will be moving on to the final round!"

The audience cheers, and Serena stares at the screen for a moment before she smiles brightly and runs to Pancham and Sylveon.

"Alright, we won!" She exclaims.

"Pancham!" Pancham cheers.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon squeals cutely.

Dawn stares at the score in shock and looks down sadly

"I...lost?" She says in disbelief.

Quilava and Togekiss walk over to her sadly, and she looks up to them and puts on a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, you guys. You were wonderful," she says. "We'll get them next time. I promise."

Her Pokemon smile, feeling a little better before she returns them to their Pokeballs. Dawn walks over to Serena, who has already returned Sylveon and Pancham.

"Nicely done, Serena," Dawn says. "Guess you got me again this time, but I'll be ready for you when we battle again."

Serena smiles and says, "I'm looking forward to it," before the two of them high five and leave the stage together. As they head back to the waiting room, May passes by them on the way to her match and gives Serena a bright smile.

"Great job, Serena!" She shouts.

"Thanks, and good luck, May," Serena replies.

Once Dawn and Serena are back in the waiting room, Dawn finds a place to sit and take Piplup out of its Pokeball. The little penguin Pokemon looks at its partner sadly and stands on her lap before she hugs it.

"I'll be okay, Piplup," she says. "We just need to work harder for next time."

Serena looks at her friend sadly, knowing what she's going through. As she watches Dawn, though, she feels a tap on her shoulder and turns around to see Drew.

"Nice battle," he says plainly.

"Thanks," Serena says.

The room grows silent until the crowd is heard cheering from the TV. Serena, Drew, Dawn, and Piplup look to see Solidad on one side of the field with her Pidgeot and Slowbro, and May with Blaziken and Munchlax. The timer on the clock has already started, and both coordinators are making commands.

May begins with Munchlax and Blaziken using Focus Punch and Sky Uppercut, respectively. Solidad just plainly tells Slowbro and Pidgeot to counterattack with Aerial Ace and Water Gun, knocking May's Pokemon back and taking some of her points. Solidad then orders Slobro to use Psychic on itself so that it can spin on its tail like a top and uses it to ram Blaziken and Munchlax. The two Pokemon look too weak to stop Slowbro's attack, but when Solidad's Pokemon is close enough, May makes a command, and Blaziken suddenly appears to be okay and knocks Slowbro back using Blaze Kick, sending it spinning back to Solidad's side and crashing into Pidgeot. The crowd gasps as the judges take away some of Solidad's points, surprising Drew.

"I don't believe it," he says in shock.

"What? What is it?" Serena asks, confused. "Is it that May tricked Solidad into thinking thst her Pokemon were really hurt?"

"No, that's the most points Solidad's lost in any match during the entire tournament," Drew says. "In fact, I don't think she's ever lost that many points in a battle since the first time she and I battled each other."

Solidad also appears to be slightly shocked as her Pokemon get up, but her shock quickly turns into an amused smirk as she looks at May, who just smirks back. The two of them stare at each other, confusing the judges and the audience before they both command their Pokemon.

"What was that all about?" Dawn asks.

"I think it's a declaration of war," Drew says with his eyes glued to the battle. "It's been so long since someone has managed to knock down that much of Solidad's points like that, and May just did that within the first thirty seconds. By doing that, May just proved that she's learned from their battle from two years ago, and now she's a legitimate threat to Solidad's goal to win the Grand Festival again."

"So, that means May might win?" Serena asks, hopefully.

"Maybe, but it's not going to be easy," Drew says seriously. "Look closely into what's happening."

Dawn and Serena look at each other before they turn back to the TV. It takes a moment before they realize that May and Solidad's Pokemon are constantly blocking each other's attacks. Blaziken and Munchlax would combine Fire Blast with Ice Beam via Metrodome, but Slowbro knocks both of them back with Psychic. Pidgeot and Slowbro would then fight back with Feather dance and Yawn only for Blakizen to destroy both the feathers and the bubble with Fire Blast. Pidgeot and Blaziken then ram at each other with Aerial Ace and Sky Uppercut to give Munchlax and Slowbro enough time to release Solar Beam and Hyper Beam, respectively. The two powerful attacks create an explosion that knocks all four Pokemon back, but they soon get up looking ready for more. On and on, the process goes with Solidad and May shouting ways to counter each other's offensive tactics back and forth with the judges removing points from both sides bit by bit for their creative means of defense.

"They haven't landed another hit on each other," Dawn says in realization.

"Just as I figured," Drew says bluntly. "Now that May made it clear that she's not going to use the same battle style as before, Solidad is looking for another way to knock her down. May is being careful with the way she goes for the offense, making sure Solidad can't use her Pokemon's power against them. If either of them makes one wrong move, it will cost them badly."

Serena turns to Drew and asks, "Are you rooting for any one of them since they're both your rivals?"

Drew remains silent for a moment before he closes his eyes and looks down.

"I'd hate to see Solidad lose to May before I could beat her," he says seriously before his face softens, and he looks back at the TV. "At the same time, I want to see how far May can go."

Dawn teasingly smirks at Drew, but the green-haired boy ignores it. They go back to watching the battle just in time to see Blaziken and Munchlax surrounded by copies of Pidgeot via Double Team. The Pidgeot uses Feather Dance again, and Blaziken and Muchlax defend themselves by knocking the feathers back with Sky Uppercut and Focus Punch, but they don't realize that it's a distraction until it's too late. Slowbro uses Water Gun while they knock the feathers back, and May's Pokemon are knocked back a couple of feet with Blaziken taking the most damage from the water attack. The blaze Pokemon gets down on one knee and pants heavily, worrying May while Solidad smirks, glad to finally land another hit.

"Come on, May, come on," Serena says.

"You can do this," Dawn says.

"Piplup!" Piplup calls out.

Drew just stays silent as he watches May calling out to Blaziken. Solidad takes the opportunity to have Slowbro use Water Gun again while May and her Pokemon are distracted, but May notices and shouts at Blaziken. Blaziken's eyes suddenly snap open, and its body begins to turn a faint red. Then, right as the Water Gun is about to hit it and Munchlax, Blaziken stands up and releases a giant, white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling around it. The white fire rams through the Water Gun, creating steam that covers the field as it makes its way to the other side of the field and hits Slowbro and Pidgeot.

"Wow, was that Overheat?" Serena asks.

"It sure was," Drew says. "Clearly, May has been waiting for the right moment to use that attack since it gets weaker every time you use it. I hope May makes the most out of it."

Solidad frowns and tells Pidgeot to flap its wings, The bird Pokemon obeys and the steam starts to clear away, only to reveal Munchlax about to release another Solar Beam. The big eater Pokemon fires its attack, and it hits Slowbro and Pidgeot before they even have a chance to move. When the dust clears, Slowbro is still standing strong despite scratches covering its body, but Pidgeot has fainted.

"Yes!" Serena and Dawn cheer simultaneously.

Drew's serious face falls as he stares at the fallen Pokemon with his eyes slightly widened and his mouth open.

"She actually took down one of Solidad's Pokemon," he manages to say. "I...I don't believe it."

May is seen cheering on the TV while Solidad stares at Pidgeot dumbfounded before she sadly returns it to its Pokeball. The judges remove a large portion of her points, and the salmon-haired woman gives May a determined glare. She gives Slowbro a command, and Slowbro lifts Blaziken and Munchlax in the air with Psychic. The hermit crab Pokemon uses Water Gun again, and May has Blaziken use Overheat again while Munchlax uses Metronome. Munchlax waves its hands back and forth, and its body turns light blue while Blaziken uses Overheat only for the attack to fail to stop the Water Gun from hitting it. Both of May's Pokemon crash to the ground, but while Munchlax appears to be fine, Blaziken is down for the count.

"Oh, no!" Dawn says worriedly.

"Now they both have one Pokemon left," Serena says.

"Piplup," Piplup says worriedly.

"Yeah, and May was lucky Metronome resulted in Munchlax using Harden," Drew says with another serious face. "May took a gamble with both moves, and it only saved one of her Pokemon. Now Solidad is back in the lead with a little more than a minute to spare."

May is crushed to see her partner unconscious before she glumly returns it back in its Pokeball. She glares back at Solidad and makes a command resulting in Munchlax charging at Slowbro using Tackle.

"What is she doing?" Dawn says. "Slowbro can easily avoid a move like Tackle."

Solidad appears to be thinking the same thing as she orders Slowbro to use Yawn. It releases a blue bubble from its mouth. But May appears to be ready for that has she just as Munchlax break the bubble with Focus Punch and then slams into Slowbro. Solidad retaliates by having Slowbro send Munchlax crashing into a wall using Psychic. Munchlax falls to the ground and struggles to get up, scarring May while Solidad frowns seriously.

"It looks like Solidad is eager to finish the job," Drew says. "I think she's going to tell Slowbro to use Hyper Beam again."

Serena and Dawn's hearts sink as they see that Drew is right. Solidad makes another order to Slowbro, and the hermit crab Pokemon opens its mouth against and prepares a Hyper Beam. An orange beam appears inside its mouth, and it fires an orange beam from the ball heading toward Munchlax. May panics and shouts out to Munchlax. The big eater Pokemon stays still for a moment before it slowly gets up and moves its fingers back and forth again.

"Metronome again?" Dawn says.

Drew frowns and says, "That might as well be game. There's little hope Munchlax will conjure the right move to deflect the Hyper Beam."

But just as Drew says that, multiple copies of Munchlax appear before the Hyper Beam hits most of them, making them disappear. The area of the wall is covered in smoke, and everyone stares at it, wondering what happened to Munchlax. Eventually, the smoke clears, and Munchlax appears to be alright with just a couple of scratches on its body.

"Alright!" Serena says happily. "Metronome caused Munchlax to use Double Team to dodge!"

"And look at Slowbro," Dawn adds.

Everyone turns to Slowbro, who appears to be panting on the other side. Serena's face brightens as they realize what Dawn has noticed.

"It's getting tired," she says.

May smiles on the TV, realizing the same thing and turns to Munchlax with a grin. She makes one last command, and the big eater Pokemon stores up white energy inside its mouth. Solidad tries to get Slowbro to move, but the poor hermit crab Pokemon is too fatigued to do anything. Finally, Munchlax unleashes its Solar Beam, and it inevitably hits Slowbro, knocking it off its feet. Solidad can do nothing but watch as her Pokemon falls to the ground, limp with swirly eyes.

"_Folks, I can't believe I'm saying this, but both of Solidad's Pokemon are down for the count!_" Lilian announces. "_That means May is going to move on to the next round!_"

"Yes!" Serena and Dawn shout joyously.

May and Munchlax run to each other and hug each other tightly. Solidad watches them sadly before she gives a small smile and returns Slowbro to its Pokeball. Both coordinators leave the field, and it isn't long before the two of them enter the waiting room with Drew, Dawn, Piplup, and Serena waiting for them.

"Congratulations, May!" Dawn cheers. "You've made it to the finals!"

"Thanks, Dawn," May replies as the two of them high-five.

Drew walks over to May with his hands in his pockets and smirks.

"So, you beat Solidad before I did," he says.

May nods and says, "Yeah, I guess I did."

Drew shrugs and says, "I guess your luck was with you all the way with Metronome. But know that I'm going to work even harder to beat both of you next time."

May chuckles and says, "I'm counting on it."

"As am I," Solidad says, stepping in. "In the meantime, I wish you the best of luck in the finals, May."

"Thanks," May says.

"And now, we will be taking an hour-long break before we begin the final round!" Lilian announces from the TV. "Who will win the Ribbon Cup? Will it be May or Serena?"

At the mention of the last round, May's smile disappears, and she turns to Serena, who has the same serious look. The brown-haired girl walks over to the honey blonde girl, and they stare at each other silently for several seconds.

"So, it's down to you and me now," May says.

"Yeah, looks like it," Serena says.

The two of them become silent again for a moment before May says, "You know, apart from the Wallace Cup, this is the first time I've made it to the finals in a big tournament like this."

"This is the second time for me," Serena replies. "And I'm planning to win this time."

May stays serious for another moment before she smiles.

"Good," she says. "I'm planning to win too, so let's not hold back at all."

"Agreed," Serena says, smiling back. "Let's go back to the Pokemon Center. We should have Nurse Joy check out our Pokemon before the big moment."

With that, the two of them firmly shake hands and leave the room together, followed by Dawn, Piplup, Drew, and Solidad. As they walk over to the Pokemon Center, the tension rises as everyone wonders who is going to win between May and Serena.

**Author's note: Hey, everyone, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Now I know a lot of people are disappointed that Timothy won against Brandon on the first go and that Brandon didn't use the Golem trio Pokemon. I completely understand the frustration, especially since Timothy is clearly a self-insert character. It's stupid and annoying when people do something like that and it sounds too convenient that my Pokemon didn't have to face Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. But I want to clarify a couple of things. **

**1) At the end of the Diamond and Pearl episode, **_**Pillars of Friendship**_**, Brandon allowed the the Golem trio to be the new pillars that would protect Regigigas, and as far as we know, he left them there for that purpose, making Dusclops, Ninjask, and Solrock the only Pokemon he has left. Ultimately, I didn't leave them out because it was convenient for my battle against Brandon. I did it because it's accurate to the anime which has always been one of my primary objectives for this story. Otherwise, the Regis would definitely have been there. **

**2) Contrary to understandable belief, I'm not having Timothy always win just because he's me. I know that claim sounds sketchy, but Timothy is in this story for a more special reason that doesn't involve him always winning. Again, clearly sketchy, but you have to trust that I know exactly what I'm for the sake of something you will hopefully find much, much, much, much, MUCH more satisfying than me losing to Brandon ever could have been and also fits into the message behind the story. **

**So I hope this will clarify some things and I hope you will continue to enjoy this story as we reach the end of the Grand Festival and move on to the Indigo League. And as always, thank you all for reading, The Lord be with you, and have a great day.**


	56. Chapter 56

After May and Serena check up on their Pokemon, they return to the Main Stage stadium with time from the break to spare. The two of them decide to take seats on opposite sides of the waiting room while Dawn, Piplup, Drew, and Solidad have left to watch the show from the stands. The honey blonde performer and the brown-haired coordinator dare not look at each other as they keep their eyes on the ground and think hard about how they are going to beat each other.

As they are waiting, there's a knock on the door, and the two girls turn their heads to see Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Brock, Holly, and Grace coming in. Serena and May both smile and stand up to meet them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Serena asks.

"We wanted to say good luck to you both before the final battle starts," Brock says.

"Aw, thanks, you guys," May says.

"No problem, sis," Max says. "How does it feel to make it to the finals?"

May thinks about it for a moment before she smiles brightly and says, "Honestly, it feels wonderful! I feel like I can take on anything now that I've finally beaten both Drew and Solidad in a contest battle. I can practically feel that beautiful Ribbon Cup in my hands."

"Yeah, you would feel that way, May," Brock chortles.

"How about you, Serena?" Grace asks, smirking. "How are you feeling about making it this far on your debut as a coordinator?"

Serena smiles and says, "It does feel pretty great to me too, especially after defeating Giselle, Harley, and Dawn. Though speaking of Dawn, where is she?"

"She and Piplup are sitting down at the stands from where we are," Clemont answers. "She sends her best wishes to both of you."

May and Serena nod before the former thinks for a moment and says, "So who is rooting for who now that it's the two of us?"

"That's easy," Max states proudly. "I'm rooting for my big sister all the way."

"Not us. Clemont and I are rooting for Serena no matter what," Bonnie says proudly too.

"Hey, don't forget me," Grace says. "She's my daughter, so I'm rooting for her too."

"I'm rooting for Serena because I've been traveling with her the longest," Holly says with a smirk.

Brock chuckles and says, "I honestly can't decide. I think I'm going to be happy for one and sad for the other no matter what happens."

Everyone then suddenly turns to Ash and Bonnie smugly asks, "How about you, Ash? Who are you rooting for?"

Ash feels uneasy with everyone looking at him. He turns to Pikachu, who is standing on his shoulder, and the mouse Pokemon just shrugs. The raven-haired boy chuckles nervously and scratches under his nose.

"The thing is, while I would be happy for either of you to win, I told Serena I would be rooting for her all the way," he says. "So, I'm going to keep cheering for her with everything I've got."

Serena looks at Ash touched while May pouts childishly.

"No fair," she whines. "You've been rooting for me the longest."

"Sorry, May, but my mind is made up," Ash says with a shrug. "I left Pallet Town in part to support Serena, and I"m gonna keep supporting her until the very end."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

Serena smiles warmly, and a light blush appears on her cheeks. May notices the way her honey blonde friend is reacting and can't help but smile too. Serena thinks about how Ash has been true to his word throughout their journey, and just looking at him was enough to encourage her during her battle with Dawn. The moment is interrupted, however, when an attendant enters the room.

"May, Serena, we're going to start in a few minutes," she says. "Please get into positions."

"Okay," May says.

"Well, we better get going," Brock says. "Good luck, you two."

"Thanks, Brock," May says.

"Give it your all, dear," Grace says.

"I will, Mom," Serena says.

Thus, Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Brock, Holly, and Grace begin to exit the waiting room while May turns around and starts heading toward the field. Serena, however, stays where she is and thinks for a moment before turning to Ash.

"Hey, Ash?" she calls out, catching the raven-haired boy's attention. "Can I talk to you for a minute before you go?"

"Sure, Serena," Ash says with a smile as he turns around for him and Pikachu to face her. "What's up?"

For several seconds, Serena doesn't say anything. She puts her hands behind her back and looks down on the ground nervously, confusing Ash and Pikachu. The honey blonde girl eventually gulps and looks at the raven-haired boy, giving him the biggest, heartfelt smile she can muster.

"Ash, I know I've said something similar a couple times before, but I want you to know that out of everyone who's there to be there for me, I value your support most of all," she says. "You've always been there to help me in some way or another ever since the day we met at Professor Oak's summer camp. After you invited me to join you on your journey at Santalune City, I couldn't stop myself from being so happy to be with you and experience all of the adventures we've had. You never hesitated to have my back when I wanted to become a performer or when I didn't know what I was going to do after we stopped Team Flare. So before May and I have our battle, I want you to know that everything I've become to find myself and to discover and pursue my dream began with you, Ash."

Ash and Pikachu are astonished with the way Serena spoke with such earnestness. The two of them just stare at the honey blonde girl while she gazes at the boy she likes with her ocean blue eyes. Finally, Ash smiles before he replies.

"You're welcome, Serena," he says. "But don't forget, even without a friend like me, you're still very strong. You've always have been, and I'm glad I've been here to see you grow stronger with every obstacle you've come across. Whatever happens, I hope I'm here to see what you do next."

Serena's smile falters slightly at the mention of what she's going to do after the Grand Festival. Ash takes her silence as a sign that she's done and says, "Well, good luck out there, Serena, give it everything you've got."

Serena's heart sinks as he turns around, and he starts to leave with Pikachu still on his shoulder. Without even thinking about it, she runs over to him and wraps her arms around him from behind. Ash and Pikachu are taken aback as Serena pulls him into a tight hug and rests her head on Ash's other shoulder. The honey blonde girl closes her eyes and lets out a blissful sigh as she holds on to Ash and further lets out her appreciation with the hug. She not even at all bothered that Ash and Pikachu are confused or that she can feel her cheeks burning up. Deep down, she wishes she can keep this up forever, but she knows that it won't be long before she needs to head out for her battle. With one last squeeze, she lifts her head up and rests her chin on Ash's shoulder so he can see her give him an adoring smile.

"I mean it, Ash," she says quietly. "Thank you for everything."

Ash blinks, not knowing how to react to the way Serena is looking at him. Before he has a moment to try, however, Serena finally lets go of him, and he turns around to see her giving him a competitive look.

"Now it's time for me to face May and win the Grand Festival," she announces proudly.

Ash takes a moment to process what is happening before he and Pikachu grin.

"Right, give it everything you've got!" he says encouragingly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agrees.

"I will!" Serena calls out as she exits the room and starts running down the hall.

The honey blond girl starts running down the hall energetically, feeling accomplished to let out what she wanted to say to Ash. When she's coming close to the field, she stops running and take a moment to hug herself, trying to fight off a fit of bashful giggles from tightly hugging the boy she strongly cares for. But her moment is interrupted when she hears the crowd cheering, and she starts to run again as Lilian steps back into the field.

"And now for the moment you've all been waiting for!" she starts. "Three hundred and fifteen contestants have been giving it their all together with their Pokemon! We've seen the ups, we've seen the downs, we've seen some amazing spectacles from so many of our contestants! But now is the moment you have all been waiting for! Out of the three hundred and fifteen contestants, only two have made it all the way to the final round! One is a coordinator of two years from Hoenn, and the other is a newcomer from Kalos! They've both been through so much to get here, but only one will win this year's Kanto Grand Festival and take home the Ribbon Trophy! Without any more delays, it's time for the final battle between May and Serena!"

The crowd roars with thunderous applause, and May and Serena run into the field on opposite sides. They each take out two Pokeballs and prepare to call out their Pokemon.

"You two have been with me from the beginning, and now our moment has finally arrived!" May shouts at her Pokeballs as she throws them. "So, Blaziken, Beautifly, take the stage!"

Serena smirks, knowing she has the same thing in her mind with her Pokemon as she shouts, "Braixen, Pancham, I choose you!"

Both pairs of Pokemon come out of their balls, and Lilian does a twirl before she points to the screen above them and shouts, "Battle Begin!" before the timer starts.

"Alright, Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut and Beautifly, use Aerial Ace!" May shouts.

Blaziken and Beautifly charge with Blaziken's fists glowing blue and Beautifly's body surrounded in white streaks. Serena waits for the right moment until she makes a call.

"Pancham, create a wall with Stone Edge!" she shouts.

Pancham slams its fists into the ground and creates a wall with Stone Edge just in time for Blaziken and Beautifly to run right into it, hurting themselves.

"Now, destroy the wall with a Flamethrower and Dark Pulse combo!" Serena instructs.

Braixen and Pancham fire their respective attacks, and they combine to create a powerful beam that destroys the wall and knocks back Blaziken and Beautifly, who are still standing close to the wall on the other side. The explosion creates a beautiful combination of blue, purple and yellow sparkles, which wow the audience while the judges take away some of May's points.

"Don't let up!" Serena shouts. "Use Scratch and Arm Thrust!"

Braixen and Pancham's paws glow white, and they charge at their opponents who are still lying on the ground.

"Beautifly, use SIlver Wind on Pancham, and Blaziken, use Blaze Kick on Braixen!" May shouts.

May's Pokemon's eyes snap open, and they quickly get up just as Serena's Pokemon are about to strike. Beautifly flaps its wings, and a wind with silver crescents hits Pancham and sends it flying back to Serena's side of the field. Blaziken's feet catch fire, and it roundhouse kicks Braixen in the face with one leg and sends the fox Pokemon crashing next to Pancham with another kick.

"Now, use a combo of Psychic and Fire Spin!" May shouts.

Blaziken unleashes Fire Spin, and Beautifly uses Psychic to make it more powerful and go faster. Serena and her Pokemon don't have a chance to react before the combo hits Braixen and Pancham. When the dust clears, Pancham has several burns in its body, and even Braixen appears to have a couple of burns despite being a fire type Pokemon. Serena is surprised to see the combo be so effective, but she takes a deep breath and puts a smile on her face to stay confident.

"Pancham, use Stone Edge and Braixen, run on top of the Stone Edge!" she shouts.

Pancham slams its fists into the air, and blue pillars of stone begin appearing toward Blaziken and Beautifly.

"Dodge it!" May shouts.

Blaziken moves away from the pillars, and Beautifly flies up just as one is about to emerge from underneath it.

"Now, use Flamethrower!" Serena shouts.

May looks at her, confused, and looks up to see Braixen running on top of the pillars. Before she has a moment to speak, Braixen jumps off a pillar from Beautifly's side and uses Flamethrower above the butterfly Pokemon. The attack burns Beautifly as it crashes onto the ground upon impact.

"Beautifly!" May cries out.

"Nice job, Braixen!" Serena shouts. "Now, use Scratch!"

May frowns and shouts, "Blaziken, jump over that pillar and use Blaze Kick!"

Blaziken jumps over the blue pillars on the floor perfectly and lands on the other side just in time to kick Braixen from behind with its foot ablaze before the fox Pokemon could use Scratch. Braixen howls in pain as it is sent crashing on the floor away from Blaziken and Beautifly, who slowly manages to get up and become airborne again.

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin and Beautifly, use Silver Wind on Braixen!" May shouts.

"Braixen, run back over here, and Pancham deflect their attacks with Dark Pulse!" Serena shouts.

Braixen quickly gets up and retreats while Pancham constantly uses Dark Pulse to destroy Blaziken and Beautifly's attacks until its partner reaches safety.

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin again and Beautifly, fly up and use Morning Sun!" May commands.

"Morning Sun?" Serena asks herself before she shakes her head and shouts, "Counter that Fire Spin with a Flamethrower and Dark Pulse combo!"

Braixen and Pancham create their combo again, and it successfully destroys Blaziken's Fire Spin, creating a cloud of smoke. Once the smoke clears, however, Serena sees Beautifly high up in the air with its body completely glowing white. Serena looks at the display confused before the white flow disappears, and Beautifly appears to be in perfect health with no burns in its body.

"Wow, Blaziken's Fire Spin was just a distraction so that Beautifly would have the opportunity to heal completely using Morning Sun!" Lilian announces.

"What? Beautifly got all of its health back?" Serena asks, devastated.

"That's right," May says matter of factually. "Now, Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut and Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"

Serena frowns seriously and shouts, "Braixen, counter Blaziken with Scratch and Pancham, use Dark Pulse to destroy the Silver Wind!"

The two fire type Pokemon charge at each other with their claws glowing white while Pancham destroys Beautifly's Silver Wind. Braixen swipes at Blaziken first, but the taller Pokemon just dodges before it uppercuts Braixen, sending it flying into the air and crashing next to Pancham.

"Braixen, are you okay?" Serena cries out worriedly.

Braixen groans before it slowly gets up and takes out its stick to show that it's still ready to fight.

"Okay then, let's switch things around!" she commands. "Use Fire Blast on Beautifly, and Pancham, use Shadow Claw on Blaziken."

"Beautifly, stop First Blast with Psychic, and Blaziken, use Blaze Kick on Pancham!" May orders.

Beautifly fires a large, blue beam, and it collides with Fire Blast, canceling each other out. Blaziken lifts its leg to hit Pancham, but the small Pokemon dodges the attack and slashes at Blaziken with Shadow Claw. As soon as Pancham thinks it got Blaziken good, however, the taller Pokemon just spins and kicks Pancham with its other leg, sending it back to Serena's side of the field.

"Blaziken, use Fire Spin again!" May shouts.

"Braixen, you counter with Flamethrower!" Serena barks.

Both fire Pokemon release their attacks, but Blaziken's spiraling flame spins around Braixen's stream of fire and crushes it. The move causes an explosion that also sends Braixen flying into the air and crashing next to Pancham. Serena becomes uneasy, needing to do something to buy her Pokemon some time.

"Pancham, create another wall with Stone Edge!" she shouts.

Pancham struggles for a moment before it slams its fist into the ground and creates another wall of blue pillars protecting it and Braixen. Serena sighs and tries to rethink her strategy when she overhears May.

"Blaziken, Beautifly, break the wall down with Overheat and Psychic!" she commands.

Serena gasps and shouts, "Pancham, Braixen, move away!"

But it is no use. Pancham and Braixen are still trying to regain their bearing when they are suddenly knocked out of their feet by Blaziken and Beautifly's combo of Psychic and Overheat, destroying the wall of rock beside them. Both of Serena's Pokemon crash on the opposite side of her, and she kneels down to check on them.

"Braixen, Pancham, are you alright?!" she cries out worriedly.

"Braix…" Braixen whines weakly before it loses consciousness.

"Pan...cham…" Pancham groans faintly before it closes its eyes.

Serena's heart sinks as she stares at her Pokemon, and hears the judges press their buzzards.

"Beautifly and Blaziken wiped out Braixen and Pancham to take it all!" Lilian announces. "That means the winner of this match and of this year's Grand Festival is none other than May!"

The crowd roars with thunderous applause. May stands still in shock for a moment before she smiles widely and runs over to hug Blaziken and Beautifly.

"Blaziken, Beautifly, we did it!" she cries out with tears of joy in her eyes. "We really did it! Thank you so much!"

"Blaziken," Blaziken bellows with a smile as it hugs May back.

"Beautifly," Beautifly squeaks happily.

Serena stays on her knees, and she processes everything that just happened. She frowns sadly and pets her unconscious Pokemon comfortingly before she robotically returns them into their Pokeballs. Then she slowly gets up and puts on the best smile she can muster before walking over to May.

"May," she begins, earning May, Blaziken, and Beautifly's attention. "Congratulations. You deserve it. Your Pokemon were very powerful."

May smiles sympathetically, knowing full well what her honey blonde friend is going through emotionally. She puts her hand on Serena's shoulder and pulls her into a hug.

"You and your Pokemon were good too, Serena. Don't forget that," she says in Serena's ear. "And don't worry, you'll make it there too someday. I believe that."

Serena smiles briefly as May breaks the hug just in time for Mr. Contesta to arrive with the Ribbon Cup. May stares at the trophy with stars in her eyes as the judge presents it.

"Congratulations, May," he says happily. "You made it all the way to the top, and now you are the Top Coordinator!"

"Top...Coordinator…?" May repeats in disbelief before she slowly takes the trophy and then lifts it up in the air with joy, shouting, "I'M TOP COORDINATOR!"

The crowd roars again, and Blaziken and Beautifly suddenly hug May from both sides. The three of them laugh happily, and Serena can't help but smile as she applauds for her friend. Even though she is still devastated that she lost, Serena is happy knowing that May's goal has finally been accomplished.

After a few minutes of cheering, Lilian concludes the Grand Festival and lets everyone know that there will be a mega celebration later tonight. The crowd disbands, and so May returns her Pokemon, and she and Serena leave the battlefield together. Before they were at the end of the hall, they find Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, Brock, Holly, and Grace all waiting for them. May puts down her trophy before Max runs over to her, and the two of them hug each other happily. Serena smiles at their moment before she suddenly feels Bonnie hugging her tightly. She looks down to see Bonnie looking at her with tears in her eyes.

"I...I...I'm sorry you lost!" the little girl cries before burying her face on Serena's stomach.

"Aw, Bonnie," Serena says with a sad smile before she gets down on one knee to hug her young friend back.

Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, and Grace walk over to Serena and Bonnie with smiles on their faces. Serena looks up at them and tries to smile back to the best of her ability.

"You feeling okay, Serena?" Grace asks.

Serena thinks about it for a moment before she answers.

"Yeah, I think so," she says gently. "I'm sad that I lost, but at the same time, I feel glad. I learned so much with my Pokemon, and we all grew stronger because of it. I just know that we need to work a little harder, and we'll get there."

"That's good," Clemont says approvingly. "And don't forget you made it all the way to the finals on your first Grand Festival."

"Right, and apart from me, that doesn't really happen to anyone," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup says, nodding.

"That's right," Ash says. "You should be proud of yourself, Serena."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, smiling.

Serena keeps smiling as best as she can and says, "Thanks, everyone. I promise, next time, I'm going to win it."

Ash, Dawn, Clemont, and Grace nod before Serena turns to Bonnie and gently breaks the hug. The little blonde girl is sniffling while she turns to Serena.

"I'm okay, Bonnie. I promise," Serena says.

"You...you better be," Bonnie says, trying to muster a smile.

Serena giggles at Bonnie's response before they all turn to see May showing off her trophy to Max, Holly, and Brock. Brock and Holly notice Serena standing up, and they walk over to her with sad smiles on their faces.

"I'm sorry you lost, Serena," Holly says.

"Thanks, Holly," Serena says politely.

"You really gave it your all," Brock says with a smile. "Keep it up, and I'm sure you'll win next time."

"I will, Brock," Serena says, nodding.

Serena then turns to Max, who simply nods at her, and she nods back before Brock puts his hands together.

"Alright, what are we standing around for?" he asks. "We got a celebration going on tonight, and we should get ready for it."

"Yeah!" Ash, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, May, Max, and Holly shout in agreement.

With that, everyone leaves and walks all the way to the Pokemon Center. Serena drops Braixen and Pancham's Pokeballs at Nurse Joy's front desk before everyone heads to their rooms. As they are walking, however, Grace puts her hand on Serena's shoulder, and Serena looks at her curiously.

"Serena, may I have a word with you?" Grace requests.

Serena blinks in confusion before she answers, "Sure, Mom."

The two of them wait until the others are already far away, still heading to their rooms. Grace takes a moment to check that they are alone before turning to Serena.

"Alright, first of all, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be packing my things and get on a bus that's leaving for the airport in Viridian City soon," she says.

"You're leaving already?" Serena asks, surprised.

"I am. I already have my ticket and everything," Grace answers. "I need to leave right away if I'm going to catch my flight in time."

Serena frowns slightly before she nods in understanding.

"The second thing is I want to let you know how proud I am of you," Grace says with a heartfelt smile. "Not just for making it so close to winning, but for all the people you made smile during the entire tournament. You see, whether you were performing or battling, I took the time to notice the people around me and the way they were beaming when they watched you, Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol was unbelievable. Even though you lost, I think you took a tremendous step towards your dream."

Serena stares at her mother, completely taken aback by her words. She can't help but feel tears in her eyes as she walks over to Grace and hugs her tightly.

"Oh, Mom," she says. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome, dear," Grace says as she hugs her daughter back. "So, do you know what you'll do next?"

Serena feels a pain in her heart, and she glumly pulls away and looks down from her mother.

"I don't," she says. "I feel that I should be going to the Johto region and compete in contests there, but the thing is, I want to stay in Kanto a little so I can cheer for Ash, Holly, and Max as they compete in the Indigo League. I want to be there for them before I do anything else."

Grace looks at Serena, confused, and says, "So cheer them on and go to Johto. That sounds simple enough."

"Yes, but…" Serena begins hesitantly. "Part of me doesn't want to go. Not alone, anyway. If I do, I might lose something very precious to me."

Grace looks at her daughter, puzzled until she puts the pieces together in her mind. She smiles at Serena in a motherly way and puts her hands on Serena's shoulders.

"I understand," she says. "I know how hard it can be to be apart from someone that matters a lot to you. It's a difficult thing to experience for anyone at your age. But you are also very young and still have much of your life ahead of you. It's up to you to decide what matters the most to you. Do you follow your dream, or do you pursue something that your heart desires? There's no guarantee on which path is right and which one is wrong. Just be careful which path you take, Serena, because if you don't, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

Serena looks up at her mother and sadly looks down. While nothing is directly said, Serena feels Grace knows what is holding her back from making a decision. The honey blonde girl gives her mother a simple nod to show she understands, and Grace pats her on the head.

"I hope you'll be happy with whatever you choose, Serena," she says. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I better get packing."

Serena smiles slightly and lets Grace leave. Once she's fully alone, the honey blonde girl takes a couple of steps back until her back is touching the wall and slides down to a sitting position on the floor. She hugs her legs and rests her head with her knees before letting out a heavy sigh, still feeling as worried as ever about what awaits her after the Indigo League.


	57. Chapter 57

For the last couple of days, Giovanni has kept himself hidden in his office. He's been racking his brain, trying to remember what he has forgotten. Hour after hour, he has stayed on his desk and glared at the wall with his hands together and close to his mouth. He doesn't eat much, and he barely sleeps. Persian lies next to him and stares at the man worriedly. Every now and then, it would nudge Giovanni's side, only for its master to rebuke it harshly. The classy cat Pokemon is deeply distraught by the way its owner has been acting more surly than normal without knowing why.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, and Giovanni's eyes turn to it to see Matori, Dr. Zager, and Agent Basker enter the room before Giovanni could say a word.

"What are you three doing entering without permission?" Giovanni growls venomously. "Dr. Zager, your and your people are to stay in your lab until called for."

"We are aware of that, sir," Dr. Zager says, ignoring his boss's demeanor. "But Agent Basker has some crucial information."

"Unless it has to do with us not remembering anything, I could care less what Trent has for me," Giovanni says carelessly.

"Trust me, sir," Agent Basker says, ignoring that his boss referred to him by his old name. "What happened to our memories is only a fraction of what you need to know."

"It's true, sir," Matori says, stepping in. "I've seen what he has to show myself. I swear on my position here in Team Rocket, it is important that you look into this."

Giovanni raises an eyebrow at his assistant. She had never been known to vouch for anybody much be willing to risk her job. He glares at her to make sure there is no hint of her lying for a moment before he sighs.

"Very well, but you better be true to your word," he says.

"Believe me, she is," Agent Basker says bluntly before he takes out a cord attached to his robotic arm and plugs it into Giovanni's computer. "This first video took place several months ago. Apparently, around this time, Team Flare was disbanded, and Lysandre was killed during his attempt to destroy the world."

Giovanni smirks, amused before he says, "I definitely don't recall something like that, but it figures that fool Lysandre would eventually destroy himself."

Agent Basker nods in agreement before he presses a few buttons on his arm, and a holographic image appears. The video is shown from Agent Basker's point of view, and he is walking to Giovanni's office with Dr. Zager. Matori sends them in, and they enter to see Giovanni sitting on his desk with an evil look of bliss on his face.

"_Sir!_" The Basker and Zager on the video shout as they salute.

"_At ease, gentlemen_," The Giovanni on the screen says calmly with a grin. "_By now, you two have heard of how our team in the Kalos region has vanquished Team Flare?_"

"_Yes, sir_," Dr. Zager replies with a hint of confusion in his voice. "_But are you sure it really was Jessie, James, and Meowth who took down Lysandre?_"

"I _am,_" Giovanni answers, confidently. "_And now that all of our rival organizations are gone, that makes Team Rocket the only one standing as it should have been from the beginning._"

"_Yes, sir,_" Agent Basker says with a nod. "_Does that mean you have a plan to further our cause for world domination._"

Giovanni's grin grows, and he says, "_Yes, I do. In fact, there is a recent development reported by our agents in the archeologist community that might give us exactly what we need to control every single Pokemon and rule the world in one swift stroke._"

Agent Basker and Dr. Zager look at each other intrigued before they turn to Giovanni.

"_Tell me, gentlemen, have either of you heard of the legend of the Gieldanstone?_" He queries.

Basker and Zager look confused and shake their heads.

"_I thought not. It's not a well-known legend,_" Giovanni says. "_The Gieldanstone is a white jewel that can control Arceus._"

"_Control Arceus?_" Dr. Zager repeats, surprised. "_You mean like the ancient red and blue orbs that can be used to control the legendary Hoenn Pokemon, Groudon, and Kyogre?_"

Giovanni lets out a loud laugh and says, "_No, nothing like those trinkets. I'm talking about a stone so powerful that the oldest Pokemon in all of existence will obey the will of anyone who wields it without question. As in there once was a king in ancient times who wielded the Gieldanstone and used its power to make Arceus destroy his enemies and build himself an empire out of fear._"

Giovanni's eyes start to widen in surprise. The way the him in the video described the Gieldanstone sounded like the most amazing thing he has ever heard in his life. Agent Basker smirks, knowing that he has his boss's attention as the video continues.

"_If it's so powerful, then what happened to it?_" The Agent Basker on the screen asks.

The Giovanni on the screen scoffs and waves his hand as he turns his chair around to look out the window behind him.

"_The foolish king destroyed himself with his own weapon, and the survivors feared and respected Arceus like a deity so much that they hid it and swore never to speak of it again,_" he says. "_Ever since then, the stone has been believed to be a myth that few to no one knows about. No one knows where it is hidden until now._"

Basker and Zager look at each other again before their leader continues.

"_According to our agents among the archeologist community, a well-known archeologist named Brandon claims to have found the location to where the Gieldanstone is hidden,_" Giovanni says. "_We are going to find Brandon and force him to lead us right to it._"

"_And then we use Arceus to obliterate our enemies?"_ Agent Basker assumes.

"_Oh no, Agent Basker. I have something far better in mind,_" Giovanni answers. "_You see, Arceus is a normal type, but it has 17 elemental plates in its body, one for each of the other Pokemon types. We are going to build a machine specifically designed to control all the Pokemon in the world of whatever type a Pokemon is inside the machine is_."

"_Meaning if, for example, we put a poison or a steel type Pokemon in this said machine, all the Pokemon in the world who are that type will be under our control?_" Dr. Zager says.

"_Exactly,_" Giovanni says, turning his chair back to face his minions. "_So if we were to get our hands to obtain the one Pokemon in the whole world who can change into all types…_"

"_We would have control over every single Pokemon in the entire world,_" Agent Basker finishes.

"_Correct,_" Giovanni says. "_And this is where you two come in._"

"_Ah, I think I understand, sir,_" Dr. Zager says, smirking. "_You want us to build this machine._"

"_Yes!_" Giovanni hisses with an evil grin. "_I am counting on your team to use all the technology he has on controlling Pokemon from past operations and use it to build the machine._"

Dr. Zager smirks and says, "_This all sounds like a magnificent plan, sir, but I'm not inherently sure we have the right technology to do something like that for a Pokemon as powerful as Arceus._"

"_You don't yet,_" Giovanni corrects before turning to Agent Basker. "_That's where you come in, Agent._"

"_Sir, what do you want from me?_" Agent Basker asks eagerly.

"_Team Flare produced a machine powerful enough to control two Zygarde,_" Giovanni explains. "_You are to sneak into their headquarters and gather all blueprints and other information revolving around that machine. It should be more than enough of what Dr. Zager needs to prepare for our own machine to use on Arceus._"

"_I'll leave at once, sir,_" Agent Basker says hastily. "_I will not let you down, I swear it._"

"_See that you don't, Trent,_" Giovanni says. "_This is the most important operation in all of Team Rocket. We do this right, and the entire world will forever be in our control._"

"_Sir!_" Agent Baskar and Dr. Zager say simultaneously before they turn around to leave, and the video ends.

Giovanni stares at where the holographic screen was in awe. The way the Gieldanstone was described by himself in the video made him eagerly want to get his hands on it like a prospector hearing about a river full of gold.

"Did your eye happen to record more of what happened during this operation?" He asks Agent Baskar.

"Yes, sir. Down to the very moment we were stranded in the middle of headquarters grounds," Agent Basker says with a grin.

"Show me," Giovanni hisses. "Show me everything!"

"With pleasure," Agent Basker says.

The cyborg presses a couple more buttons, and the hologram projector starts playing more videos and images that he has recorded over the last several months. From Agent Barker's findings in Kalos, to Giovanni informing him that Timothy Durbin and the International Police were leading Jessie, James, and Meowth to Brandon and the Gieldanstone, to his findings that the three of them lied about defeating Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Flare, Team Plasma, and Team Galactic and that a teenage, raven-haired boy was behind all of it. Giovanni took in all the information, not diverting his eyes from the screen for one second.

Eventually, the video turns to everyone at Team Rocket headquarters outside to watch Agent Basker and Dr. Zager use a wild Vilpix to brainwash a cage full of wild fire Pokemon to show that their machine is finished. After that, Giovanni steps in and says his long speech regarding how Team Rocket began and elaborating on the entire operation to everyone. All the members cheered before they dispersed to get ready to go to the exact location of Brandon and the Gieldanstone.

By the time the video changed to the entire combat unit is hiding by a large pyramid and some ruins, Giovanni is at the edge of his seat. Even Persian is intrigued as it watches the video with its master. The two of them wait patiently before Looker, Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, Poliwrath, Shockwave, Gengar, Odyssey, and Brandon leave with the chest containing the Gieldanstone. Team Rocket then ambushes them, and Timothy takes out the rest of his Pokemon while Brandon and Coovers take out all of their Pokemon. Giovanni is demanding the stone, but they are refusing to give it to him. Suddenly, Team Rocket is surrounded in a blue aura, and they are lifted into the air, unable to move. A strange figure covered in a brown cloak and hood flies toward Giovanni and tells him that he will be stopped, and he won't even remember the figure. The mysterious being then waves its hands, and Giovanni disappears with a flash before other Team Rocket members begin to disappear one by one. The Agent Basker in the video turns to Timothy Durbin and screams for his revenge before the image turns white, and he is suddenly on the grounds of Team Rocket headquarters with everyone else. The machine is no longer where it was, and neither Agent Basker, Dr. Zager, or Giovanni have any memory of what they are doing.

The video ends, and the projector turns off while Agent Basker detaches the cord from Giovanni's computer and puts it back inside his arm. Giovanni frowns, and he puts his hands together again as he processes the information.

"Do you have any theories as to what that cloaked figure is?" He asks.

"A few," Dr. Zager answers. "The most probable one is that it is a Pokemon of sorts with incredible psychic powers. Based on what it said to you, it seems to know enough about us that it was on to our plans and most likely destroyed the machine as well, knocking out my team and me."

"I see," Giovanni says, deep in thought. "But what about the Gieldanstone?"

"I took the liberty of contacting our agents inside the headquarters of the International Police before we came in," Matori says. "They've reported that Looker has recently returned there, and he carried a small chest to their most secure vaults hidden below. He refused to tell anyone what is inside, but the way they described the chest matches the description of the one containing the jewel in Agent Basker's last video."

"How secure is their vault?" Giovanni asks.

"If it were any human or Pokemon in the world, it would be impossible," Matori says before she grins. "But our agents there know every flaw in their security."

"Excellent," Giovanni says with a grin. "I want all the information they have concerning their safe on my desk immediately. We must begin making plans to liberate that stone at once."

"Right away, sir," Matori says before she exits the room.

"What about this cloaked figure somehow comes to stop us?" Dr. Zager asks. "This mysterious Pokemon or whatever it is seems to know so much about us that it might stop us again if we go after the stone."

"A fair question, Dr. Zager," Giovanni says. "I suggest you and your team begin creating countermeasures from any psychic powers it might use on our agents out there. If this supposed Pokemon does come, I want our agents to capture it alive while they retrieve my jewel. Once they are done, I want you to use any information Agent Basker still has regarding the machine you built for Arceus and start rebuilding it. Spare no expenses."

"Yes, sir," Dr. Zager says before he leaves the room.

Giovanni turns to Agent Basker, and he grins at the cyborg man.

"Anything you want me to do, sir?" Agent Basker asks.

"Apart from giving Dr. Zager all the information he needs for the machine, yes," Giovanni says. "My direct order to you is simply this: be proud."

"Sir?" Agent Basker asks, confused.

Giovanni stands up and walks over to Agent Basker with an evil, pleased grin.

"I must admit I thought you a mere pawn before and after you lost your eye and leg," Giovanni says. "I did not care how hard you tried to show your worth even when you collected valuable information with your robotic eye and arm. But now that you've given me the most valuable pieces of information I will ever need, you've shown your worth, and it's more than I would ever ask for."

Agent Basker stares at his leader, unable to know what to say. Giovanni places his hands on both of the cyborg's shoulders and continues.

"From this day forward, you will never be called Trent Lane ever again," he declares. "Your true name now and forever will be Basker."

Agent Basker's eyes widen in disbelief. He can't believe the words that came out of Giovanni's mouth. After several seconds, he recollects himself and proudly salutes his leader.

"Sir, thank you, sir!" He says.

Giovanni nods with a smirk and says, "Now go to Dr. Zagar's lab and give him all the information you have."

"Yes, sir!" Agent Basker replies before immediately leaving the room.

Once the cyborg man leaves and it's just Giovanni and Persian again, the leader of Team Rocket grins and lets out an evil heart laugh. Persian smirks for its master as Giovanni returns to his chair and starts stroking his pet.

"The Gieldanstone. What a magnificent treasure," Giovanni says. "To think that I came close to obtaining something so powerful that I would finally achieve my goal."

"Meeoooowww," Persian meows.

"This information lifts my spirits, my pet," Giovanni says. "Soon, I will have the key to command the powerful Arceus itself and use it to control all the Pokemon in the world. All of humanity will bow to my majesty, and the world will finally be mine."

**Author's Note: Yeah, I only publish one chapter per day, but what the heck, two in one day for you guys. Merry Christmas and The Lord be with you!**


	58. Chapter 58

The day after May won the Grand Festival and everyone partook in the celebration later that night, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, Piplup, May, Max, Clemont, Bonnie, Brock, and Holly all got together and start heading to Pallet Town. Ash video called his mom in advance to let her know they're coming, and she told him she will have the party for May, Dawn, and Serena ready for them by the time they arrive. She also said she reached out to a couple of other people who would like to attend, but when Ash asked who, she just said it's a surprise.

The journey back to Pallet Town is mostly uneventful. May carries her Ribbon Cup with her happily and often polishes it whenever the group is on a break from walking. Max and Dawn rebuke her for the way she obsessively treats her trophy, but she's too much in bliss to care. Brock and Holly often talk to each other about how they plan to go to Pewter City after the party as they walk together. Every now and then, Max yanks their ears, telling them to cut it out for the sake of everyone else.

As for Serena, however, she walks in the back of the group with a sad look on her face. Dawn or May walk beside her and try to have a conversation, and she puts on a forced smile and talks to her friends. But despite that, she's had a downhearted look on her face ever since she had her talk with Grace after the Grand Festival. Ash sometimes turns to her and asks if she's okay, and she gives him a smile and claims that she's fine. He hesitantly believes her, but he can't help but be unsettled from the way she's been acting.

It is a couple of hours past noon when the group makes it to Pallet Town, and Ash excitedly runs ahead of everyone to his house. When he gets there, he sees party decorations and tables set up in the yard with Professor Oak and Tracey, setting up with Mimey.

"Hey, Professor, Tracey!" Ash calls out.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts from Ash's shoulder.

Professor Oak and Tracey turn to the raven-haired boy and smile.

"Hey, Ash," Tracey greets.

"Ash, my boy, how are you?" Professor Oak asks.

"I'm fine," Ash says. "Did you guys see the Grand Festival?"

"We sure did," Tracey answers. "In fact, where are May, Dawn, and Serena?"

"Here, we are!" Dawn calls out as she, Piplup, Serena, May, Max, Clemont, Bonnie, Brock, and Holly catch up. "We had trouble catching up with Mr. Wingfoot here."

Ash chuckles and rubs the back of his head while Tracey steps up to approach May.

"Congratulations on winning the competition, May," he says. "That is a big trophy you got there."

"Thanks," May says gleefully.

"I'd like to draw a sketch with you, the Ribbon Cup, and your Pokemon at some point during the party if that's alright," Tracey requests.

"Absolutely!" May replies with stars in her eyes.

"Ah, more attention on her and that trophy. That's all she needs," Max mumbles to Bonnie, earning a chuckle from her.

"Is my mom inside?" Ash asks.

"Yes, indeed," Professor Oak says with a nod. "And so is a certain someone else."

"Really? I wonder who it is," Ash says, interested.

"Let's find out," Brock suggests.

Ash nods in agreement, and together, he, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Holly, Clemont, and Bonnie all go inside the house. They hear Ash's mom humming from the kitchen while a certain girl with orange hair is sitting on the living room couch.

"Misty?!" Ash and Brock say at the same time.

Serena winces before she puts on a happy face while Misty turns to them and stands up with a friendly smile.

"Hi, guys," she greets.

"What are you doing over here?" Ash asks.

"Your mom invited me," Misty answers. "She thought it would be good to get a lot of our friends to celebrate together. Besides, the Cerulean City gym is closed since the Indigo League is going to start in a couple of weeks."

Ash smiles and says, "Awesome. Glad to see you can make it."

"Pika!" Pikachu says before jumping into Misty's arms.

"Hi, Pikachu," Misty says, giving the mouse Pokemon a hug before turning to Clemont, Bonnie, and Holly. "And who might you be?"

"I'm Clemont. Nice to meet you," Clemont answers politely.

"My name's Bonnie," Bonnie says while holding out her bag. "And this is Dedenne."

"De, ne,ne," Dedenne greets.

"And I'm Holly, Brock's soon-to-be girlfriend," Holly says.

Misty freezes in place and her eyes widen with her pupils as small as pieces of dirt.

"Uh...Brock's what now?" She manages to say.

"You heard her," Brock says proudly while giving Holly a side hug. "We met each other at Hearthome City in the Sinnoh region and met up again at Neon City. We agreed to officially become a couple after she competes in the Indigo League."

Misty blinks in confusion before turning to Holly.

"Did he put you up to this?" She asks. "Is he blackmailing you or something?"

"Nope, I just really like Brock for him," Holly answers without hesitation while she hugs Brock with both arms. "I'm just counting the days until we can really be together."

Serena decides to step in with a smile and says, "It's true, Misty. She's been traveling with us for a while now. The two of them are really crazy about each other."

"You can say that again," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Misty stays in shock as if the world just shattered before her very eyes. She looks at Brock and Holly, who are staring at each other with their arms around each other and blushes on their faces. Misty keeps staring in utter shock as if she's looking at the creepiest bug Pokemon she has ever seen in her life. Everyone else looks at her waiting to respond until she finally blinks and scratches her cheek awkwardly.

"Well...um...I...I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm happy you found Ms. Right, Brock," she says.

"Thanks, Misty," Brock says, looking at her. "I'm very happy to be with her."

"Ash? Brock? Is that you?" Delia calls out from the kitchen.

"Yeah, we're here, Mom," Ash says as he, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Holly, Clemont, and Bonnie walk over to the kitchen to find his mother cooking. He jumps into her arms as Delia turns to her boy and gives him a one-armed hug.

"Oh, sweetie, it's so good to see you," Delia coos. "And Brock, and Serena, good to see you too."

"You too, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock says.

"Yeah, same here," Serena says with a smile.

"And it's also nice to finally meet you in person, Mrs. Ketchum," Bonnie says.

"Yes, thank you for having us," Clemont says, politely.

"It's my pleasure," Delia says, beaming before turning to Holly. "And who are you?"

"I'm Holly, ma'am," Holly answers. "I'm Brock's soon-to-be girlfriend."

Delia looks at her confused and asks, "What do you mean soon-to-be girlfriend?"

"It's a long story," Brock says.

Delia looks at the two young adults confused before she decides to take Brock's word for it and smiles.

"Well, welcome all the same," she says. "Now I'm going to need all of your help before the other guests arrive. Ash, go help Tracey and Professor Oak outside. Brock, I would love it if you could help me with making the food. And Serena, could you make us some sweet treats?"

"Sure," Serena says with a smile.

"Leave it to me," Brock says.

"I wanna help with Serena making treats!" Bonnie says, raising her hand.

"And I'd like to help with making the other food," Clemont says.

"That's a good idea," Ash says. "Clemont is a pretty good cook just like Brock."

"It's true," Brock says. "We've been taking turns on making meals on our way here from Indigo Plateau."

"Wonderful," Delia says cheerfully. "The more, the merrier."

"What about me? What can I do?" Holly asks.

Brock thinks for a moment before he snaps his fingers and says, "We could use a taste tester once the food's about ready."

Holly's eyes light up and say, "When it's your cooking, count me in."

"Sounds like we're good to go," Ash says. "Come on, Pikachu, let's go help Professor Oak and Tracey."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says as the two of them leave the kitchen.

For the next couple of hours, everyone is working on their assignments to get ready. May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, and Misty help Ash, Tracey and Professor Oak with setting up outside while everyone else works on the food. At around 6 in the evening, tables and decorations are set, and the food is being taken outside and placed tables along with plastic dishes and silverware. When Delia carries a large pot of spaghetti outside, Ash looks at it excitedly.

"Alright, my favorite food," he says happily.

"Don't even think about trying to get an early bite, mister," Delia says in a motherly way. "We're not eating until everyone has arrived."

"Aw, Mom, just one little bite," Ash begs childishly.

"Really, Ash? Eating before your guests are all here?" A female voice rebukes. "You're such a kid."

"Axew," says another voice.

Ash's eyes widen, and he turns around to see a girl with dark skin and a large head of purple hair walking toward him with an Axew popping up from her hair and a tall boy with green hair dressed as a connoisseur walking behind her.

"Cilan!" Ash calls out as he runs over to them.

"Iris!" Dawn shouts as she also runs toward them.

"Greetings, Ash. It's been some time," the boy named Cilan says before noticing Clemont and Bonnie. "Why, Clemont, Bonnie, good to see you."

"Hi, Cilan," Bonnie greets.

"Fancy seeing you here," Clemont says.

"I agree," Brock says, stepping in.

Cilan turns to Brock and smiles, saying, "Hey, I remember you."

"I remember you too," Brock says, smiling, "You're that guy that I stopped a poacher with back in the Johto region."

"You did?" Holly asks, surprised.

"I'm a little lost," the girl named Iris says. "How do you know these three, Cilan?"

"It's a long story," Cilan chortles while rubbing the back of his head.

"Wow, so you, Clemont, Bonnie, and Brock already know each other," Ash says excitedly. "I'm so glad my mom invited you guys."

"Not just them, apparently," says another voice.

Everyone turns to see Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, and Chespie walking down the road to Ash's house with smiles on their faces.

"Mairin!" Serena and Bonnie shout happily as they run toward the short girl.

"Alain! Professor Sycamore!" Ash shout.

"Hello, Ash, nice to see you again," Professor Sycamore says with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, I can't believe it's already been a few months since we've seen each other," Alain says.

"Aw, I missed you guys so much!" Mairin squeals as she hugs Serena and Bonnie.

"We missed you too!" Bonnie says, hugging Mairin back.

Ash shakes hands with Alain and Professor Sycamore before turning to Delia.

"How did you manage to contact them?" He asks.

"Oh, it just so happens that we're here for our research on Mega Evolution," Professor Sycamore answers.

"That's right," Delia says with a smile. "They were briefly investigating here, and we exchanged contact information. And when you kids told me about your idea for a party, I knew I had to invite them along with Iris and Cilan."

"Aw, Mrs. Ketchum, you didn't have to do that," Serena says.

"I know, but I wanted to," Delia says. "It's not very often that so many of my son's friends can all come and spend time together. It's an opportunity too wonderful to pass up."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Dawn says.

"Me too," Clemont says.

"Me three!" Bonnie squeals.

Delia smiles brightly with her eyes closed before she puts her hands together and turns to everyone.

"Alright, now that we're all here, let's get this party started," she says. "Let's all get a can of soda and -"

Suddenly, Serena gasps loudly for everyone to hear and says, "Wait, we don't have everyone. Coovers, Timothy, and Electchu aren't here."

"Who?" Everyone but Ash, Brock, Dawn, May, Max, and Holly ask.

"Oh yeah, Serena's right," Brock says. "She also invited Ash's new rival and his friends to join us."

"Oh, I see," Delia says. "Well, then I'm afraid we're going to have to start without them because it's already getting late."

Ash, Serena, Brock, Dawn, and Holly frown sadly before they silently agree.

"Right, as I was saying, let's get some sodas and May, Dawn, and Serena, you three stand in the middle," she instructs.

Everyone grabs a can of soda and get in a half-circle while May, Dawn, and Serena stand in the middle with their sodas. Delia stands next to them and puts her hand on Serena's shoulder before she clears her throat.

"Tonight, we -"

"Wait!"

Everyone turns to see Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers racing toward them, panting as they run. Ash, Serena, Brock, Holly, and Dawn smile as the two men and the Raichu stop in front of them and take a moment to catch their breath.

"Sorry we're late, everyone," Coovers pants. "We just made it back to town and dropped off our stuff at Timothy's place when we saw your house and all the party decorations in the distance."

"No worries, Coovers," Ash says. "The important thing is we're all here."

Timothy and Coovers nod in agreement, and Brock gives them two cans of soda and gestures them to join the others in the half-circle before Delia clears her throat again.

"Tonight, we celebrate the amazing accomplishments May, Dawn, and Serena have achieved at the Grand Festival," she begins. "All three of them gave it their all and went farther than over three hundred contestants have gone. Dawn was only off by a few points at the semifinals, Serena made it to the finals on her very first Grand Festival, and May won the whole tournament and this beautiful Ribbon Cup."

Delia points at the Ribbon Cup, which is standing on a table before she continues.

"But win or lose, you're all winners in our hearts," she says. "May the experiences the three of you had at the Grand Festival bring all of you closer to accomplishing your dreams."

Then Delia raises up her can of soda and proudly says, "To May, Dawn, and Serena!"

"To May, Dawn, and Serena!" Everyone cheers before they open their sodas and start drinking.

Dawn turns to Serena and May and, with a cheerful smile, says, "To us, guys."

"To us," Serena and May say in agreement.

The three girls clink their sodas together before opening them and drinking them down. Once Delia is done with her drink, she puts her hands together and smiles at everyone with her eyes closed.

"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, let's eat!" She announces cheerfully.

Ash, May, and Iris' eyes widen before they zoom to the dinner table take out plates and began filling them with food. Everyone begrudgingly waits until they can start getting their own food while the three teenagers find a table and already begin to eat. Brock brings bowls of Pokemon food for everyone's Pokemon, and he, Ash, Serena, Holly, May, Max, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Timothy, Coovers, and Alain all take out their Pokemon so they can eat as well. Brock and Misty take out all of their Pokemon so they can eat as well except for Steelix and Gyarados because they are too big. Sylveon happily eats next to Clemont's Bunnelby while Pancham and Clemont's Chespin happily greet each other before they eat next to each other. After they empty their bowls, they try to make moves on Dawn's Buneary, who is eating next to Pikachu, but the bunny Pokemon harshly rejects them so that she can keep giving Pikachu flirtatious looks. Pikachu is uneasy about the way Buneary is looking at him as usual but tries to stay calm while eating. Primeape almost starts a fight with Odyssey, but Ash and Timothy manage to calm them down after threatening to return them to their Pokeballs without eating if they don't behave. While eating together, Holly, Delia, and Misty ask Brock about how he knows Cilan, and he tells them the story about how they took down a poacher named Amer. Holly is infatuated with Brock's part of the story, and she kept giving him flirtatious eyes much to Misty's unease.

Ash is the first to finish his food and grab a second helping before he goes back to his table with Serena, Professor Oak, Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, Tracey, Coovers, and Timothy.

"So Alain, I see you found another Charizardite," Serena comments.

Alain smiles and shows his bracelet containing another Charizardite X.

"Yeah, it took a while, but I managed to find one," he says. "I feel better using it for my own purposes rather than Lysandre's."

Coovers looks at Alain, surprised, and asks, "You knew Lysandre?"

Alain winces and answers, "I did. He tricked me into collecting Mega Evolution energy for his plans to destroy the world. That's why I got rid of my last Charizardite that I got partly with Lysandre's help. I wanted to start anew without him."

"I see," Coovers says. "So you were there when he and Team Flare attacked Lumiose City."

"I was, and I battled against Lysandre with Ash," Alain says before turning to Mairin and Professor Sycamore. "Now, I'm on a better path with the people who mean the most to me."

Professor Sycamore and Mairin smile warmly, and the latter puts her hand on top of Alain's. The two teenagers look at each other with caring eyes until Ash breaks the moment.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," he says with his mouth full. "You said you guys are here in Kanto for Mega Evolution research?"

"We sure are," Professor Sycamore answers, smiling. "The Anistar Sundial has been providing more locations of Key Stones and Mega Stones outside of Kalos. It seems to want to reveal locations here in both in Kanto and maybe even in the Johto region."

"My, my, my, that sounds like a splendid discovery," Professor Oak says excitedly.

"Sounds like more people are going to find them and be able to mega evolve their Pokemon," Tracey says.

"We can vouch for that," Serena says.

"Yeah, Brock and Misty can mega evolve Steelix and Gyarados," Ash says excitedly. "And Sabrina, the Saffron City gym leader, can mega evolve her Alakazam."

"And I can testify with the Johto region," Timothy says. "Lance and the members of the Elite Four each have one Pokemon that can mega evolve. They did not make defeating all of them easy that way, let me tell you."

"Marvelous!" Professor Sycamore exclaims. "I would love to see Brock and Misty show me."

"I'm sure they've love to show you with a battle," Ash says with a toothy grin.

Serena smiles slightly at Ash's demeanor before she turns to Timothy and Coovers.

"So, were you two able to watch the Grand Festival?" She asks.

Timothy and Coovers stop eating in mid-bite and look at the honey blonde girl apologetically.

"We kinda missed the appeal stage and the first round of the battle stage," Timothy admits. "We caught up with the news showing recaps of the first two days before we watched the rest live. Sorry, Serena."

"Oh, that's no problem," Serena says. "The important thing is that you guys saw me make it to the finals."

"Yeah, great job with that, by the way," Coovers says sincerely. "You should be proud for making it that far."

"Thanks, I am," Serena says before she looks down and secretly frowns, not entirely meaning it.

Ash notices her sudden change of demeanor and wonders what is bothering her. But the moment is interrupted when Professor Oak turns to Timothy.

"So, Timothy, my lad, did you complete the Battle Frontier?" He asks.

"Sure did," Timothy answers, smirking. "Now, I'm in the hall of fame, just like Ash."

Ash overhears Timothy and happily says, "That's awesome, Timothy."

Serena gives a sincere smile and says, "Yeah, congratulations, Timothy."

"Thanks, you two," Timothy says before turning back to Professor Oak. "So now I'm just going to train here at home until it's time to compete in the Indigo League. And believe me, I plan to win this time."

"Not if I win first," Ash claims. "Don't forget, we're going to battle each other at the league."

"Don't worry, Ash," Timothy says, smirking again. "Just don't lose until we get to face each other so I can beat you again."

"Hey, I at least took down Blitzwing last time," Ash says.

"Only because I got too cocky last time," Timothy counters.

Alain raises an eyebrow and says, "I take it, you two are rivals?"

"You bet," Ash says. "It was Timothy who challenged me to compete in the Indigo League after he heard about how I almost won the Kalos League before you beat me."

Timothy turns to Alain intrigued and says, "So you're the trainer Ash lost to at the Kalos League finals, eh?"

"Yes, that's right," Alain says.

"Have you faced Kalos' Elite Four and champion?" Timothy asks.

"I have not," Alain replies.

"Oh, really?" Timothy says in a taunting tone. "Well, I've won the Johto League and defeated their Elite Four and the bi-regional champion, Lance."

"Oh dear, here he goes boasting again," Coovers mutters under his breath.

"Yes, you mentioned that before," Alain says. "Doesn't mean you are stronger than me."

"Perhaps," Timothy says. "But we don't know if we don't find out."

"Is that a challenge?" Alain asks with his eyebrow raised.

"It might be," Timothy answers plainly.

The two of them stare at each other with everyone else at the table interested in where this is going. Finally, Alain smirks back and says, "Alright then, let's have a battle tomorrow. My Charizard against one of your best Pokemon. Let's see how you handle the power of Mega Evolution against me."

Timothy smirk grows, and he stands up and offers Alain his hand, saying, "I accept your challenge."

Alain grins and firmly shakes Timothy's hand before the two of them sit back down and go back to eating.

Meanwhile, at another table, Iris and May are eating vigorously, much to the unease of Max, Cilan, Dawn, Clemont, and Bonnie.

"Iris, slow down," Cilan says with a nervous chuckle. "If you keep this up, you're gonna choke."

"And so what if I do?" Iris hisses childishly. "I haven't eaten since breakfast because we had to make sure we get here on time."

"I had both breakfast and lunch today, and I feel like I could eat a whole buffet," May says.

Iris smirks in May and says, "That sounds like something Ash would say. What a kid."

"Hey, you're a kid too," May counters angrily.

"Yeah, but you and Ash are bigger kids," Iris says plainly.

"But aren't you all the same age?" Bonnie asks, confused.

Cilan chuckles lightly and says, "Don't trouble yourself about it. Iris does this all the time."

"Yeah, I can testify from briefly traveling with her," Dawn says. "It's better not to let it get to you."

Clemont, Bonnie, May, and Max stare in confusion before they silently decide to let it go and go back to their food. They all eat in silence for several minutes before Max clears his throat and starts another conversation.

"So what do you do, Cilan?" He asks.

"Oh, I'm a Pokemon connoisseur," Cilan says happily. "I like to observe the relationships with people and their Pokemon. But I'm also a fishing connoisseur. In fact, I just partook in a fishing tournament in the Kalos region not too long ago."

"Yeah, we were there when he did that," Bonnie says. "It was quite an adventure too."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Clemont groans before he decides to change the subject. "What about you, Iris?"

"I am a dragon Pokemon trainer," Iris states proudly. "I've been traveling to different regions to challenge other dragon Pokemon trainers. What about you, Clemont?"

"I'm the Lumiose City gym leader," Clemont answers. "But I also like to invent. My goal is to make inventions that will better the lives of people and Pokemon."

Cilan looks at Clemont skeptically and says, "Well, I hope you have made more handy inventions than that electronic fishing pole you made during the fishing tournament."

"Not usually," Bonnie says with a sigh. "Most of Clemont's inventions tend to blow up."

Clemont glares at his little sister and says, "Well, tonight is going to be different because I made an invention specifically for this party."

Max, May, Dawn, Iris, and Cilian look at each other, confused before May asks, "What is it?"

Clemont just chuckles maniacally with his mouth closed and says, "You'll see."

After a while, everyone finishes eating and sighs, completely satisfied with their meals. Tracey decides to take the opportunity to ask May to let him draw a sketch of her and the Ribbon Cup, and she happily agrees. Thus, Tracey finds a spot for May to stand while May and her Pokemon gather together, and they make a pose. Everyone else watches patiently while Tracey carefully draws on his sketchbook, and May and her Pokemon do their best to stand still. It takes about half an hour until Tracey is done, and then he shows it to May, who instantly falls in love with it. She asks Tracey if he can make a copy of it so she can bring it back home in Hoenn, and Tracey happily says he can print a copy for her later.

After that, Holly turns to everyone and asks, "So what should we do now?"

Clemont grins and steps up, saying, "Why don't we dance?"

Delia makes an uneasy chuckle and says, "That sounds nice, Clemont, but we don't have a stereo anywhere."

But Clemont's grin grows at that comment, and he takes out his backpack.

"Leave it to me," he says proudly. "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear on!"

Clemont reaches into his backpack and takes out a handheld stereo-looking device shaped like his head. Ash's eyes light up at the sight of the machine while everyone else awkwardly stares at it.

"What in the world is that thing?" Coovers asks.

"This is my Play-Music-Until-We-Can-Party-No-More-A-Ton!" Clemont answers.

"Your...what?" Tracey asks.

"As usual, the name needs a little work," Bonnie says.

"De, ne, ne, ne," Dedenne says, agreeing with Bonnie.

"Okay...so I'm guessing it's some kind of stereo?" Timothy asks.

"Not just any stereo," Clemont claims. "This beauty can play over 3,000 songs, all of which is meant for dancing. Simply push this little guy's nose, and it'll start playing music with state-of-the-art audio speakers."

"Wow, science is so amazing!" Ash exclaims ecstatically.

"Yeah, it sounds like fun," Dawn says. "Come on, Clemont, push its nose!"

Clemont smirks and happily pushes the nose on his machine. Two large speakers appear from both sides of the machine, and a pop song starts to play. May, Dawn, and Iris gasp in excitement before they run over to the machine and start dancing excitedly. Mairin drags Alain over to where May, Dawn, and Iris are, and she happily starts dancing with him, much to Alain's reluctance. Several Pokemon join in with Chespin and Pancham trying to impress Buneary with poor results. Brock and Holly begin to dance together hand in hand, and even Timothy, Coovers, Delia and Professor Oak decide to join in. Ash prepares to join in the fun, but he stops and notices Serena just watching with a wooden look on her face.

"Aren't you going to dance, Serena?" he asks. "It's a lot of fun."

Serena turns to Ash and gives him a soft smile.

"Oh, that's alright, Ash," she says politely. "I'm not in a dancing mood tonight. You go ahead and have fun."

Ash looks at her with a look of concern and confusion in his face. He reluctantly decides to let it go and smiles at her before he joins in the dancing. It isn't long before all eyes are on Ash as he dances weirdly and offbeat. Serena tries to hide a laugh, feeling somewhat better with the way the guy she admires embarrasses himself.

But while Ash is dancing in a goofy way, the machine starts to play the music at a faster pace. Everyone turns to the invention to see smoke and sparks of electricity coming out of it. Clemont panics and runs to his machine.

"Clemont, what's wrong with your gizmo?" Delia asks.

"I don't know," Clemont says in alarm. "It shouldn't be acting like this. I could have sworn that I -"

Before Clemont can finish his sentence, his invention suddenly explodes, covering the whole yard in smoke. When the smoke clears, everyone within close range of the blast is covered in soot, and their hair messed up. Clemont stares at what remains of his invention before he cries softly while Bonnie walks over to him and pats him on the back.

"Back to the drawing board," she says plainly.

"Aw, man, my hair looks ridiculous!" Coovers whines.

"Yeah, makes me glad that I have short hair," Timothy says, trying hard not to laugh at his friend.

Coovers glares at Timothy while Serena, Misty, Max, Bonnie, Professor Sycamore, and Tracey help remove the soot from everyone else. Once they're all cleaned up, Clemont turns to everyone and gives them a bow.

"I'm sorry, everyone," he whines hysterically. "I thought the invention was ready for use."

"It's okay, Clemont," Delia says kindly. "We'll just think of something else for entertainment."

"Delia's right," Professor Oak says. "Now, does anyone have any ideas?"

Professor Sycamore smirks, seeing his chance and steps in.

"I might have an idea," he says, turning to Brock and Misty. "Ash told me that you two can mega evolve your Steelix and Gyarados. It would mean a lot to me if I could see a Mega Evolution battle between you two."

Brock and Misty look at Professor Sycamore, taken aback before they look at each other and smirk.

"What do you say, Misty?" Brock asks.

"I say you're going down," Misty says with a competitive smirk.

"Alright, but let's take this at the beach, please," Delia says in a motherly way.

"Yes, ma'am," Brock and Misty say at the same time.

With everyone in agreement, they all walk together - people and Pokemon alike, all the way to the beach. While everyone finds a place to sit, Misty and Brock take positions several yards away from each other, with Holly standing behind Brock and massaging his shoulders.

"You got this, Brock. You got this," she encourages as she rubs his shoulders.

"I know I do," Brock says confidently before turning to Holly and caressing her cheek.

The auburn-haired woman blushes and giggles in a girlish manner before she finds a spot to sit not too far away from Brock.

"Take him down, Misty!" May calls out.

"Yeah, show him how it's done!" Dawn cheers.

"Wipe him out!" Iris shouts.

"Believe me, I will, ladies," Misty says proudly with a smile and a wink.

Tracey smiles fondly at Misty, and says, "You can win this, Misty! I believe in you!"

Misty smiles back and says, "Thank you, Tracey. I know I can."

Misty backs up her claim with a wink before she turns away just in time to miss Tracy's cheeks turning slightly pink. Clemont stands between Misty and Brock and holds his hand in the air.

"I'll be the referee," he says before he clears his throat. "This will be a one-on-one battle between Brock and Misty! The battle will be over when either side's Pokemon is unable to continue! Are the participants ready?"

"Ready!" Brock and Misty say at the same time.

"Then battle begin!" Clemont shouts.

"Steelix, go!" Brock shouts, throwing a Pokeball into the air.

"Gyarados, let's do this!" Misty says, doing the same.

Both Pokeballs open to reveal two large Pokemon. Steelix and Gyarados don't hesitate to glare at each other competitively while Brock takes off his shirt and vest.

"Time to rock this place!" He declares as he grabs his necklace containing his keystone.

The keystone and Steelix's Steelixite glow, and with a flash, the Pokemon transforms into a Mega Steelix. Delia, Professor Oak, May, Max, Cilian, Iris, Tracey, and Coovers stare at Mega Steelix in amazement, having never seen a Pokemon mega evolve before.

"So that's Mega Evolution," Cilan says in awe.

"I watched it change right before my eyes, and I still can't believe it," Coovers says.

"It's incredible," Iris comments.

"Now, I really wish I can mega evolve my Pokemon," Max says.

Misty, on the other hand, sneers at Mega Steelix before the touches the keystone on her headband.

"My sweet, blue heart, it's time to mega evolve!" She shouts.

The keystone and Gyarados' Gyaradosite glow, and with another flash, the atrocious Pokemon turns into Mega Gyarados.

"Let's not waste any time, Steelix!" Brock calls out. "Use Stone Edge!"

Mega Steelix slams its tail on the ground, and blue pillars appear towards Mega Gyarados.

"Gyarados, dodge, and use Rain Dance!" Misty commands.

Mega Gyarados moves out of the way from Mega Steelix's line of fire, and it roars at the sky. A dark cloud appears over everyone, and pouring rain comes out of it. Everyone watching the battle moves away, so they don't get wet, and Mega Steelix groans in pain from the water landing on its steel-and-ground type body.

"Steelix, use Dig!" Brock shouts.

Mega Steelix quickly digs its way underground to protect itself from the rain.

"Good call, Brock, but ground types are ineffective against my beautiful Gyarados," Misty taunts.

But Brock just smirks at his orange-haired friend and shouts, "Steelix, use Stone Edge followed with Bind!"

Misty is confused until Mega Steelix emerges from the ground next to Mega Gyarados. The water-type Pokemon only has a moment to react before Mega Steelix slams its tail on the ground again, and blue pillars pop up again and successfully hit Mega Gyarados. As soon as Mega Gyarados backs away upon impact, Mega Steelix wraps its body around it and squeezes its opponent tightly.

"Gyarados!" Misty cries out.

Mega Gyarados howls in pain as it tried to move its body around to free itself to no avail. The more it struggles, the tighter Mega Steelix's grip gets. Misty grows worried until she gets an idea, and her eyes light up.

"Gyarados, use Hurricane!" She shouts.

"Huh? Why would she tell Gyarados to do that?" Iris asks, confused. "Steelix is resistant to flying type moves."

"Don't you worry, Iris," Ash says with a smile. "I betcha Misty has a plan in mind."

Mega Gyarados roars at the sky again, and a powerful cyclone of wind encircles around it and Mega Steelix. Both Pokemon are lifted into the air with Mega Steelix keeping its grip on its opponent. But as the two of them are flailing in the air, Mega Steelix slowly starts to loosen its hold on Mega Gyarados. Eventually, Mega Gyarados slips from the iron snake Pokemon's grasp, and it lands safely and moves away from the cyclone.

"Oh, no, Steelix!" Brock shouts.

"Gyarados, use Flamethrower full power!" Misty shouts, smirking.

Mega Gyarados takes a deep breath and unleashes an enormous stream of fire. The fire hits Mega Steelix hard and sends it flying high into the air, out of the cyclone, and crashing several years away from everyone with an earthshaking thud. Clemont runs as fast as he can to the iron snake Pokemon's side and finds Steelix reverted back to its normal form with swirly eyes.

"Steelix is unable to battle!" He calls out. "Gyarados is the winner, so the victory goes to Misty!"

"Alright!" Misty cheers out loud.

"Way to go, Misty!" May shouts as she, Dawn, Iris, and Bonnie run over to congratulate the gym leader.

"Nice job, Misty!" Ash calls out, earning a forced smile from Serena.

Tracey runs over to Misty with a cheerful smile and says, "Congratulations, Misty. You were terrific."

Misty turns to Tracy and becomes slightly embarrassed by his praise.

"Come on, Tracey. You're exaggerating," she says.

"Not at all. I knew you were going to pull through," Tracey says without hesitating.

Misty takes a moment before giving Tracey an appreciative smile.

"What a quick but marvelous battle," Professor Sycamore says cheerfully.

"Indeed, it was," Professor Oak agrees. "Such incredible power from both Pokemon, especially Gyarados with its Hurricane."

"You said it," Max says.

"I'm surprised Misty managed to win without really using any water attacks," Coovers comments. "I guess getting rained on was enough to weaken Steelix."

"That and it's weak against fire attacks," Timothy points out.

"Raichu," Electchu says in agreement.

Brock sadly returns Steelix to its Pokeball just in time for Holly to walk over to him. The tan-skinned man slumps in defeat as he looks at the auburn-haired woman.

"Sorry, Holly. Looks like I couldn't beat Misty," he says sadly.

"That's alright," Holly says with a kind smile. "You're still number one in my book, dear."

Brock blushes at being called "dear," already feeling better. Misty walks over to them and shakes Brock's hand.

"That was a good battle, Brock," she compliments. "I gotta hand it to you, I didn't expect you to use Dig, Stone Edge, and Bind like that."

"You surprised me too with that Hurricane," Brock admits. "But I'll get you next time, Misty."

"We'll see about that," Misty replies with a boastful smirk.

Delia steps in and says, "Okay, does anyone else want to battle now?"

"Well, Alain, and I do, but we're saving that for tomorrow," Timothy says with Alain nodding.

"Oh, I know! I know!" Dawn says excitedly before turning to May. "How about you and I have a battle, May."

"Great idea," May says with a smile. "We haven't battled since the Wallace Cup."

"Oh, boy! I'd love to see you two battle each other!" Bonnie says excitedly.

"Me too," Max says.

"Alright, then let's do it!" Dawn shouts.

Everyone nods in agreement until Brock realizes something and shakes his head.

"Actually, Holly and I should hit the hay," he says.

"Huh? Why's that?" Ash asks.

"Oh, that's right," Holly says, figuring out what Brock is up to. "We need to leave early in the morning for Pewter City. We're going to be there until the Indigo League so that I can get to know the rest of Brock's family."

"Awww, that's so sweet," Delia coos happily. "In that case, I've already set up sleeping bags in both Ash's room for the boys and the guest room for the girls."

"Thanks, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock says. "Good night, you guys."

"Good night!" Everyone else calls out while Brock and Holly leave.

Once the young couple is out of sight, May and Dawn take positions to battle with Clemont still refereeing. As everyone watches the two coordinators battle, however, Serena secretly looks at the direction where Brock and Holly were heading back to Ash's house and sighs sadly. Her mind is still on the matter of where she's going to go after the Indigo League and what will happen between her and Ash.

"_I wish Ash and I were more like them,_" she thinks to herself sadly. "_They both feel the same way, and they already have their future together planned. It must be nice to be with the one you like with no problems at all._"

"We're what?!"

Lucy smiles as Barabra, and her other sisters look at her, surprised. The four of them are sitting together, having just had finished dinner with Lucy's Pokemon at her cabin when she just made an announcement.

"That's right," she says. "I"m closing the Battle Pike so that we can all go to the Indigo League this year."

"But why?" Barbara asks. "This is a sudden decision, Queen Lucy."

"Because I want to see Ash and Timothy compete," Lucy claims. "They are both very strong trainers, and I want to see if one of them will make it to the top."

"But you've never wanted to do that before with any of your other past challengers," one of the other sisters point out. "What's gotten you so eager to see these two compete in person when we can just watch it on TV?"

Lucy pauses for a moment and feels a blush emerging from her cheeks. She strokes her Cyndaquill, who is lying down on her lap, and she stares at its eyes with a fond look.

"It's a secret."


	59. Chapter 59

It is early in the morning, and Serena is waking up. She checks her surroundings and sees she is in her sleeping bag on the floor of the guest room. Bonnie, Iris, Mairin, and Dawn are in their sleeping bags while May is sleeping on the bed in honor of her winning the Grand Festival. There's an empty spot on the floor where Holly was sleeping, and so Serena figures she and Brock have left for Pewter City. Beside her, Absol is sleeping cutely, happy to be sleeping by its mother figure as usual.

With a small smile, Serena carefully hugs her young Pokemon and leaves the room, deciding to let Absol sleep some more. She changes into her normal clothes and walks downstairs to see Delia making breakfast for everyone in the kitchen. It isn't long before Delia notices the honey blonde girl and smiles.

"Good morning, Serena," she greets. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," Serena answers politely as she sits down on the dining table. "I noticed that Holly and Brock are gone."

"Yes, they are," Delia says as she flips the pancakes on the pan. "You know, they told me about how they met and everything last night. They are such a charismatic couple."

Serena smiles and says, "I know."

Delia turns to Serena while the pancakes cook and walks over to her.

"Speaking of which, have you made any progress with a certain son of mine?" She asks.

Serena winces, and she looks away sadly. Delia frowns, instantly getting the message.

"I guess not," she says.

Serena shakes her head a little before she smiles slightly and says, "I did kiss him on the cheek two times. Though."

"You did?!" Delia exclaims.

"Yeah, and before I had my battle with May, I let out how much his support means to me by hugging him tightly," Serena says.

"Aw, how did he react to you doing all of that?" Delia asks.

"Well...he was actually asleep the first time I kissed him," Serena admits awkwardly. "But the other two times, he just smiled and basically said that I didn't have to thank him for being a good friend."

Delia groans and facepalms in disbelief.

"What are we going to do with that boy?" She moans.

"I'm not sure if there's anything we can do, Mrs. Ketchum," Serena says.

"What do you mean?" Delia asks.

Serena sighs before she says, "I get the feeling that Ash and I will go our separate ways after the Indigo League. I don't know what he plans to do whether he wins the tournament or not, but I feel certain it's a place I can't go. He has his dream, and I have mine, and we can't always pursue them together."

Delia looks at the teenage girl sadly, realizing she has a point. They both look down on the floor sadly for a minute until Delia gets an idea and smirks at the honey blonde girl.

"You know, you two may not have to go your separate ways, but if you do, there's something else you can do," she says.

Serena looks up at Delia, shocked, and asks, "What?"

"It's very simple," Delia says. "You just have to kiss him."

"But I just told you I -" Serena begins before Delia interrupts.

"I don't mean that kind of kiss, dear," Delia says. "I mean…"

Delia points at her mouth, and Serena's face immediately turns as red as a strawberry.

"What?!" Serena exclaims.

"That's right," Delia says. "If you want to make one last attempt before you go your separate ways, then you give him a real kiss and put all your feelings into it. Even if he doesn't understand it, it's something that he will always remember even if he can't explain it."

"Does that really work?" Serena asks.

"How do you think I got his father?" Delia asks with a wink.

Serena chuckles lightly at Delia's response before she looks down and thinks about what she's saying with her face still red. Suddenly, Serena smells something funny, and she turns to look at the stove.

"Mrs. Ketchum, your pancakes are burning!" She yells.

Delia turns to her stove and screams before rushing to her pan and flips the pancakes again to see one side already as black and hard as coal. She groans sadly and tosses the pancakes in the trash before she starts another batch.

"Looks like it'll be a while before breakfast is ready, Serena," she says.

"Would you like me to help?" Serena offers.

"That's sweet of you, dear, but I can handle this," Delia says, smiling kindly.

"Oh, okay," Serena says. "In that case, I think I'll take a walk outside."

"Alright, but don't go too far," Delia suggests. "I can't guarantee how much food will be left once breakfast starts with Ash, May, and Iris at the table."

"Okay," Serena replies.

With that, Serena stands up and heads to the front door, passing by Professor Sycamore, who is snoring on the couch with a blanket. She exits the house and takes a breath of the morning air before she puts her hands behind her back as she walks. While she admires the sun rising above Pallet Town, she thinks about Delia's suggestion. The idea makes her cheeks heat up again, but at the same time, she considers the possibility that it should happen. She has already kissed him on the cheek twice, and a full-on kiss might be the most logical next step.

"_It would be something I would have against any other girl like Misty or Macy_," she thinks. "_But would it do any good? He's so dense that he didn't seem to think much about the other two times I kissed him. I hoped the message came across when I talked with him privately, but -_"

She lets out a sad sigh and slumps her shoulders as she walks. She looks down at her blue ribbon and starts caressing it slowly. She feels slightly better as she thinks about the night he gave her the ribbon. It made her so happy for him to give her a gift to show her his appreciation for her help that day. She closes her eyes as she walks and thinks about how wonderful it would be if he did something like that again.

But then she hears a voice, and she opens her eyes. She looks around where she walking and notices she's walking by the Pallet Town Cemetery. From a distance, she can see Timothy sitting in front of a tombstone and talking to it. Serena looks at him curiously as she watches him smiling and moving his arms around like he's telling a story to the tombstone. The honey blonde girl's interest gets the better of her, and she slowly walks over to the man. When she gets close enough, she looks behind Timothy and looks at the tombstone.

_Here lies Judith Durbin. _

_Snarky wife_

_Loving mother and grandmother_

Serena gasps realizing whose tombstone it is. Timothy hears her and turns around to see the honey blonde girl standing right behind him.

"Serena?" He says.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "I was just going for a walk, and then I overheard you talking to a tombstone, and I got curious."

Timothy stares at her for a moment and smiles.

"It's okay. I understand," he says softly.

The two of them awkwardly stay silent for a moment until Serena clears her throat.

"So you felt like visiting your grandmother's grave this morning?" She asks.

Timothy nods and says, "I do it every time I'm home after a journey so that I can bring her up to speed with my life. I was just telling her about my battle against Brandon at the Battle Frontier."

Serena smiles and asks, "Mind if I join?"

Timothy shrugs and gestures Serena to sit next to him. The honey blonde girl sits down on her knees, and Timothy takes a moment to recollect where he was at his story before he continues gazing at the tombstone.

"So to bring Serena up to speed, Brandon and I are on our last Pokemon with Poliwrath and his Solrock," he begins. "Poliwrath just countered a Shadow Ball using Bubble Beam and then used it again to hit Solrock only for Solrock to send it back using Confusion. We tried to use Surf, but Solrock disrupted it using Psywave. Then I told Poliwrath to use Hydro Pump, but Solrock dodged it and used Psywave again to hit Poliwrath, and then Brandon had it use Confusion to send Poliwrath slamming against the wall. Poliwrath was struggling to get up, so Brandon decided to try again with Solar Beam to finish it off."

Serena looks at Timothy intently, curious about where the story is going. The brown-haired man with the "H.A.K." shirt smirks at her before he continues.

"So I had Poliwrath use Surf one more time, hoping it can use it as a diversion to move away while Solrock misses," Timothy says. "Thankfully, Poliwrath was able to conjure another large tidal wave and move away to the side, so that's Solrock's Solar Beam completely missed, allowing us to finish it off with Hydro Pump. With a direct hit from a water attack, the referee announced that Solrock was down for the count and that Poliwrath and I won the battle, and just like that, I completed the Battle Frontier."

Serena smiles at the last part, and Timothy smirks at her before he continues.

"So with that, I made it to the hall of fame, and Scott offered me to become a Frontier Brain, even making a symbol out of my 'H.A.K.' shirt. Obviously, I refused because I still have my goal to pursue, so Coovers and Electchu and I came back to Pallet Town, and that pretty much sums up what I've been up to since last I visited, Grandma Judy."

With Timothy's story finished, the area becomes silent again. Neither Timothy or Serena know what to say to each other while they look at the grave. After a while, Serena looks at Timothy and smiles softly.

"I bet Grandma Judy enjoyed that story," she says.

"I'm sure she did if she's listening," Timothy says without looking at Serena. "She always enjoyed my stories ever since I became a trainer. Every time I came home, I would tell her about my latest journey with all the new Pokemon I've seen or captured. Most of the time, she didn't understand what I was saying because she never knew that much about Pokemon having lived her whole life in Pallet Town, but she adored hearing how I was enjoying my time as a trainer."

"But how was she able to take care of Electchu and Poliwhirl after your last encounter with Trent?" Serena asks, confused.

Timothy flinches, knowing that the day he saved his Pokemon wasn't the last he saw of his old rival. He quickly looks at Serena with a smile so that she doesn't worry before he answers.

"Grandma Judy was a mother and a grandmother most of her life," he says. "My friends didn't need to be human to get the love and comfort they needed after that day."

Serena smiles and looks back at the grave.

"That makes sense," she says. "When my mother and I were living next door to her, and I would sometimes stay with her while my mom is at work, she would be there to comfort me if I got hurt or something...but not after making a snarky comment."

Timothy grins and says, "Let me guess, the comment was, 'Well, what did you get hurt for, ya dumb kid?'"

Serena giggles and says, "Yeah. You too?"

"Oh yeah. I was her favorite grandchild, and even I wasn't free from that whenever I tripped and hurt my leg or something," Timothy chuckles. "Even when my dad was little, that's what she'd do. The way he tells it, he would fall off his bike and come crying over to Grandma Judy. She would stare at him like he said something weird and asked, 'Well, what did you do that for, you dumb kid?' before comforting him and giving him a band-aid."

The two of them laugh out loud for several seconds before they sigh, and the area becomes silent again. The two of them look away from each other, thinking of what else to say before Serena frowns and turns back to Timothy.

"How did she go if you don't mind my asking?" She queries.

"Pneumonia," Timothy answers bluntly. "She was at that age where she would get sick to the point that it was practically a regular errand for her to end up in the hospital after getting Pneumonia again. For a while, it looked like it would never get the better of her, but then one day, her body was so weak that the medicine stopped working. I think I was in Hoenn when the Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center I was staying the night at told me I had an urgent video call, and it was my mom telling me that Grandma Judy wasn't going to last much longer. I bought a ticket back to Kanto as soon as I could, but it wasn't long before I got another video call for me from my mom telling me that she was already gone."

Serena frowns sadly while Timothy looks down at the ground.

"I only made it back just in time for the funeral," he says. "I got to say goodbye to her body, but it just wasn't the same. I wanted to say goodbye to her properly with her seeing me with the shirt she made for me one more time."

Serena looks at him puzzled and asks, "You mean the one you're wearing right now?"

"Yep," Timothy says, showing Serena the shirt with a small smile. "H.A.K. was a nickname I gave myself several years ago. Eventually, it amused Grandma Judy so much that she decided to make a gray shirt with the name in my three favorite colors. It always made her happy to see me home or watching me compete in a Pokemon League on TV wearing it. That's why I thought she would have loved to see me in it one last time before she passed away."

"I'm sorry," Serena says sadly. "That must have been hard."

"Yeah, it was," Timothy says. "I mean sure, having her live so long that I'm in my mid-20s before I lose a grandparent is nothing to sneeze at, but it did mean she missed out on me seeing win the Johto League."

"I bet," Serena says. "She would have been proud of you."

"Yeah, she always was," Timothy says. "That's something I don't want to forget. Every time I Ieft for another journey, she would hug me and tell me that she's proud of me no matter what. I took it for granted then, but now…"

Serena nods, understanding what Timothy is saying. Then she turns to the grave and sighs.

"I wish I could never experience what it's like to lose someone so precious to me," she says. "But I guess that's part of life whether you want it or not."

"Yeah," Timothy says softly. "It's harder to let go too."

Serena winces before she nods in agreement. For a while, the two of them remain silent as they continue to stare at Grandma Judy's grave. Finally, Timothy stands up and clears his throat.

"Well, I guess I better get going," he says. "Coovers and Electchu will probably be awake by now and will be wondering where I am."

Serena frowns and asks, "Is it alright if I stay and talk to her too?"

Timothy smiles and says, "I think she'd like that."

Serena smiles back, and Timothy turns around to leave. But when he's a few feet away, Serena speaks again.

"Timothy?"

He turns to her, wondering what is on her mind. The honey blonde girl thinks about what to say for a moment before she gets to the point.

"The name you gave yourself, H.A.K., is that an acronym?" She asks.

"It is," Timothy says.

"What does it stand for?" She queries.

Timothy looks away and thinks hard for a moment. Serena waits patiently until he turns back to her with a smirk.

"Tell you what," he says. "Win a Grand Festival, and I will tell you. Deal?"

Serena pouts at the man in disappoint. She clearly wanted an answer now, but it was clear to her that Timothy won't answer any other way. She forces a smile and nods.

"Alright," she says. "It's a deal."

Timothy nods back and turns around to leaves the cemetery, leaving Serena all alone. She turns her head back to Grandma Judy's grave and sighs as she thinks about what to say.

"Hi, Mrs. Durbin," she says. "It's me, Serena. You're old next-door neighbor."

She stays silent for a moment, pretending that the woman she's talking to is responding before she continues.

"Yeah, I'm much bigger than when you last saw me," she says. "I'm fourteen, and I'm a Pokemon Performer now. Actually, I'm technically a Pokemon Coordinator too. I just went on a journey to compete in Pokemon contests and win five ribbons to compete in the Indigo Grand Festival. I made it all the way to the final round with my Pokemon, but then I lost badly to my friend, May."

Serena stays silent again for a few seconds before she chuckles to herself.

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you're going to say. 'What did you do that for, you dumb kid?'" she says, snickering. "Well, May was more experienced, and her Pokemon were more powerful than mine. But don't worry, I plan to work harder and beat her next time."

Serena pauses, imagining Grandma Judy is saying some words of approval. Her smile falters slightly knowing what to say next.

"Remember when I told you about a boy named Ash, who rescued me at Professor Oak's summer camp? I got to see him again," she says. "I saw him on TV, and I got my first Pokemon to look for him. He invited me to join him and our friends, Clemont and Bonnie, on his journey through Kalos. Then we both came here to Kanto and went on another journey. While I was collecting contest ribbons, he was getting ready to compete in the Indigo League with Timothy and some of our other friends."

Her smile turns into a frown, and she puts her hand on her ribbons again as she continues.

"But soon we probably will be going our separate ways," she says. "He has to go on and become a Pokemon Master, and I want to make many people smile with the performances I do with my Pokemon. The thing is I hope we can keep traveling together because the time we've spent is the best time of my life. More than that, I want him to understand how much I…"

Serena's voice dies in her throat, and she looks down on the ground.

"I know you would tell me to just say how I feel and call me a dumb kid again like it's so obvious," she says. "But he doesn't understand feelings like that. His mother, our friends and I have tried, but he doesn't understand that kind of adoration. I can't explain why. He just doesn't."

She pauses for a moment and sighs.

"His mom thinks I should just give it one more try by giving him a kiss," she says. "Admittingly, part of me wants to if for no other reason than just to have that moment with him. But even with that comes likely not seeing him again for who knows how long. It was so long before I could see him again after the summer camp. I'm worried about what happens if we separate again."

Serena repositions herself, sitting on her bottom and hugging her legs while resting her head against them.

"I wish I had a clear answer," she says. "I wish I could do something that would make us both happy together."


	60. Chapter 60

Eventually, Serena goes back to Ash's house just in time to see everyone else awake and having breakfast. Ash, May, and Iris are all eating larger helpings than everyone else, but there is more than enough for Serena to eat. Once everyone has had their fill, Max, May, and Dawn decide to head over to Professor Oak's lab so that Max can train for the Indigo League, and May and Dawn can work on their routines with their Pokemon. Serena decides to stay in the house to groom her Pokemon and help Delia and Mimey around the house with Misty. As for Ash, Pikachu, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Alain, Mairin, Chespie, Professor Sycamore, Clemont, and Bonnie, they all go back to the beach where Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu are already waiting for them. Alain leads the group as he walks toward Timothy with a competitive smirk.

"You're here earlier than I expected," he says. "Eager to go against my Charizard and me?"

"Pretty much," Timothy says. "Though, we also didn't really set much of a time apart from just 'after breakfast,' so it's kind of a matter of perspective of who is or isn't on time."

Alain nods and asks, "Just so we're clear, this is a one-on-one battle with Charizard in its mega form against just one of your Pokemon, right?"

"Correct," Timothy says. "Shall we begin?"

"The sooner, the better," Alain replies, smirking.

The two trainers firmly shake hands and take positions on the beach with Electchu standing next to Timothy. Clemont stands in the middle while everyone sits down behind him.

"This should be a delightful battle to witness," Cilan says with a cheerful smile.

"Yeah, I can't wait to find out what a Mega Charizard is like," Iris says excitedly. "I bet it's going to be extremely powerful."

"It is," Bonnie testifies. "Alain's Charizard is so powerful. It's a shame that Greninja lost to it."

"Yeah, it really was," Clemont says with a sad smile. "But I wonder what Timothy is like in battle. After hearing about the two times Ash battled against him from Dawn, May, and Max, I wonder how strong he is."

"I agree," Professor Sycamore says with a smile. "I believe this will be an exciting battle to watch either way. Two trainers who have won a Pokemon League facing each other."

"But, Alain's going to win!" Mairin exclaims. "There's no way Timothy's Pokemon can take down Charizard."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Mairin," Ash says. "Timothy's Pokemon can't mega evolve, but they're still very strong."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says in agreement.

"Hey, who's side are you on, Ash?" Marin asks, pouting at the raven-haired boy.

"I'm not on anyone's side," Ash answers. "Alain and Timothy are both my rivals. I'm just hoping to see a good battle."

"I am too," Clemont says.

"Well, I'm rooting for Alain no matter what," Mairin states proudly.

"Chespin!" Chespie exclaims

"As am I," Professor Sycamore says.

"Well, then I guess that makes me the only one rooting for Timothy," Coovers says with a shrug. "So, I hope he overcomes what's waiting for him"

"Well, we won't know until we get this battle underway, so let's get started," Timothy says.

"I agree," Alain says.

"Alright, then. I will referee again," Clemont says before raising his hand. "This will be a one-on-one battle between Alain and Timothy. The battle will be over when either side's Pokemon is unable to continue. Are both sides ready?"

"Ready," Alain and Timothy reply.

"Then battle begin!" Clemont shouts.

"Charizard, respond to my call!" Alain shouts, throwing a Pokeball.

"Poliwrath, let's go!" Timothy yells, throwing his Pokeball.

Charizard and Poliwrath emerge from their respective containers, and Alain smirks at Timothy.

"I figured you would choose a water-type Pokemon," he says. "But you should know that your Poliwrath won't be the first fully-evolved water-type Pokemon Charizard has beaten as Ash can testify."

Charizard roars loudly, shooting a stream of fire in the air.

"Oh yeah? Well, your Charizard won't be the first mega evolved Pokemon Poliwrath has taken down as Bruno of the Elite Four can testify," Timothy counters, smirking back at his opponent.

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts proudly.

"Wraaath!" Poliwrath growls while cracking its knuckles.

"Then this will be an interesting battle," Alain says before touching the keystone on his bracelet. "Now, keystone, respond to my heart. Our minds become one beyond evolution!"

With those words, the keystone and Charizard's charizardite X start glowing, and beams of light emerge from both stones and begin to connect. With a flash, Charizard transforms into its X mega form, roaring menacingly at Poliwrath, who appears unfazed.

"Wow!" Iris exclaims. "So that's a Mega Charizard. Amazing!"

"Indeed. I can feel strong flavors of power surrounding it just by looking at it," Cilan says.

"Uh...flavors?" Bonnie asks, weirded out by Cilan's comment.

"Alright, Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Alain shouts.

Mega Charizard takes a large breath and unleashes a large stream of blue fire at Poliwrath.

"Blue fire. Interesting," Timothy says with a sneer. "Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump, followed by Dynamic Punch!"

Poliwrath unleashes a large stream of water, and it collides with Flamethrower. The two moves create a large cloud of steam surrounding the area, and Alain frowns seriously.

"Charizard, flap your wings to blow the steam away," he commands.

Mega Charizard does as it is told, and the steam is blown away to reveal Poliwrath charging at it with its fist glowing white.

"Now, Charizard, use Dragon Claw!" Alain shouts.

"Counter it with your Dynamic Punch!" Timothy orders.

Mega Charizard's hands become surrounded in light green, claw-shaped energy, and it swipes at Poliwrath. Poliwrath comes at its opponent with both of his fists glowing white, and it punches at the claws. Mega Charizard swipes again only for Poliwrath to deflect it with its other fist. The process goes on several times before Mega Charizard goes for an upper swipe that takes Poliwrath off guard and sends it flying in the air and crashing close to Timothy. The brown-haired Pokemon trainer with the 'H.A.K.' shirt is shocked to see Poliwrath injured before it slowly gets up to show that it's still able to battle.

"I see. You're stronger than I thought," he admits.

"No, we're stronger than you think we are," Alain claims while Mega Charizard roars again in agreement.

"Perhaps," Timothy says before turning to Poliwrath. "Poliwrath, use Bubble Beam!"

"Charizard, dodge, and use Thunder Punch!" Alain commands.

Mega Charizard makes a first, and sparks of electricity appear around it. It dodges Poliwrath's Bubble Beam and flies toward the tadpole Pokemon at great speed. Timothy watches Mega Charizard patiently until it gets close enough to Poliwrath to make his next call.

"Hydro Pump, dead ahead!" He shouts.

Poliwrath trusts its trainer and unleashes Hydro Pump right as Mega Charizard is about to throw its Thunder Punch. The stream of water hits the flame Pokemon and it lands on the ground.

"Now, use Surf!" Timothy commands.

Poliwrath summons a giant wave of water, and it crashes down on the incapacitated Mega Charizard. Timothy grins for a moment until he hears Alain make another call.

"Charizard, Thunder Punch again!"

Before Timothy has a moment to react, Mega Charizard has already punched Poliwrath hard in the gut with his fists sparking electricity again. Poliwrath screams in pain as it is sent crashing to the ground right next to Timothy and Electchu. Both Timothy and his partner stare in shock as Poliwrath lies on the ground with several serious scratches all over its body. Timothy and Electchu turn to Alain and Mega Charizard to see the latter standing up with barely any scratches and its body at all.

"But how?" Timothy asks flabbergasted.

"You're probably wondering why your water attacks aren't as effective as you thought they worked be," Alain says. "It's because Charizard isn't as affected when he's in his mega evolved form."

"I'm afraid he's right, Timothy," Professor Sycamore says. "When a Charizard is in this specific mega evolved form, it becomes both a fire and a dragon type, making water attacks less effective than they normally would be. So unless your Poliwrath has any ground, rock, or dragon type moves, which we all know it doesn't, you're not going to cause any serious damage to Charizard that way."

"Wow, so Charizard can be both a fire and a dragon type in its mega form?" Iris asks, invested.

Coovers looks at Mega Charizard, surprised, and turns to Timothy.

"You didn't know that Pokemon can change types when they mega evolve?" He asks.

"Evidently not," Timothy admits with a frown. "Looks like this is going to be a bigger challenge than I thought. Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump!"

"Counter with Flamethrower!" Alain commands.

Once again, Flamethrower and Hydro Pump collide and cover the area in steam.

"Flap your wings again, Charizard!" Alain shouts.

"Poliwrath, focus on where Charizard is and use Hydro Pump again!" Timothy instructs.

Poliwrath closes its eyes and meditates on its surroundings. It takes a moment until it can feel the direction Mega Charizard blows the steam away, and the tadpole snaps its eyes open and fires Hydro Pump. Mega Charizard clears the steam away just in time to see the water attack coming before it hits the flame Pokemon, making it howl upon impact.

"Clever, but let's see you avoid this," Alain says. "Charizard, use Blast Burn!"

"Oh, no. Not Blast Burn," Coovers says worriedly. "That's so powerful that it could easily wipe out the rest of Poliwrath's energy."

"I can vouch for that," Ash says.

Timothy frowns with the same thing in his mind. He tries to quickly hatch up a plan as Mega Charizard's body engulfs into light blue flames. The flame Pokemon then punches the ground, sending a wave of energy into the earth that heads toward Poliwrath.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu," Electchu suggests.

Timothy's eyes widen, and he says, "Good idea. Poliwrath use Surf quick! Ride on top of the wave and jump when I say now!"

Poliwrath nods at its trainer, and it creates another wave of water heading toward Charizard with the tadpole Pokemon riding on top of it. Timothy waits again until the Blast Burn is about to hit Poliwrath's Surf attack.

"Now, jump!" He shouts.

Poliwrath jumps into the air just before the Blast Burn hits the wave of water, destroying it.

"Now, use Dynamic Punch multiple times!" Timothy instructs.

Alain realizes what Timothy is up to, but before he can make another call, Poliwrath lands right in front of Mega Charizard and starts punching it repeatedly. Poliwrath punches Mega Charizard's face, stomach, and sides again and again, not giving its opponent a chance to react after each punch. Alain grinds his teeth, determined to bring the match back to his favor.

"Charizard, fight through it, and fly up!" He shouts.

Mega Charizard hears its partner's call and fights the pain from the constant punches and flaps its wings to lift itself off the air.

"Now, use Thunder Punch!" Alain shouts.

Mega Charizard doesn't hesitate to do a backflip and punch Poliwrath hard in the gut with Thunder Punch. The water-and-fighting-type Pokemon is once again sent flying back to Timothy's side of the ground, and it lies on the ground weaker than before.

"Poliwrath!" Timothy shouts.

"Raichu!" Electchu cries out for its friend.

Alain sighs, relieved that Poliwrath is prevented from hurting Mega Charizard more. He turns to his partner to see that Mega Charizard has several cuts and bruises on its body and is panting after taking so many hard hits from Poliwrath. Clemont looks closely at the tadpole Pokemon to see that it's still conscious but struggling.

"Come on, Poliwrath, you can keep going!" Timothy encourages. "Your opponent is getting weak. We're close."

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts.

Poliwrath lets out a weak moan and rolls over so that it's lying down on its front. It slowly pushes itself up with both of its hands and struggles to stay in balance before it faces Mega Charizard again, with its hands turned into fists. Mega Charizard sneers at the way Poliwrath is struggling to stay up, but Poliwrath continues to put up a brave face.

"I think Alain has this in the bag," Mairin says cheerfully.

"Pin, Pin, Ches," Chespie says.

"Poliwrath is clearly having trouble staying up," Iris agrees.

"Perhaps, but Charizard is looking pretty weak too," Cilan says. "Personally, I think it all comes down to the next couple of moves from both sides."

"Come on, Alain! Come on, Timothy!" Ash cheers.

"Charizard, use Blast Burn once more!" Alain orders.

"Poliwrath, dodge it using Surf again!" Timothy commands.

Mega Charizard's body engulfs in blue flames again and punches the ground, sending another wave of energy at Poliwrath. The tadpole Pokemon avoids the attack by creating another wave of water and rides it to avoid the attack.

"Now jump and use Dynamic Punch!" Timothy shouts.

"I don't think so," Alain says. "Charizard, fly toward Poliwrath and use Dragon Claw!"

Poliwrath jump into the air from the top of its wave of water with both its fists glowing white again while Mega Charizard flies toward it with another Dragon Claw. The two Pokemon begin dueling it out in the air, flashing with their respective attacks until Timothy gets another idea.

"Poliwrath, knock back both of Charizard's claws at once and use Hydro Pump at full power!" He instructs.

Poliwrath swings both of its fists, and it knocks back one of Mega Charizard's claws of energy, but the other claw hits it. Poliwrath screams in pain while subconsciously unleashing a powerful Hydro Pump that directly hits Mega Charizard. Alain's eyes widen as he watches the large stream of water send his partner crashing into the ground, creating a cloud of sand. Timothy's heart sinks as he watches Poliwrath crashes into the ground with a thud. When the dust clears, Poliwrath is lying unconscious with swirly eyes, and Charizard stands up, still conscious.

"Poliwrath is unable to continue!" Clemont declares. "Charizard wins, so the victory does to Alain!"

"Yay!" Marin cheers joyously. "Way to go, Alain and Charizard.

Professor Sycamore smiles and nods before he says, "Poliwrath put up a marvelous fight, but much like Ash and Geninja, it was no match for Charizard in its mega evolved form."

Coovers sighs, "Yup. It just comes to show that no one can win all the time. Not even Timothy."

Alain smiles at Charizard, who has returned to its normal form, and takes out its Pokeball.

"You were great, my friend. Get a good rest," he says.

"I second that," Timothy says as he takes out Poliwrath's Pokeball. "Get a good, long rest, Poliwrath."

Both Pokemon go back into their containers. Alain then walks over to Timothy, and Electchu and the two trainers smirk at each other.

"Good battle, Timothy," Alain compliments. "Your Poliwrath is pretty powerful."

"So is your Charizard," Timothy replies as he shakes Alain's hand. "I must admit that it was a difficult battle. Maybe if Charizard didn't become a dual-type in its evolved form, Poliwrath would have won with its water type moves."

"Maybe so," Alain says. "I guess in the end, our Pokemon gave it everything they got, and that's all that matters. I wish you luck at the Indigo League,"

"Thank you," Timothy says appreciatively.

With that, Alain walks over to where Mairin and Professor Sycamore are, and the short girl runs over to give Alain a tight hug. Alain is taken aback for a moment before he smiles and gladly hugs her back. Everyone sits down quietly while Timothy and Electchu are standing on the beach.

"So… what should we do now?" Iris asks.

"I'd like to see another battle," Bonnie says.

"As would I," Cilan says.

Ash turns to Pikachu, and the two of them smile and nod at each other before they stand up.

"In that case, I challenge you to another battle, Timothy," Ash declares.

Timothy raises his eyebrow and smirks at the raven-haired boy.

"Are you sure, Ash? He asks.

"Absolutely," Ash says. "I want to have one more battle with you before we compete at the Pokemon League."

"That sounds like a good idea," Clemont says with a smile. "I would like to see you two battling each other."

"Yeah, I'd like to see that too," Iris says.

"Axew," Axew says, nodding.

"I admit that I'm a little curious," Alain says while holding Mairin.

Coovers sighs and says, "I would like to see if Ash would fair any better than he did last time."

Timothy thinks for a moment and says, "Very well. Let's do a three-round battle. Best two out of three wins, and I'm not giving you a third-round if you lose the first two again."

"Don't worry. I won't," Ash claims.

"Alright then," Timothy says before turning to Clemont again. "Would you like to judge again, Clemont?"

"Absolutely," Clemont says.

Ash and Timothy nod before they take positions on opposite sides of the beach with Pikachu and Electchu standing next to their partners. Clemont steps in the middle again and raises his hand.

"This will be a battle between Ash and Timothy," he says. "The battle will be over when either side wins two out of three rounds. Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready," Ash and Timothy say at the same time.

"Then battle begin!" Clemont shouts.

"Gengar, let's go!" Timothy shouts, throwing a Pokeball

"Servine, I choose you!" Ash shouts, tossing his own Pokeball into the air.

Gengar and Servine come out of their Pokeballs, and both Timothy and Gengar grin at the grass snake Pokemon.

"You chose a Grass-type to go against a Ghost-and-poison-type, eh? I wonder how you plan to win when Gengar is resistant to grass attacks," Timothy says.

"You're about to find out," Ash said confidently. "Now, Servine, Leaf Tornado!"

"Gengar, flatten yourself, and then use Lick!" Timothy commands.

Gengar grins mischievously and flattens its body, phasing through the ground. It then slithers through the ground and emerges right behind Servine before licking it with its long tongue. Servine grunts and takes a couple steps forward, but it doesn't appear to be in any special pain.

"Hmmm. So it didn't paralyze this time. No problem," Timothy says. "Gengar, use Dark Pulse!"

"Dodge and use Vine Whip!" Ash shouts.

Gengar fires a beam of dark purple circles at Servine, but it dodges the attack before two vines come out of its neck and start hitting Gengar. Gengar grunts and shuts its eyes, slightly hurt despite the Grass-type attack only doing half the damage.

"Come on, Gengar. Don't let Servine get the best of you!" Timothy calls out. "Knock those Vines back with Sucker Punch, then use it on Servine!"

Gengar opens its eyes and quickly uses Sucker Punch to knock the vines before running toward Servine with the Dark-type attack.

"Counter that Sucker Punch with Leaf Blade, then use Leaf Tornado!" Ash instructs.

Servine's tail turns green, and with a spin, it blocks Gengar's fists. With its tail still locked with Gengar's fist, Servine then quickly summons a Leaf Tornado that appears from its tail and instantly sucks Gengar in. The shadow Pokemon screams in panic as the tornado separates it from the air, moves back into an upward position and floats into the air before it finally crashes down into the ground. Gengar groans before it gets up with a couple of minor scratches on its body.

"Ah, using Servine's tail to block and then attack Gengar. You're a clever one, Ash," Timothy compliments with a smirk.

"Thanks, but we're just getting warmed up," Ash claimed. "Servine, use Attract multiple times!"

Servine winks multiple times, and a cloud of pink hearts appear, heading toward Gengar. Timothy notices that the cloud of hearts is big enough that neither he nor Gengar can see where Ash or Servine are and frowns, realizing that Ash is up to something and turns to his Pokemon.

"Gengar, destroy those hearts with Dark Pulse!" He commands.

Gengar does as it's told, sending a beam of dark purple circles that destroy the hearts instantly and head towards the direction of where Ash and Servine was last seen. But Gengar and Timothy look in confusion to find that Servine was not where it was, and Ash was giving his rival a shrewd smirk.

"Servine, use Leaf Blade!" He shouts.

Timothy and Gengar only have a moment before Servine flanks the shadow Pokemon from the side and starts hitting it repeatedly with its glowing tail. Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, Iris, Cilan, Clemont, and Bonnie stare in awe, realizing that the hearts were a distraction.

"Gengar, flatten yourself quickly!" Timothy shouts.

Gengar manages to phase through the ground again and starts slithering away.

"We're prepared for that, Timothy," Ash boasts. "Servine, use Leaf Blade on the ground!"

With its tail still glowing light green, Servine jumps into the air and does a flip before slamming into the ground right where Gengar is. Gengar screams in pain as it's forced to emerge from the ground with its eyes shut.

"Now, use Leaf Blade again!" Ash shouts, confidently.

"Gengar, hit back with Sucker Punch, followed by Shadow Ball!" Timothy shouts.

Servine gets ready to attack again, but Gengar recovers just in time to block Leaf Blade with one hand and punches its opponent with the other. As Servine takes a couple of steps back, Gengar summons a black and purple ball and throws it at the grass snake Pokemon. Ash's confidence drops as the Shadow Ball hits Servine and knocks it off its feet with several scratches on its body.

"Servine!" he called out.

Servine groans and clenches its teeth as it gets up to show that it can keep battling. Ash sighs in relief before he gets an idea.

"Alright, Servine, use Leaf Tornado!" He shouts.

Timothy frowns and considers telling Gengar to flatten itself like before, but decides it's a risk after it was forced out with Leaf Blade. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt is unsure of how to handle Servine with it having such a cunning trainer, but his first thought is to do something about its speed first.

"Gengar, dodge it and then use Lick!" he commands.

Gengar jumps away just in time to not be consumed by the Leaf Tornado and then extends its tongue to lick Servine out of hope to paralyze it. Ash notices what Gengar is doing, and he suddenly gets an idea.

"Servine, jump away, and grab Gengar's tongue with Vine Whip!" he instructs.

Servine jumps back to avoid the attack, and then two green vines come out of its neck and wrap around Gengar's long tongue. Gengar's pupils shrink and it starts to panic as it tries to pull its tongue back into its mouth but Servine's grip is too strong. Timothy stares at what is happening in disbelief before he shakes his head and brings back his competitive look.

"Gengar, calm down!" he calls out. "Hit Servine with Dark Pulse until it releases your tongue!"

"Not gonna happen, Timothy," Ash says with a grin. "Servine, lift Gengar's tongue up high!"

Servine smirks and uses its vines to lift Gengar's tongue up, forcing Gengar to look up at the sky. Timothy's eyes widened, realizing that Gengar can't do anything as long as it's forced to not see where Servine is so that it can aim its attack at its opponent.

"Gengar, just use Dark Pulse wherever you think Servine is," he says, desperately.

Ash's grin grows, knowing that his opponent made a bad call.

"Servine, move away from Gengar's line of fire and then use Leaf Blade repeatedly!" he instructs.

Servine gets low and charges at its opponent, dodging multiple Dark Pulse as it goes. It then starts hitting Gengar repeatedly with its vines still holding Gengar's tongue up, making the shadow Pokemon cry out in pain as it helplessly stands in place, taking the hits. Timothy watches in shock, as it becomes clear that Ash is using this situation to make up for Servine's grass attacks take only half of the damage. He starts to grow worried, trying to figure out how to help Gengar out of the predicament. Ash and his friends, on the other hand, smile, knowing that he has the upper hand.

"Now, finish this with Leaf Tornado, one more time!" Ash shouts.

Servine stops using Leaf Blade and turns its back on Gengar while summoning a tornado of leaves. The grass snake Pokemon finally lets go of Gengar's tongue right before Timothy's Pokemon gets sucked into the tornado. Timothy can do nothing but watch as Gengar once again screams in panic while the tornado separates it from the air, moves back into an upward position, and floats into before it finally crashes down into the ground. When the dust clears, Gengar is found lying on the ground motionless.

"Gengar is unable to battle. Servine is the winner!" Clemont declares.

"Alright!" Ash cheers.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeals.

"Servine," Servine says proudly.

Professor Sycamore smiles and says, "What a marvelous creativity on Ash's part."

Alain nods with a low hum and says, "I expect nothing less from him."

"Yeah, just like Ash to come up with something like that," Mairin says.

"Chespin, pin!" Chespie agrees.

"Way to go, Ash!" Iris cheers happily before turning to Cilan. "I guess in retrospect, maybe I should have considered Ash might have had a trick up his sleeve with Servine using Attract like that."

"Indeed, it was splendid to watch him show such an unpredictable amount of flavors in that battle," Cilan says with a smile. "That was a dish I was glad to enjoy again, like meeting an old friend."

Clemont and Bonnie looked at each other, confused as if Cilan just said a sentence of incoherent words. Meanwhile, Timothy and Ash return Gengar and Servine respectively before the man in the "H.A.K." shirt smirks at the raven-haired boy.

"That was a very interesting battle, Ash," he said.

"Thanks, but we're just getting started," Ash claims. "This time, I'm going to beat you in a battle for sure."

Timothy chuckles and says, "Don't get ahead of yourself there, pal. I can still win the other two rounds."

Ash smirks and nods in agreement before taking out another Pokeball.

"Primeape, I choose you!" Ash shouts, throwing the Pokeball into the air.

"Odyssey, come on out!" Timothy shouts, throwing his own Pokeball.

The two balls open, and Primeape and Odyssey come out, immediately glaring at each other and taking battle stances. Primeape bumps its fists together while Odyssey smirks mockingly at its opponent again.

"I'm not surprised that you picked Primeape," Timothy says. "It must have been overeager for a rematch for some time judging by how it was acting last night."

"Yeah? Well, Odyssey looked pretty eager last night too, so that makes both of our Pokemon," Ash counters.

"True, but let's see if Primeape can do better than last time," Timothy says. "Odyssey uses Bone Rush!"

"Primeape, counter with Thrash, followed by Karate Chop!" Ash shouts.

Odyssey creates a green bone of energy and attacks Primeape. The pig monkey Pokemon parries by throwing multiple punches and kicks rapidly against each attack Odyssey throws at with its bone. Then Primeape starts to karate chop at Odyssey's bone repeatedly. The Lucario holds its bone up to defend itself, but unbeknownst to it or Timothy, Ash and Pikachu notice Primeape doing something to the bone for just a moment before Timothy makes another call.

"Odyssey, hit Primeape with your bone right as it's about to Karate Chop again, followed by Strength!" He orders.

Odyssey nods at his trainer, and just as Primeape raises its hand for another Karate Chop, the Lucario hits it hard in the face with its bone, disorienting the pig monkey Pokemon. Odyssey quickly follows with its body surrounded in red aura before picking up Primeape and tossing it high into the air.

"Now, batter up!" Timothy commands.

"Counter it with another Karate Chop!" Ash yells.

Odyssey prepares another Bone Rush to swings it like a bat just as Primeape is about to crash into the ground. But the pig monkey Pokemon does a Karate Chop to block the attack before hitting the ground hard. Primeape quickly gets up with a small bump on its head and a couple of scratches around its body but is still pumped to fight.

"Seems like using Karate Chop only half worked that time," Iris comments.

"Axew," Axew says.

"Indeed, Primeape still took damage, but it might have been much worse if it got hit by Bone Rush," Cilan observes.

"Come on, Ash and Primeape!" Bonnie cheers.

"Yeah, take him down just like Alain!" Mairin shouts, earning a chuckle from Alain and Professor Sycamore.

"Primeape, use Mega Kick!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it with Extreme Speed!" Timothy orders.

Primeape jumps toward Odyssey with its foot sticking out, but the aura Pokemon becomes surrounded with a white aura and runs away from Primeape's line of fire with inhuman speed. Primeape lands on its feet and looks around for its opponent only for Odyssey to suddenly punch it as it runs past its opponent. Primeape grows frustrated as Odyssey starts punching it again and again as it runs by the pig monkey Pokemon, making it angrier by the second.

"Primeape, calm down!" Ash shouts.

"Now use Strength again, followed by Aura Sphere!" Timothy shouts.

Before Primeape could react, Odyssey appears right behind it and tosses it high into the air. The Lucario quickly summons a blue ball of energy and fires it at Primeape while it's still in the air. The move hits Primeape, causing an explosion that sends it flying even higher into the air before it crashes into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Primeape is unable to battle! Odyssey is the winner!" Clemont declares.

"Aw, man!" Bonnie pouts.

"Primeape didn't even land a hit," Mairin pouts.

Ash and Pikachu run over to Primeape's side. The pig monkey Pokemon slowly wakes up to realize what just happened, and it sits up only for Ash to restrain it from trying to attack Odyssey again.

"Save your energy, Primeape," Ash says forcefully. "Save it!"

Primeape tries to break free from its trainer's grasp. Odyssey gives its opponent another smug look before Timothy returns it to its Pokeball. Primeape keeps on struggling until Ash whispers into its ear.

"There's a weakness," he whispers.

Primeape's eyes widen, and it stops struggling. It turns to Ash, who just smiles at it before he continues.

"There's a weakness we can exploit," he whispers. "If we keep training with your Karate Chop, we can use it to our advantage at the Pokemon League. I just need you to trust me, okay?"

Primeape hesitates, clearly wanting to get payback right away, but it eventually decides to trust its trainer. The pig monkey Pokemon gives Ash a firm nod, and Ash smirks before putting Primeape into its Pokeball and returning to his side of the beach with Pikachu.

"Alright, Ash, we each have one round in our hands," Timothy announces. "You think you can win the next one?"

"Oh, I know I will," Ash claims as he points at his rival. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts energetically as it hops in front of Ash.

"Ah, Pikachu again," Timothy says before turning to Electchu. "Let's see what they've got this time, Electchu."

"Rai!" Electchu responds as it steps in front of Timothy with sparks coming out of its yellow cheeks.

"Pikachu against Electchu," Iris says observantly. "This should be an interesting battle."

"Maybe, but Pikachu didn't do so well against Electchu last time," Coovers says. "I'm still rooting for Timothy, but I hope Pikachu does better with its rematch than Primeape did."

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" Ash shouts.

"Starting off just like last time?" Timothy says, shaking his head. "Electchu, use Iron Tail!"

Pikachu charges at Electchu with amazing speed only for the mouse Pokemon to be waiting for its opponent with its tail turned into Iron. The taller mouse Pokemon prepares to spin around to hit Pikachu with its tail, but Ash was waiting for that.

"Pikachu, jump!" He shouts.

At the last moment, Pikachu leaps over toward Electchu, missing the Raichu's tail and rams right into its opponent head first. The impact sends Electchu taking several steps back, surprised by the sudden attack.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu jumps into the air and prepares to throw an Electro Ball at Electchu.

"Electchu, knock it back with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

Electchu snaps out of its dazed state and realizes what is happening just in time to see Pikachu throwing its Electro Ball at it. The Raichu spins around with its tail still made of iron, and the Iron Tail knocks it back toward Pikachu.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Timothy commands.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt quick!" Ash shouts.

Electchu throws a ball of electricity while Pikachu quickly stores electricity in its body while still in the air and unleashes a Thunderbolt at the Electro Ball. The two moves collide and explode close to Pikachu, sending it flying higher into the air with a loud squeal. Luckily, Pikachu does a flip and lands on the ground safely with a few small scratches on its body.

"Clever," Timothy says. "Electchu, use Thunder!"

"Dodge and use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Electchu unleashes Thunder, and Pikachu jumps away before unleashing Thunderbolt on Electchu. The taller mouse Pokemon grunts upon impact, but once the move is made, it just grins at Pikachu with a couple of scratches on its body.

"Nice work, Ash," Timothy compliments. "But you know that Raichu such as Electchu, are pretty resistant to electric attacks."

"Well, duh," Iris rebukes before Ash can speak. "But how come you just used an electric attack too?"

"Because Thunder is more powerful than Thunderbolt," Timothy answers. "So while it wouldn't do as much damage as it would to most other Pokemon, it still would have packed a good punch - more so than Thunderbolt at least."

"Maybe so, but half of Thunderbolt's effect is still damage," Ash points out. "And it's still more damage than we did on the ferry to Cremini Town."

"This is true," Timothy admits. "But let's see you cause any more damage. Electchu, Iron Tail!"

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail as well!" Ash shouts.

Both mouse Pokemon charge at each other with their tails turned into iron. They start clashing their tails together like swords, and they keep using their attack left and right, trying to upstage the other. After about a minute of clashing tails of iron, Electchu uses a powerful swing with its tail that knocks Pikachu back a couple of feet. The shorter mouse Pokemon quickly stands up, barely hurt at all from the attack.

"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

"Knock it back with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

Pikachu throws another Electro Ball, and Electchu knocks it back with its Iron Tail.

"Use Iron Tail to knock it back again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu's tail turns into iron again and knocks the ball of electricity back to Electchu. The two Pokemon start knocking back the Electro Ball with Iron Tail as if they are playing ping pong. The process keeps going until Ash gets an idea.

"Pikachu, knock the Electro Ball to land in front of Electchu," he instructs.

Pikachu nods at Ash, and when Electchu knocks the ball of electricity back to their side, the yellow mouse Pokemon knocks it back with Iron Tail one last time, and it lands right in front of Electchu. The ball explodes, sending the Raichu back a couple of yards. Bonnie, Mairin, Iris, and Cilan's excitement grows as they realize Ash has the upper hand this time.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it!" Timothy shouts back.

Pikachu charges at a blinding speed, but Electchu comes to just in time to avoid the attack.

"Keep at it, Pikachu!" Ash commands. "Circle around it with Quick Attack until you have the right opportunity to attack!"

Pikachu keeps running, and it circles around Electchu multiple times. The Raichu becomes confused about where its opponent is until it hears Timothy's voice again.

"Don't worry about where it is, Electchu!" he calls out. "Focus on where it's going to be and use Iron Tail again!"

Electchu nods in understanding and closes its eyes and waits patiently. Once again, it can hear Pikachu's footsteps rapidly running around its target. At the right moment, Electchu opens its eyes and turns around to find Pikachu pouncing at it only for the taller mouse Pokemon to hit it hard with Iron Tail. Pikachu is sent flying into the air and lands on the ground several feet away.

"Now, use Hyper Beam!" Timothy commands.

"Stop it with Thunderbolt!" Ash yells.

Pikachu slowly gets up and stores up electricity before unleashing Thunderbolt while its opponent is preparing Hyper Beam. Unfortunately, the Thunderbolt doesn't affect Electchu enough to stop it from firing its powerful attack on its helpless opponent. The ground explodes, and the area is covered in smoke and sand. Everyone covers their eyes until the dust clears, and Pikachu is found lying on the ground unconscious.

"Pikachu is unable to battle," Clemont declares. "Electchu is the winner, which means victory goes to Timothy."

"Alright!" Timothy says, shaking his fist into the air. "Way to go, Electchu."

"Raichu," Electchu replies with a proud smirk before it starts wobbling after using so much energy.

Iris, Cilan, Bonnie, and Mairin frown sadly, wishing Ash had won. Professor Sycamore and Alain look at each other, silently agreeing that it was a tough battle for the raven-haired boy. Coovers smiles, glad that his long-time friend won again. Ash runs over to Pikachu and carefully picks it up. The yellow mouse Pokemon slowly wakes up and weakly gives its partner an apologetic look.

"Don't worry. You did great," Ash says. "We're gonna get them next time for sure."

"Pika," Pikachu says weakly.

Timothy walks over to Ash and Pikachu and kneels down and offers Pikachu a berry. Pikachu slowly takes a bite before it smiles and starts eating the berry vigorously.

"You did much better this time, Ash," Timothy says. "This time, you took down one of my Pokemon without my pride used against me. I'm very impressed with your creativity to say the least."

"Yeah, but I didn't do quite as well on the last two rounds," Ash admits.

"Maybe not, but keep training hard all the same," Timothy says. "Remember, I don't want you getting knocked out of the Pokemon League until we face each other."

Ash smirks at the man and says, "Don't worry. My Pokemon and I are going to work hard, and we're going to win the Indigo League, whether we face you or not."

"We shall see," Timothy says with a smirk.

"Ash?"

Everyone turns around to see Serena standing behind Iris, Cilan, Bonnie, Clemont, Professor Sycamore, Alain, and Mairin. She has a wooden look on her face as she stares at the raven-haired boy.

"Your mom is calling for you guys," she says. "She says it's time for lunch."

"Already?" Iris asks excitedly.

"Well, I suppose we've been here for a while," Clemont says as he looks at the sky observantly. "It's probably around noon right now."

"Well then, if that's so, then we mustn't keep Delia waiting," Professor Sycamore says. "Please lead the way, Serena."

Serena gives a brief smile before she turns around and leads Iris, Axew, Cilan, Bonnie, Clemont, Professor Sycamore, and Mairin. Alain and Ash stay behind to say farewell to Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers.

"I think my dad probably has lunch on the grill by now anyway," Timothy says. "Good battling with you two."

"Same here," Alain says. "We should battle again sometime."

"Of course. We can battle any time," Timothy says with a friendly smile before turning to Ash. "And Ash, I'm going to hold you to your word. If we do face each other at the Indigo League, I still want you to give me a battle I will never forget."

"I will. That's a promise," Ash says. "See you three at the Indigo Plateau."

"See ya," Coovers says as he, Timothy, and Electchu turn around and leave.

Once everyone else is gone, Pikachu hops onto Ash's shoulder, and together, they get ready to head back to the house for food until Alain firmly takes Ash by the other shoulder. The raven-haired boy turns to Alain curiously and sees the older teen have a serious look on his face.

"What's up, Alain?" He asks.

"I think I should be asking you that question," Alain says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asks curiously.

"I've noticed that Serena has been acting down," Alain says. "When we were eating dinner last night, she looked like she was forcing a smile on her face, and she didn't seem to say anything apart from what politely needed to be said. She didn't even want to dance, which is not like her. Haven't you noticed that, Ash?"

Ash frowns and looks at the ground sadly.

"I have," he says. "To tell you the truth, she's been like that since the Grand Festival. I think losing to May broke her heart. She kept telling me she's okay when we were heading back to Pallet Town, but I can tell that she isn't."

"Was she really confident that she was going to win?" Alain asks.

"Well sure, but she lost a big competition like this before at the Master Class, and she seemed okay with losing," Ash says.

"Hmmm, so something about her losing the Grand Festival has made her very depressed," Alain says.

"Yeah," Ash says. "And it burns me up because I want to see her smiling again the way she did before she and May battled."

"How do you mean?" Alain asks.

Ash pauses for a moment and starts petting Pikachu as he speaks.

"Before the final battle, me, Dawn, and the others went to the waiting room to wish the two of them luck," he says. "But before we left to go back to our seats in the stands, Serena asked to speak with me privately. She wanted to express how much my support meant to her. I was taken aback by the way she said it, but then I just smiled and told her to not worry about it. But just as I turned around to leave, she gave me the tightest hug from behind that I've ever felt. She was holding me really hard and laying her head on my shoulder. It was really strange, but at the same time, I kind of liked it. It felt like she was saying 'thank you' again, but in a more special way."

Alain nods in understanding as Ash continues.

"And then she gave me this… this smile," he says, trying to figure out what he's saying. "I don't know how to describe it, but it was like she was happy in this really amazing way. I guess...I guess seeing her like that made me really happy too. I miss it, in fact. I want to see Serena happy like that again. I want to do something for her: something that will make her smile like that again."

Ash pets Pikachu softly and the yellow Pokemon coos while frowning at the same concern for the honey blonde girl in mind. Alain nods with his mouth closed and looks at the direction where their friends just left for lunch.

"I know exactly how you feel," he says. "In fact, you sound like me when Chespie was in a coma."

"Really?" Ash asks, surprised.

"Yes. When I was still with Team Flare, Lysandre challenged me to face ten trainers with Mega evolved Pokemon," he says. "Before my tenth battle, I lashed out at Mairin, telling her that I couldn't get stronger with her around."

"You said that?" Ash asks, shocked.

"I did," Alain says regretfully. "And the next thing I knew after the battle, I heard there was an accident and Chespie was in a coma. Mairin was brokenhearted. I blamed myself for the entire thing."

"So, what did you do?" Ash asks.

"I decided to collect more Mega Evolution energy," Alain answers. "I believed that the Mega Evolution system would be enough to wake Chespie up again. To that end, I ultimately took your advice by winning all eight badges and competing in the Kalos League to collect that energy."

"So when you competed in the Kalos League, it wasn't just to battle me again but to try to wake up Chespie?" Ash asks.

"I just wanted Mairin to smile again," Alain answers. "I would have done anything to bring the cheerful Mairin I knew back. In the end, that energy was used for Team Flare's evil plan, but that's how eager I was to make her happy again. In fact, that's all I want to see, which is what made me happy the most when I won against Timothy."

Ash nods and thinks for a moment before he asks, "So do you think I should do something for Serena?"

"I can't tell you what you need to do, Ash," Alain says. "She's your friend, so if you want to make her happy again, you need to think about how you can do that."

With that, Alain leaves to catch up with the others, leaving Ash and Pikachu alone. The two of them look at each other, confused for a moment before Ash crosses his arms and looks up at the sky.

"She's my friend, so what would make her happy?" He thinks out loud.

"Pika," Pikachu says, unsure.

The two of them remain silent until Ash's eyes snap open, and he snaps his fingers.

"That's it!" He exclaims. "I'm going to win the Indigo League for Serena!"

"Pika?" Pikachu asks, taken aback.

"It's perfect, Pikachu," Ash says. "Alain just said that he competed in the Kalos League partly as a means to make Mairin happy. It's only too fitting that I do the same for Serena. Think about it. Not only have I been supporting her a lot, but she's had my back since Santalune City. She was cheering for me during every single gym rematch and any other battles I've had since we went on our journey. She was there to cheer Boldore on while it was trying to get stronger so it could evolve. No one deserved to aid me in making it evolve, but her. It's why I -"

Ash stops talking in mid-sentence and looks down at the ground. Pikachu tilts its head confused while its trainer stares at the sand in realization.

"That's why I told her I'm going to win this time," he says. "That's right. The night after Timothy challenged me, I told Serena that I'm going to win because he doesn't have someone like her to support him. It's why I asked her if I could come with her on her journey through the Kanto region. Without Serena, I don't know what I would have done."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Ash frowns, and his hands turn into balls of fists as he stares at the ground with a determined look on his face.

"That's what I'm going to do," he says. "I'm going to train hard with all of my Pokemon, and I'm going to win the Pokemon League for Serena. And no one - not Macy, Giselle, Holly, Max, not even Timothy is going to stop me. I'm going to win my first Pokemon League for everyone to see, and I will see Serena smiling just like before."

He turns to Pikachu, who is still standing on his shoulder and asks, "Are you with me, buddy?"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaims happily.

"Good," Ash says, satisfied. "Then let's go eat some food and then start training. The Indigo League is weeks away, and I want everyone to be at their best during the Pokemon League. Let's give it our all!"

Thus, Ash begins running toward his house with Pikachu still on his shoulders. With a newfound purpose to win the Pokemon League, the raven-haired boy smiles brightly as his mind becomes set on training with all of his Pokemon and doing whatever it takes to make his honey-blond friend smile.


	61. Chapter 61

For the next couple of weeks, Ash has been spending time almost nonstop at Professor Oak's laboratory, training his Pokemon. He will stay at home with the others to eat breakfast or dinner or to sleep, but he otherwise goes to the lab with Pikachu and a lunch packed by Delia and Serena to train with all of his Pokemon while Iris, Cilan, Clemont and Bonnie watch.

Eventually, Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, and Chespie leave to continue their journey looking for mega stones. Max has also been training nonstop with the help of May, Dawn, and Misty, determined to win the league himself. Serena, on the other hand, has been staying in the house with Delia and Mimey most days, grooming her Pokemon and helping Delia around the house whenever she can. Both Ash and Delia have been trying to cheer up the honey blonde girl while not really knowing what is the matter with her, but she politely tells them not to worry and that she's fine. Delia worries for the girl all the same, but her lies just make Ash even more determined to carry out his plan at the Pokemon League.

On the third week, the day arrives for Ash and his companions to leave for Indigo Plateau again. Everyone gets up bright and early for a big breakfast prepared by Delia and Mimey before they head out. As usual, Ash, May, and Iris are gorging themselves with food which everyone else is used to by now.

"Goodness, I hope you have enough food to last all the way to Indigo Plateau," Delia chortles.

"Don't you worry, Mrs. Ketchum," Cilan states proudly. "I've been the head chef for both Ash and Iris throughout our journey through Unova. I know how to have more than enough for everyone."

"Same here," Clemont says with a smile. "Between Cilan and me, we shouldn't have to worry about food before we get there."

"I hope you're right," Delia says with a sigh. "Still, you're feeding ten people, including yourselves and all the Pokemon. I hope you two are up to the task."

"We'll be sure to pace ourselves, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty says before glaring at Ash, Iris, and May. "If worst comes to worst, I'll personally make sure these three never get more than a small helping each meal."

"Aw, please don't, Misty," May begs. "I don't know how I can handle eating less than how much my stomach wants."

"You'll just have to live with it, Sis," Max says plainly.

Bonnie and Serena can't help but quietly giggle while May childishly pouts at her little brother. The group continues eating until something crosses Dawn's mind.

"So Ash, do you already have your whole Pokemon team for the journey?" She asks.

Ash swallows a large bite of a waffle before he licks his lips and answers.

"Almost," he says. "Right now, I have Pikachu, Gabite, Gigalith, Charizard, and Oshawott. But I also have one more Pokemon to pick up as we walk through Viridian Forest."

Everyone turns to Ash, confused, and stares at him until Serena speaks up.

"You need to pick up a Pokemon in Viridian Forest?" She asks.

"Of course, I do," Ash says. "Don't tell me you forgot the promise I made to you and Pidgeot."

Serena gasps sharply, and she drops her fork while covering her mouth with her hand. She stares at the raven-haired boy in disbelief as it hits her that she did completely forget Ash's promise. Everyone else, however, looks at the two of them confused.

"Pidgeot?" Misty asks. "Do you mean your Pidgeot, Ash?"

"Sure do," Ash says with a smile. "Serena, Pikachu, and I ran into it and its flock along with that Fearow and its flock when we started our journey through the Kanto region. I promised Pidgeot and Serena that I would come back for it on the way to the Indigo League if it finished training its flock to be strong enough to fight for themselves."

"Wow, really?" Misty says, surprised. "But I thought you promised to come back for it after we journeyed through the Orange Islands."

"I did," Ash admits. "But I forgot about it until we bumped into Pidgeot and its flock. But I didn't forget this time, so I am keeping my promise."

Despite still feeling sad on the inside, Serena can't help but smile softly, appreciative of Ash remembering his promise to her and Pidgeot even when she didn't. Misty notices the way Serena is smiling and frowns sadly at her, thinking that Ash might have lifted her hopes up with his kind words. Everyone else looks at the two of them in confusion before they silently decided to just let it be and go back to their food.

After everyone has finished eating, all the kids grab their things and get ready to head out the front door. Delia promises to take good care of May's trophy and gives Ash and Pikachu each a big hug before wishing Ash and Max luck at the Indigo League. Thus, the ten kids and Pikachu, Axew, and Piplup start their long journey to Indigo Plateau, passing by Professor Oak's lab in the process and saying a quick goodbye to the professor and Tracey.

As they pass by the laboratory, Tracey watches Misty walking away with a fond look.

Before long, the thirteen of them enter Viridian Forest and silently start walking down the path to Viridian City. As they walk, Misty and Serena become uneasy as they turn to Ash, who is leading the group.

"Hey, Ash, do you know where you're going to find Pidgeot and its flock?" Serena asks.

Ash stops walking, forcing the others to stop, and he chuckles while scratching the back of his head.

"Honestly, I haven't a clue," he confesses.

Everyone groans in annoyance, and Misty steps up to slap Ash upside the head.

"Ow!" Ash shouts, rubbing his head.

"You are incorrigible, Ash," she rebukes. "You promised your Pokemon that you would come back for it, but you didn't think about where exactly you're going to do that?"

"Just like Ash to not always think things through," Dawn sighs.

"Piplup," Piplip chirps.

"Yeah, what a kid," Iris says.

"Axew, ew," Axew says.

"Hey, it's not a big deal, you guys," Ash claims. "We'll just look around the forest until we find Pidgeot. How hard can it be?"

"Probably about as hard as finding a needle in a haystack," Max says.

At that moment, something clicks in Clemont's mind, and he starts chuckling with his mouth closed while adjusting his glasses.

"Leave that to me, everyone," he says. "The future is now, thanks to science! Clemontic Gear on!"

Everyone turns to Clemont as he reaches into his backpack and takes out in inflatable pod with legs and an antenna on top. They all look at Clemont in confusion while the blonde boy places the pod on the ground.

"I call this my Body Detecting Radar Bot Mark 4," he announces. "It detects the body temperatures of both humans and Pokemon just like the last model, but it actually distinguishes between people and Pokemon this time."

"Wow, science is so amazing!" Ash exclaims happily.

"Are you sure this will work?" Misty asks hesitantly.

"Yeah, it's not going to blow up like your last invention, is it?" May asks worriedly.

"With Clemont's inventions, there's just no telling," Bonnie says with an unamused look on her face.

"Ah, my doubting crowd, you shall eat your words," Clemont declares proudly.

Max leans into Bonnie's ear and asks, "Is your brother like this every time he introduces one of his inventions?"

"About as much as your sister's stomach gets loud when it's dying for food," Bonnie replies dryly.

Clemont takes out a remote, presses a button, and the pod inflates before it starts flowing in the air. The antenna on top of its head moves around, and a map of the forest appears on the radar inside Clemont's remote. Everyone gathers around his curiously as he studies the radar closely.

"As you can see, there are ten people and a Pikachu and Piplup on the center of the radar, meaning us." Clemont explains. "Outside of where we are, there appears to be some Rattata and Oddish walking around in the deeper side of the forest."

"Okay, that looks cool, but it doesn't look like there's any Pidgeot or Pidgeotto anywhere," Dawn says while looking over Clemont's shoulder.

"Piplup," Piplup says while standing on Dawn's shoulder.

"Right you are, Dawn," Clemont says. "So all we need to do is make the Body Detecting Radar Bot go a little higher, and it will give us a larger view of the forest."

Clemont presses a button on his remote, and the pod floats up higher until everyone can barely see it in the sky. They turn to the radar inside the remote, and the map zooms out, expanding the area until the signals of everyone in the group are nothing but tiny dots in the center of the screen.

"So far so good," Bonnie mutters to herself.

Max adjusts his glasses, and he looks at the radar closely until he sees a large group heat signatures appearing on the top right of the radar.

"Hey, that looks like a flock of Pidgeot over there," he says, pointing at the screen

Iris looks at where Max is pointing and says, "You're right. But it looks like it's interacting with two other flocks of Pokemon, but I don't know what they are."

"It looks like a group of Butterfree and Fearow," May says observantly.

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena's eyes widen at the name, Fearow. Misty turns to Ash, realizing the same thing.

"Could they be the same flock of Fearow you were talking about earlier, Ash?" She asks.

"It might be," Ash answers. "And if there's a flock full of Pidgeot, then it might be that my Pidgeot trained its friends so that they all evolved. But what is with the flock of Butterfree in there?"

"I don't know, but I think they might be in trouble if those Fearow are involved," Serena says worriedly.

"I agree," Cilan says, turning to Clemont. "Can you direct us right to that area?"

Clemont nods seriously and says, "It looks like this is happening a couple of miles from here, so we better hurry."

"Right," Ash, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Bonnie, Iris, and Cilan say simultaneously.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaims determinedly.

"Piplup!" Piplup squeals.

"Axew," Axew says.

Without another word, the thirteen of them run over to the direction shown on Clemont's radar. They use the remote for guidance until they hear the sound of battling in the distance. They follow the sound until they find a place in the bushes to find countless Pidgeot and Fearow ferociously fighting each other. Everywhere the group looks, they can see both kinds of bird Pokemon clawing pecking at each other violently. The trainers turn to the Pidgeot side of the area to see a large flock of Butterfree helplessly watching the fight. It takes a moment before everyone realizes that the Fearow are trying to attack the Butterfree and the Pidgeot are defending the butterfly Pokemon.

"Why are the Fearow trying to hurt the Butterfree?" Bonnie asks.

"If I had to guess, it's because the Butterfree were unknowingly invading the Fearow's territory," Clemont says.

"Well, we should do something," Iris suggests. "Let's take out our Pokemon and help out the Pidgeot and Butterfree."

"Axew," Axew agrees.

"No, we can't," Cilan says seriously. "This is a matter of territory. We must not interfere."

"Aw, come on, Cilan," Dawn protests.

"No, he's right," Clemont says seriously. "If we interfere, it will be like the Pidgeot haven't earned their territory, let alone have helped the Butterfree to the best of their ability."

Ash grinds his teeth, begrudgingly knowing that Cilan and Clemont are right. He turns to Max, Serena, and Misty, who clearly have the same frustrated looks on their faces. But as he is looking at them, Misty's eyes widen, and she points at the Butterfree.

"Ash, look over there!" She shouts.

Ash and Pikachu turn to where Misty is pointing, and both of their eyes widen in shock. Standing on a tall branch of one of the trees that the Butterfree are fighting in is a Butterfree wearing a yellow scarf with a pink Butterfree standing next to it. The first Butterfree looks like it is prepared to fight if the Fearow overpower the Pidgeot while the pink one looks terrified. Ash stares intently at the leading Butterfree as it becomes too clear who it is.

"That's my Butterfree!" Ash shouts.

"What?" Serena, Iris, Cilan, Bonnie, Clemont, May, Max, and Dawn say at the same time.

The children's voices catch the ear of one of the Fearow, and it glares daggers at Ash and Pikachu, in particular. It calls out to the other Fearow, and the flock stops fighting the Pidgeot and turns to the children. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Clemont, and Bonnie only have a moment to realize what is happening before the Fearow suddenly fly towards them with their claws ready to attack. Everyone panics in place until Bonnie decides to step forward with her bag lifted up.

"Doesn't look like they're giving us a choice to leave them alone!" She declares. "Dedenne, use Nuzzle!"

Dedenne jumps out of its pouch and rubs its cheeks repeatedly until they generate static electricity. The little mouse Pokemon nuzzles its cheeks against the nearest Fearow shocking it. The large bird falls to the ground only for another Fearow to hit Dedenne hard with Wing Attack, sending it flying back into Bonnie's arms.

"Dedenne!" Bonnie cries out as she cradles Dedenne.

"Dene…" Dedenne says weakly, barely conscious.

Bonnie frowns sadly for her little friend, but her train of thought is interrupted by another Fearow coming to attack both of them. She screams in fear, and she can hear Clemont shouting her name in worry.

"Sceptile, Bullet Seed!"

The next thing Bonnie knows, yellow seeds are coming from behind her and hits the Fearow that's about to attack her. The Fearow cries out in pain and backs away from her and Dedenne while Max rushes to her side with Sceptile standing behind him.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

Bonnie stares at Max in awe for a moment before she robotically nods. Suddenly, Clemont picks her up with both arms and hugs her tightly.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're safe!" He cries out in relief.

"Uh, guys, let's not celebrate yet," Max shouts.

Clemont and Bonnie turn to see the other Fearow still flying towards everyone. The rest of the group turn to each other and nod before they all take out their Pokeballs.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think Bonnie's right!" Dawn says as she throws a Pokeball. "Mamoswine, use Ice Beam!"

"Pansage, use Bullet Seed!" Cilan shouts.

"Dragonite, Flamethrower!" Iris shouts.

"Blaziken, use Overheat!" May yells.

"Corsola, use Bubble Beam!" Misty commands.

"Sylveon, Fairy Wind!" Serena calls out.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower and Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

The seven of them throw their Pokeballs, and they open to reveal their respective Pokemon. Without delay, Mamoswine, Pansage, Dragonite, Blaziken, Corsola, Sylveon, and Charizard, and Pikachu release their respective attacks, driving away the Fearow. The Pidgeot joins in and flank the flock of Fearow from behind. Thus, the fighting ensures with the trainers forced to defend themselves with Clemont joining in using his Luxray. Meanwhile, the Butterfree stay in their hiding spot with Ash's Butterfree still stepping in front of the pink Butterfree defensively.

As the fighting continues, one of the Fearow sees an opening in the Pidgeot's forces and charges at the Butterfree with Aerial Ace. Ash notices this while commanding Charizard and, without thinking about it, runs over to try and stop Fearow.

"Get away from my Butterfree!" He shouts as he runs.

Serena, Pikachu, and Misty notice what Ash is doing, and their eyes widen in horror.

"Ash!" Misty shouts.

"Ash, no!" Serena cries out.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shouts.

Fearow notices Ash running between it and the Butterfree, and its anger grows at the sight of the teenage boy. Before Ash knows it, the Fearow turns toward him and rams into him with its Aerial Ace attack, sending him flying into a tree. Ash plummets to the ground and moans in pain before he slowly looks up to look at the angry Fearow and suddenly recognizes it.

"You," he growls.

"Ash!" Serena and Misty call out again as the two of them, and Pikachu tries to run over to him only for several other Fearow to fly in front of them, blocking their way.

Ash slowly gets up with his eyes, never leaving the gaze of the Fearow. The two of them glare daggers at each other as it becomes too clear that this is the leading Fearow that Ash knew from years ago as a Sparrow. Ash's hands turn into balls of fists, and he grinds his teeth angrily at the Pokemon.

"So we meet again," he snarls. "How many more times are you going to keep causing trouble like this against my friends or me?"

The Fearow let's out a loud, angry caw in response.

"You know what? I've had enough of you!" Ash shouts as he turns his hat backwards. "Let's finish this right here and now!"

The Fearow gives a sharp nod and charges at Ash. The raven-haired boy spreads his arms wide open, bracing himself. Then suddenly, a Pidgeot flies in front of Ash and uses Gust to disrupt the Fearow's attack. The beak Pokemon struggles to stay airborne before it lands on the ground and glares menacingly at the Pidgeot that lands in front of Ash.

"Pidgeot!" Ash says happily.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot caws loudly before turning to its trainer and gives it a warm smile.

"Glad to see you've been keeping your end of the deal with all of your friends," Ash says. "Now what say you and I settle the score with that Fearow?"

Pidgeot nods before it takes a battle stance in front of Ash. The two of them wait patiently until their opponent flies toward them for a Tackle attack.

"Pidgeot, dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash shouts.

Pidgeot flies toward Fearow at blinding speed and avoids the Tackle before striking Fearow on the side. Fearow caws in pain, but it quickly retaliates by making its beak spin and fiercely pecks at Pidgeot.

"Quick, drive it back with Whirlwind!" Ash shouts.

Pidgeot flaps its wings, creating a strong gust of wind that drives Fearow back from Pidgeot, making it angrier. It charges at Pidgeot with white streaks over its body. The Aerial Ace is so fast that it flies through Pidgeot's gust of wind and hits the bird Pokemon hard. Pidgeot plummets to the ground, and Fearow does a flip before it prepares to charge with white streaks appearing all over its body again.

"Looks like Whirlwind isn't strong enough to stop its Aerial Ace," Ash says to himself. "Alright then, let's use a strong move. Pidgeot, let's show it how it's done with Hurricane!"

Pidgeot's wings glow blue, and it flaps them, creating a more powerful gust of wind than before. Fearow tries to fly through it just like with Whirlwind, but the wind is so strong that the beak Pokemon loses control in the air. It flaps its wings rapidly in desperation, but it isn't long before the powerful squall sends Fearow crashing into the ground.

"Yes!" Ash cheers. "Now, let's wrap this up with Double Edge!"

Pidgeot generates a greenish energy surrounding its body. Fearow is trying to stand up before Pidgeot flies toward it and slams it at full force. The beak Pokemon howls in pain before it plummets to the ground on it's back with swirly eyes. All of the other Fearow suddenly stop fighting Charizard, Sylveon, Corsola, Pansage, Dragonite, Luxray, Blaziken, Sceptile, Pikachu, and the other Pidgeot and stare in shock to see their leader beaten. Ash smirks at his fallen opponent as he takes out a Pokeball.

"You're mine, Fearow!" He shouts as he throws the ball. "Pokeball, go!"

The Pokeball hits the Fearow, and it gets sucked inside the container. The ball closes and starts moving around vigorously, with the center blinking red rapidly. The entire area is silent until the ball's moments suddenly stop, and sparks come out of the center with a loud "ding!"

"Yes!" Ash cheers as he picks up the Pokeball. "Fearow is finally mine!"

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts happily.

Charizard roars loudly while Iris, Cilan, May, Max, Dawn, Clemont, and Bonnie smile happily, and Serena and Misty sigh in relief. The Butterfree cheer loudly while the other Pidgeot take advantage of the other Fearow's dumbfounded state that their leader has been captured and use Hurricane to drive them all away. The Fearow becomes so disorganized with their shock that they fly away in panic. Ash's Pidgeot calls out the loudest, proud to have finally bested its opponent permanently with Ash. Serena turns to Ash with a small smile on her face and walks over to him.

"Congratulations, Ash," she says.

Ash gives her a toothy grin and says, "Thanks, Serena. I'm glad Pidgeot and I got to - AUGH!"

Ash is interrupted by a harsh beating on the head by a livid Misty. The orange-haired girl grinds her teeth at Ash while Serena coovers her mouth, surprised by what Misty just did.

"When are you going to learn to not risk your life so recklessly like that, Ash Ketchum?!" She barks.

Serena stays shocked for a moment before she calms down and looks at Ash disapprovingly.

"I must admit, I thought I told you not to scare me like that," she rebukes calmly.

Ash rubs his head and gives both girls an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, you two," he says. "I just couldn't stand still while Fearow was about to hurt Butterfree and its friends."

"Yeah, well, that is Ash for you," Dawn says, shaking her head. "Always thinking about his friends more than himself."

"You said it," Max says.

"Yeah, what a kid," Iris remarks.

Ash gives the group a toothy grin before he turns around and notices his Butterfree and the pink Butterfree flying down to him. He smiles warmly and gets down on one knee as the two butterfly Pokemon land on the ground.

"It's so good to see you, Butterfree," he says. "I'm glad you and your friends are okay."

"Freehehehehe," Butterfree squeals with glee.

Ash turns to the pink one and says, "You two getting along well?"

The pink Butterfree looks at Ash as if he spoke in a different language before it gets closer to his Butterfree and hugs it with its little hands affectionately.

"Aw!" Serena, Bonnie, May, Dawn, and Iris coo.

"Well, what did you expect?" Misty says with a small smile on her face. "That is Butterfree's mate, after all."

"Really?" Serena asks, looking at Misty, surprised.

"Yeah, that's why Ash let it go," Misty answers. "The two of us and Brock were coming across a mating ceremony for the Butterfree, and after Ash's Butterfree saved the other Butterfree from Team Rocket, the pink one wanted to be its mate."

Serena stares at Misty for a moment before she turns back to the two Butterfree. The way the pink one is holding Ash's dearly and Ash's Butterfree nuzzles, the pink one back with its head makes the honey blonde girl smile softly. Her smile disappears, however, and she puts her hand on her blue ribbon, wishing she and Ash could be like that together.

Ash, on the other hand, smiles brightly and says, "Looks like you two are really close. I'm glad to see that."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

"It is a beautiful sight to see two happy ingredients collide into one blissful dish," Cilan says with a happy sigh.

May, Max, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, and Serena look at Cilan in confusion.

"Don't worry about it, you guys," Iris moans. "He's just using his fancy connoisseur talk to say that he's happy that the Butterfree are happy together."

"As they should be," Ash says, still smiling.

While they are talking, some of the other Butterfree begin to take off from the branches they were standing on. Ash frowns sadly as he realizes what is going on.

"I guess that means you two need to get going, huh?" He says to his Butterfree.

"Free," Butterfree says sadly with a nod.

Ash looks down sadly for a moment before he forces a smile on his face and turns to the pink Butterfree.

"You keep taking good care of my buddy, okay?" He says.

"Freehehehehe," the pink Butterfree replies, nodding.

With that, Ash's Butterfree gives him a sad smile before it turns around and starts following the other Butterfree with its mate. Ash gives Butterfree a sad smile while Pikachu, Pidgeot, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Clemont, and Bonnie wave and say goodbye. Once the Butterfree are out of sight, Ash looks down sadly, already missing his old friend again before he forces another smile and turns to Pidgeot.

"Well, now that's taken care of, how do you feel about finally coming back with me?" He asks. "I'm going to compete in the Indigo League again, and I would like for you to come with us for that."

Pidgeot smiles and turns to its flock. The other Pidgeot smile and nod firmly at Pidgeot as if they are silently giving it their blessing to go back to Ash.

"That looks like a yes to me," Bonnie says with a smile.

"Mmm-hmmm. I think Pidgeot's friends are strong enough to take care of themselves, especially now that the Fearow are leaderless," Misty says.

"Yeah, so do I," Serena says with a small smile.

"Alright then," Ash says excitedly as he takes out Pidgeot's Pokeball "Pidgeot, welcome back to the family."

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot exclaims as it spreads its wings, ready to go back into its Pokeball.

Ash presses the button on the Pokeball, but it shrinks to the size of a ping pong ball and stays closed. He looks at it in confusion and starts pressing the button multiple times.

"What's wrong with this thing?" He asks.

Clemont realizes what has happened and chuckles lightly.

"I think it's not opening because you already have a full party, Ash," he says.

Ash looks at Clemont in confusion for a moment before it hits him. He chuckles awkwardly and scratches his nose in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah," he says. "I guess I already have six Pokemon with Fearow, don't I?"

Serena tries not to laugh while Misty face palms and May, Max, Dawn, Cilan, and Iris sigh at Ash's blunder.

"Of course you would forget that," May says.

"That's our Ash for you," Dawn says.

"Yeah, just like a kid," Iris comments.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"Axew," Axew says.

Ash chuckles again before he smiles and says, "No problem. We'll just continue heading to Viridian City, and I'll have Fearow sent to Professor Oak. I'm sure Bulbasaur will be able to discipline Fearow while Pidgeot finally joins the group."

"Good idea," Misty says. "I'm sure Bulbasaur will whip that Fearow into shape in no time."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Max suggests. "We still have a long way away back to Indigo Plateau. So let's get going."

"Yeah, let's," Ash agrees.

With that, the group returns Charizard, Sylveon, Sceptile, Blaziken, Mamoswine, Dragonite, Pansage, and Luxray back into their Pokeballs before they start heading back to the road. Suddenly, one of the wild Pidgeot stands in front of Ash, Pikachu, and Serena and turns it's back on them with its wings spread apart. Then another Pidgeot does the same in front of May and Max and then one in front of Misty, Dawn, and Piplup, then another in front of Cilan, Iris, and Axew, and finally one in front of Bonnie and Clemont. Ash smiles as it becomes too clear what the wild Pidgeot are thinking.

"You want to give us a ride to Viridian City again?" He asks.

"Pidgeot," Pidgeot says with a nod.

"What?" Clemont says nervously. "But...but...but...how high up are we going to be?"

"Oh, Clemont, don't be a baby. It'll be fun," Bonnie says cheerfully before she hops onto the Pidgeot in front of them.

"Yeah, this will be a fun experience," Max says as he and May get on the other Pidgeot.

"I've never ridden on a flying Pokemon like this before," Dawn says as she, Piplup, and Misty also get on one.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Cilan says as he, Iris, and Axew get on a Pidgeot.

Clemont hesitates and whimpers like a little child before he reluctantly gets on the Pidgeot Bonnie is on. He puts his arms around his little sister, and Bonnie just smirks at her brother's cowardice. Serena hesitates before she gets on a Pidgeot with Ash and Pikachu. Just like before, she slowly wraps her arms around Ash, and her cheeks start to heat up from being so close to the guy she cares for.

"Alright, Pidgeot!" He shouts. "Onward to Viridian City!"

The Pidgeot nods and starts to fly in the air together with the other wild Pidgeot. Everyone enjoys the excitement of being high up in the air except for Clemont, who is wailing in fear. As they all fly away, Ash takes a look at the direction that Butterfree and its mate and flock went and smiles, thankful to see one of his very first Pokemon again.


	62. Chapter 62

Looker has been working comfortably in his desk ever since he left the Battle Pyramid with the Gieldanstone. It wasn't easy writing his report on what happened to his superiors when he had to leave out everything revolving around Mewtwo to keep the Pokemon's trust. When they summoned him to explain the report in further detail, it took a lot of persuasion to get them to understand that the identity of the third party who assisted him, Coovers, Timothy, and Brandon has to be kept a secret. In the end, they accepted that the important thing is that the Gieldanstone is safe inside the International Police headquarters, and Team Rocket doesn't even remember that the jewel exists.

Suddenly, there is a knock on the door, and Looker looks up from his papers.

"Come in," he says.

The door opens to reveal a tall skinny man with round glasses entering the room.

"Ah, Dutch, what can I do for you?" Looker asks politely.

"Sorry to bother you, sir," the man named Dutch says. "I just thought I'd introduce you to one of our new interns. I was just asked to show her around."

Looker looks behind Dutch to see a woman with short blonde hair that hangs into two long curls on both sides. She stares at Looker with a bubbly smile as she plays with her fingers nervously.

"H-hi, Mr. Looker," she says nervously. "Nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you."

Looker stands up and gives the woman a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you too," he says. "Now, if I remember correctly from the memo, your name is Tabatha?"

"Oh, just call me Tabby. Everyone does," Tabatha says with a cute smile.

"Very well, Tabby," Looker says. "It's good to see new blood in this place. The International Police is always looking for new members to join our cause to protect the world."

"And I would love to be a part of that, sir," Tabby says with her hands behind her back.

"That's good to hear," Looker says.

Tabatha hesitates before she takes a step closer to Looker and says, "You know, I heard you went on a big mission recently with the guy who defeated the bi-regional champion."

"Tabby!" Dutch exclaims. "That's top-secret information!"

"Oops," Tabatha says absent-mindedly. "Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's alright, Tabby," Looker says calmly. "But Dutch is right. That is strictly top secret information. It's better that what you've heard is all you know about that particular mission. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Tabitha says, immediately giving Looker a salute.

The older man chuckles at the woman's energy and waves his hand.

"At ease, youngster," he says. "Now continue showing her around, Dutch."

"Yes, sir," Dutch says, trying to sound professional.

The two younger adults exit Looker's office, leaving the old man to shake his head in amusement.

"Ah, to be young," Looker mutters to himself as he sits back down.

As he goes back to filling out his paperwork, his mind starts to drift. He thinks about all of the times Ash and his friends had helped him when he was on a mission somewhere in the Sinnoh and Unova regions. As he thinks about the raven-haired boy, he stops writing and puts his hand on his coat pocket, where he is keeping the stone that Mewtwo gave him. The older man's smile grows slightly as he thinks about how funny it is that Ash somewhat helped him again by being both his friend and Mewtwo's.

Suddenly, he hears a commotion from outside of his office. He frowns in confusion until an alarm is heard, and he can see flashing red lights from his office window.

"_INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!_" A feminine voice shouts from the hall speakers. "_SECURITY BREACH ATTEMPTED ON THE PRIVATE FLOOR!_"

Looker's eyes widen at the announcement, knowing that on the private floor, there is the vault containing several items locked inside, including the chest that has the Gieldanstone. Already, dozens of other agents are racing by his office, heading to the private sector. Looker stands up and exits his office with his hand in his pocket, where the purple and black stone is just in case.

"Quick, everyone to the main elevator!" He hears one of the agents shout.

Looker follows everyone down the hall as fast as he can, but as he gets closer to where everyone's going, he here's the sound of someone punching and kicking people. The agents in front of him make the turn to the elevator, but Looker stops and hides behind the wall and gets close enough to see what is happening. In front of the elevator lies Dutch gagged and tied up in a mechanical bar around him while Tabatha beats up every agent that tries to take her down. The blonde girl has an evil smile on her face as she dodges every single attack from the other agents with ease by jumping and flipping before knocking them unconscious with flawless punches and kicks. By the time she is done beating everyone who tries to stop her, she lets out in amused, maniacal laugh.

"Well, that was fun," she says in a twisted, giddy voice. "Now, who do I have to clobber next to force you guys to bring me to the vault? You dolts have a stone that belongs to Giovanni."

Looker's heart sinks at the sound of the word stone. He doesn't bother to think of how Team Rocket knows about the jewel before he quickly takes out the black and purple stone and holds it close to his mouth.

"Mewtwo! Mewtwo, come here quick!" He hisses into it. "Team Rocket knows! I don't know how, but they know about the stone again! They've infiltrated our headquarters and - AUGH!"

Looker drops the stone as an electrically-charged tulip nearly misses his hand. He turns around to see Tabatha walking over to him with a condescending smirk.

"Naughty, naughty, Mr. Looker," she taunts. "We mustn't spoil the surprise."

Looker reaches for the black and purple stone, but Tabatha kicks it away from him and holds him against the wall with her leg. Looker tries to free himself, but his efforts are immediately stopped by the blonde woman holding another electrically-charged tulip close to him.

"I would stay still if I were you," she says.

"So you are actually in league with Team Rocket, 'Tabitha?'" Looker questions with a glare.

"Call me Domino," the blonde girl replies. "Or 009 or Black Tulip if you prefer."

"Fine, 'Domino'" Looker growls. "What do you want?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Domino sneers. "I know you know about the Gieldanstone. Giovanni wants it, and you're going to help me gain access to the private floor with this elevator.

"Never!" Looker shouts. "You may have taken down a lot of my men, but there are many more where that came from."

"And many of them work for Team Rocket," Domino states proudly. "We have agents everywhere. How do you think I got this fake identity as an intern?"

Looker looks at Domino in shock, realizing the gravity of what the Team Rocket agent is saying. Domino lets out another evil laugh, amused with Looker's reaction.

"I imagine you feel like your whole world is crashing down right about now, huh?" She mocks. "But back to the matter at hand. Give me access to - WHAAA?!"

Domino's foot is lifted off of Looker, and the old man grins at the sight of Domino floating high the air with a blue aura surrounding her. He stands up and gives the blond woman a triumphant look before he turns around to see Mewtwo floating beside him with its eyes glowing blue and its hand stretched out toward Domino. Dutch looks at Mewtwo bewildered while still trapped and gagged while Looker smirks.

"_Looks like I have arrived just in time,_" Mewtwo says.

"Eh, a few seconds ago would have been good too," Looker says, standing up.

"Mmmmuuufff?" Dutch says through the gag.

"_Is the stone safe?_" Mewtwo asks.

"For now," Looker answers seriously. "But that's not our only problem. She just said that there are multiple Team Rocket agents here. We need to find them quick."

Mewtwo firmly nods in understanding, but Domino stops squirming in the air and lets out another high-pitched, maniacal chuckle.

"Oh, you fools," she laughs. "It's already too late!"

Suddenly, several more police agents appear from all different sides of the hall and shoot pellets at Mewtwo. Before the genetic Pokemon has a moment to react, the pellets attach themselves to Mewtwo and sends thousands of volts of electricity through its body. Mewtwo screams loudly in pain as it lets go of Domino, who lands on the ground perfectly with a cruel grin on her face.

"Mewtwo, no!" Looker cries out.

Mewtwo tries to fight through the pain, but the more it struggles, the weaker it gets. Looker watches helplessly as the clone of Mew stays conscious for a few more seconds before it plummets to the ground. The police smile evilly as they remove their trench coats to reveal their Team Rocket uniforms.

"Heh. I bet the doctor and his team will be happy to hear that their new gadgets work," Domino comments before she kicks Mewtwo's limp body.

Looker stares at the fallen Pokemon in disbelief until two Team Rocket grunts grab him from behind and force him to look at Domino again. The blonde woman grabs the man by the jaw and glares at him menacingly.

"Now, for the final time, I command you to give me access to that secret floor," she snarls.

Looker glares back at Domino and says, "I will never willingly give you access."

Domino laughs loudly in a high-pitched voice followed by all the other Team Rocket members before she takes out an electronic headband.

"Is that so?" She says mockingly. "Well then, let's make it official."

She puts the headband on Looker's head, and he struggles for a couple of seconds before he stands perfectly still. Domino's evil grin grows as she watches Looker robotically lift his head and stare at her blankly while the two grunts behind him let him go.

"Now, who do you serve?" She asks.

"Team...Rocket…" Looker answers in a droning voice.

Dutch tries to scream out to Looker through his gag while Domino nods.

"That's much better," Domino says. "Now, let us on the private floor."

Looker walks over to the elevator like a robot and takes out a set of keys. He takes out one key and uses it on a lock below the up and down buttons to the elevator. The elevator door opens, and Looker backs away while Domino and the other Team Rocket agents grin triumphantly before the blonde girl turns to two of the grunts.

"You two put a headband on this 'Mewtwo' and put him on my jet," she orders. "The rest of you, take Dutch and the other goody-two-shoes police around here and load them into the chopper."

"Yes, ma'am," the grunts reply before carrying out their orders.

"As for you, Looker, come down to the lower levels with me," Domino says while stroking Lookers face.

"Yes...ma'am," Looker replies dully.

Domino and Looker walk into the elevator, and Domino presses the button for the private floor before the door closes. It takes half a minute until the door opens to reveal an underground hall with iron walls and floors all around. At the end of the hall is a large vault door and a computer installed next to it.

"Cute," Domino says as she walks down the hall with Looker following her like a zombie. "I take it this whole area is designed to keep both people and Pokemon out, Looker?"

"It is…" Looker replies. "The metal behind the walls and floor is so thick and strong that no Pokemon or man-made machine can breach their way in."

"But you didn't think someone like Team Rocket might make gadgets like your little headband to brainwash people with access to this vault like you to let us in, did you?" Domino teases.

"N...no…" Looker responds.

"No indeed," Domino says, patting Looker on the head. "Now, open it up."

"Yes...ma'am…" Looker says dully.

The old man walks over to the electronic pad next to the vault door and places his hand on it. A scanning machine pops out from above the pad, and Looker stares at it as it scans his eyes before a microphone appears next to the electronic pad, and Looker leans into it.

"Looker. Code: 1131-2362," he says dully.

A beeping sound is heard, and with a loud click, the vault slowly opens.

"_Welcome, Looker,_" says a feminine voice.

Domino grins as LED lights flicker on inside the vault. She walks inside with Looker, following behind like a zombie. The Team Rocket agent searches through the various trinkets and boxes until she finds a familiar black box.

"Ah, there it is," she says. "Just like it appeared on that video Agent Basker showed."

She picks up the box and slowly opens it with an anticipating grin. Sure enough, the white jewel shining brightly in eighteen different colors is lying there in the center of the chest. Domino closes the chest before she takes out a walkie-talkie and holds it close to her.

"Black Tulip to Cassidy and Butch," she says seriously. "What's your status?"

"_Cassidy here,_" Cassidy says from the speakers. "_All the police have headbands and are loaded in the choppers, and Mewtwo is in your jet. We're ready to move out when you are._"

"Perfect timing," Domino says. "My new friend and I will be right up with our precious gift for the boss."

"_Roger that,_" Cassidy says. "_I'm sure the boss is going to be very happy. Over and out._"

Domino puts the walkie-talkie away and carries the chest containing the Gieldanstone close to her. She turns to the brainwashed Looker and pets him on the head like a pet.

"Come, Looker," she coos mockingly. "It's time to go to your new home. You and the rest of the International Police are going to help us rebuild our big machine for Arceus. We want our machine ready for the mythical Pokemon as quickly as possible."

"As...you...wish...ma'am," Looker says. "All...hail...Team...Rocket."

"There's a good boy," Domino says, petting him again.

Without another word, the two of them walk back to the elevator, and Looker robotically presses the button for the elevator to go up. Domino opens the chest again and strokes the powerful stone with a complacent smirk and chuckles nefariously as Team Rocket comes one step closer to complete world domination.


	63. Chapter 63

It is early in the morning when Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, May, Max, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Clemont, and Bonnie make it to the Indigo Plateau. By the time the group makes it to the registration center, countless trainers are seen registering for the league. Everywhere they look, trainers are giving attendants in the front desk their Pokedex to register and pressing a button to find out what field they will be going to for their first battle. Ash and his friends find a line for him and Max to register.

"Looks like people are already getting ready for their first matches," Misty comments. "I wonder if they already lit the flame at the top of the Indigo Stadium.

"Flame? What flame?" Dawn asks, confused.

"Oh yeah, there's a flame from Moltres that they set on fire at the top of the main stadium," Ash explains.

"Wow, a flame from Moltres?" Bonnie says. "That's amazing."

"I still remember that time we encountered a Moltres with Trevor," Clemont says.

"Wow, did you really?" Iris says, shocked.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Serena groans. "Ash risked his life during that adventure. It was a terrifying moment for me."

Ash looks at Serena apologetically and says, "I'm sorry I scared you back then, Serena."

Serena smiles softly, appreciative of Ash's sincere apology. Her smile return to a frown that makes Ash feel uneasy until Cilan snaps his fingers in front of him.

"Ash, you're up next," he says.

"Huh? Oh right," Ash says.

Ash steps forward, and the attendant at the front desk gives him a warm smile.

"Hello," she greets. "Are you all registering for the Indigo Plateau Conference?"

"No, ma'am, just Max and me," Ash answers.

"Alright then, I'll just need your Pokedex, please," the attendant says.

Ash gives her his Pokedex, and she inserts it to the machine next to her. The machine uploads Ash's information before the attendant takes out Ash's Pokedex and gives it back to him.

"So I see on the screen that this is your second time competing in the tournament," she says.

"Yes, ma'am," Ash says. "I competed about four years ago."

"I see," the attendant says. "Then, you should know that we've changed things a little so that competitors are allowed substitutions during the preliminaries."

"Really? That's cool," Ash says.

"Indeed. Now I'll need you to press the red button in front of you, please," the attendant says.

Ash nods and presses the red button. The light on the screen above the woman lights up and begins spinning around the four pictures representing water, rock, ice, and grass. The light keeps spinning until it slows down and eventually stops on the picture representing water.

"Awesome," Ash says. "I'm starting on a water field just like last time."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

The attendant chuckles at Ash's enthusiasm and types on her computer.

"Alright, let's see who is battling against you at the water field," she says.

Ash's picture appears on the left side of the screen, and the group waits for a second before Misty and Serena stare in shock when they see who appears on the screen next to Ash.

"Macy?!" Serena and Misty shout at the same time.

"Well, what do you know," Ash says.

The attendant types on her computer again and says, "Your battle with Macy will begin at 10:30. Best of luck to you, Ash."

"Thanks," Ash says.

"Now it's my turn," Max announces excitedly as he takes out his Pokedex and gives it to the attendant.

The attendant inserts his Pokedex into the machine, and it uploads Max's information before she also gives Max his Pokedex back. Then Max presses the red button, and the light eventually moves to the ice picture before his picture appears along with a picture of a teenage boy with long blonde hair.

"Your first battle will be against Eric at the same time as Ash's," the attendant says. "Best of luck to you, too, Max."

"Thanks," Max says.

The group then leaves the front desk and head off to the exit of the building. As they go outside, Iris looks at Serena and Misty curiously.

"So how do you girls know this Macy girl?" she asks.

Serena and Misty give Iris annoyed looks before the latter answers.

"She's this pompous girl who keeps trying to go on a date with Ash," Misty grumbles. "She kept making moves on him during the Johto League."

"And she ran into me, Ash, and Brock on the way to Neon City," Serena adds. "Thankfully, Ash beat her in a battle so she couldn't claim he had to go on a date with her."

"I see," Iris says.

"Do you think she'll try to get Ash to go on a date with her if she wins the match?" May asks.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Serena says with a sigh.

"Well, I don't plan on losing," Ash says proudly. "Besides, with most of her Pokemon being fire types, she'll be at a disadvantage in the water arena."

"Sounds like you have your first match in the bag, Ash," Bonnie says excitedly.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne says.

"I sure hope so," Clemont says.

"Hey, you guys!" Says a voice in the distance.

Everyone turns to see Holly running towards them, followed by Brock. Serena smiles and walks over to meet Holly.

"Hi, Holly," she greets. "How was visiting Brock's family."

"Oh, it was so wonderful," Holly says with a dreamy look. "All of Brock's brothers and sisters are just precious gems, and it was great to get to know his parents more."

"Yeah, they loved her to bits," Brock says with a smile. "I think as far as everyone at home is concerned, Holly is already part of the family."

Both young adults giggle at the thought before giving each other kittenish looks. Everyone smiles for them until they hear another voice coming from the other side.

"Hey, Ash!"

"Pikachu!"

They all turn around to find Ritchie and Sparky happily running over to them. Ash smiles brightly before he runs over to Ritchie and the two of them give each other a high five while Pikachu and Sparky cheerfully greet each other.

"Glad to see you made it," Ritchie says.

"You bet. I wouldn't miss this for the world," Ash says.

Ritchie nods and turns to everyone else.

"Hey there, Brock, Holly, Serena," he greets. "And Misty, nice to see you."

"Good to see you too, Ritchie," Misty replies, smiling.

Ritchie turns to the rest of the group and asks, "So who are you guys?

"I'm Clemont, nice to meet you," Clemont says.

"Bonnie's my name, and this is Dedenne," Bonnie says, holding up her pouch.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne says.

"I'm Iris," Iris introduces. "And this little guy in my hair is Axew."

"Axew," Axew says.

"I am Cilan," Cilan says. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance. "

"I'm Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup," Dawn says.

"Pip, Piplup,' Piplup says.

"My name is May," May says.

"And my name is Max," Max says. "Are you competing at the tournament."

"I sure am," Ritchie says. "I only made it to the semifinals last time, but I intend to win this time."

"Pikachu," Sparky says.

"Is that so?" Max says. "Then maybe you and I will face each other because I'm competing too."

"Awesome," Ritchie says. "But I better go inside and register. I still hope to face you again, Ash."

"Same here, Ritchie," Ash replies as Ritchie and Sparky enter the main center.

"Oh yeah, I better go do the same," Holly says. "I wonder what kind of battlefield I'll start with."

"Well, we won't know until we find out," Brock says. "See you guys later,"

"See ya," everyone else says.

Once Brock and Holly are inside, Cilan turns to Ash with a smile.

"So Ash, have you figured out what Pokemon you are going to use for your first battle?" He asks.

Ash frowns and scratches his chin in thought.

"Good question," he says. "I'll have to think about it."

"Why don't we head to the Pokemon Center and give Professor Oak a call," Serena suggests. "You could switch some of your Pokemon to ones that are weak against Macy's Pokemon."

"Good idea, Serena," Ash says.

"You go on ahead, Ash," Max says. "I'm going to find this Eric guy and find out what kind of Pokemon he has."

"And I'm going to join him," May says. "I'm here to support my brother until the very end."

"Alright then," Ash says. "Good luck on your first battle, Max,"

"You too, Ash," Max says as the two of them shake hands.

With that, Max and May leave to look for Max's opponent while everyone else heads to the Pokemon Center. When they come inside, they find many more trainers in line to have their Pokemon looked at before their own preliminary matches. The eight trainers and Pikachu, Axew, and Piplup find a video phone, and Ash dials Professor Oak's number. It isn't long before the Pokemon professor appears on the screen with a friendly smile.

"Hello, everyone," he greets. "Good to see that you all made it to Indigo Plateau."

"Hello, Professor," everyone greets.

Professor Oak turns to Ash and asks, "Are you all registered, Ash."

"Yup, and Max and I have already found out what our first battles are," Ash answers. "Which brings me to why I'm calling you, Professor."

"I thought as much," Professor Oak says. "So, what kind of Pokemon do you have in mind?"

Ash scratches his chin again and says, "Well, you see, I'm against this friend of ours named Macy. If I remember correctly, she has a Magcargo, Vulpix, Electabuzz, Typhlosion, and a Starmie."

"I see," Professor Oak says. "Sound like you'll want some water Pokemon on your Team and perhaps a different Pokemon for her Electabuzz and Starmie."

"Exactly," Ash says. "I already have Oshawott, and I think Gabite will be the best choice for Electabuzz, and Pikachu will be best for Starmie. I think I just need one more water Pokemon."

Professor Oak nods and says, "Well, you have plenty to choose from, Ash. You have Kingler, Corphish, Totodile, Buizel, and Palpitoad. So which one would you like to use?"

"Let's see," Ash says, racking his brain. "With fire Pokemon as strong as Macy's, I think I need a really powerful water Pokemon to go with Oshawott. With that in mind, I think Kingler and Buizel would be my best bet."

"Good choices," Misty says. "I think Kingler would be a pretty good choice."

"I disagree," Dawn says. "I think Buizel would make a really effective Pokemon."

"Piplup," Piplup says.

"Well, I can't say who to choose since I don't know either Pokemon," Iris says.

'Axew," Axew says, nodding.

"Me neither," Cilan says.

Clemont and Bonnie nod in agreement while Ash frowns and thinks as hard as he can. He then gets an idea and turns to Serena.

"What do you think, Serena?" He asks.

"Me?" Serena asks, surprised.

"Of course," Ash says with a smile. "After all, you have met all of my Pokemon at Professor Oak's lab, so maybe you have a good suggestion."

Serena blushes lightly, not expecting Ash to ask her such a big question. She thinks for a moment before she decides to ask a couple of questions.

"Well, what moves does Kingler know?" She asks.

"Kingler knows Hyper Beam, Bubble, Water Gun, and Crabhammer," Ash says.

"And how about Buizel?" Serena asks.

"Buizel knows Water Gun, Aqua Jet, Sonic Boom, and Ice Punch," Ash answers.

Serena thinks for a few seconds, not noticing Misty frowning that Ash is making her choose. Suddenly, Serena snaps her fingers and gives Ash a small smile.

"I think you should choose Buizel because it might be wise to use a Pokemon that only has a couple of water attacks since not all of Macy's Pokemon are fire types," she says. "With Sonic Boom and Ice Beam, Buizel has more a better variety of moves than Kingler."

"That's a good idea, Serena," Ash says before turning to Professor Oak. "I think I'll trade Gigalith for Buizel."

"Good choice, Ash," Professor Oak says. "Then place Gigalith's Pokeball on the machine, and I'll have Buizel right out."

Ash nods and puts Gigalith's Pokeball in the transporter next to the videophone. The machine zaps the Pokeball, and it completely disappears. A few seconds later, the machine starts again, and a different Pokeball appears.

"Transfer complete," Professor Oak says. "Best of luck, Ash. Your mother and Tracey, and I will be rooting for you while we watch the tournament."

"Thanks, Professor," Ash says. "See you later."

The image of the professor disappears, and Ash puts away Buizel's Pokeball before turning to the rest of the gang.

"Well, there's still a couple of hours left until my first match," he says. "I guess I should kill time by working out a strategy for the match."

"Good idea," Clemont says.

"Hey, everyone," says a voice behind them.

Everyone turns around to see Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers walking over to them with friendly smiles. Ash smiles back and gives his rival a firm handshake.

"Hey there, Timothy," he says. "Have you already registered?"

"You bet," Timothy replies. "My first battle is at 1:30, and I'm against some guy named Melvin at the grass field."

"Yeah, we were just looking up what Pokemon he has on one of the computers here," Coovers says. "He has a lot of rock and fire type Pokemon, so it seems like it might be an easy battle with Poliwrath."

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

"Well, to be fair, any other Pokemon weak against water types might be easy as long as they're not Alain's Mega Charizard," Dawn comments.

Timothy and Coovers laugh out loud, and Electchu lets out a giggle at Dawn's comment.

"You have a point there, Dawn," Timothy chortles. "Long as none of his Pokemon Mega evolve into an extra Pokemon type or know any moves that Poliwrath is vulnerable to like Alain's Charizard did, I'll be fine."

"I should hope so," Cilan says. "You do plan to eventually battle Ash after all."

"Right you are, Cilan," Coovers says before turning to Ash. "So you better give it your all, Ash."

"Oh, I plan to," Ash says with a smirk. "Besides, my first match is against my friend Macy, and most of her Pokemon are also fire types, and I just switched my Pokemon so that I have two water types on my team."

"Is that so?" Timothy says. "Well then, it looks like both of us will have an easy win for our first battles."

"Looks that way," Ash agrees.

"You!"

Everyone turns their heads to see Giselle marching towards them with a menacing glare.

"Hey, Giselle," Ash greets with a friendly smile. "Glad to see you made it back to -"

But Giselle passes by Ash, not even acknowledging him, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Misty, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, or Cilan. Instead, she marches straight toward Timothy and puts her hands on her hips. Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other before Timothy awkwardly talks to the girl.

"Uh...do I know you?" He asks.

"Seriously?" Giselle growls. "You knocked me out of the last round of the preliminaries the last time I competed in the Indigo League! Was I such an easy win for you that you don't even remember me?"

"What? Timothy is the person you lost to the last time you completed?" Ash asks, surprised.

Timothy stares at Giselle and scratches his head. After a minute, he snaps his fingers and grins.

"Ah, I remember you now," he says. "My Emboar, Titus, took out all of your rock and ground type Pokemon despite having the type disadvantage."

"That's right," Giselle snarls. "I hated how your fire Pokemon took down my Marowak, Graveler, and Rhyhorn. But I've learned a lot since then, and I want payback."

"Well, that's too bad, Giselle, because Ash is the one that's going to face off against Timothy and win," Dawn claims.

"Pip, Piplup," Piplup says.

"Yeah, that's right," Misty says.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Serena says with a nod.

Giselle turns around and finally notices the group. She frowns at Ash and points her finger at him rudely.

"Oh yeah, well, that's too bad because I'm going to take him down before you get a chance to try," she says. "I won't fail like I did at the Grand Festival."

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that," Ash says with a grin.

Coovers snaps his fingers and says, "That's right. She was that pompous girl battling against Serena at the Grand Festival."

"Oh," Timothy says, realizing it too before he smirks and chuckles in amusement. "First, I left Pallet Town with one rival for the Pokemon league, and suddenly I kind of have a second one before my first match. How on earth did I manage that?"

"Kind of? What do you mean kind of?!" Giselle barks. "I'll have you know that my Pokemon are way stronger than before!"

"Is that so?" Timothy says, unimpressed. "I guess we'll just have to find out on the battlefield, won't we?"

Gisele pouts childishly and storms out of the Pokemon Center with a loud, high-pitched humph. Everyone stays silent for a moment until Timothy turns to Coovers and raises an eyebrow at his longtime friend.

"What? No rebuking me for acting prideful this time?" He asks.

"Honestly, after seeing on TV how that girl acted so cocky when Serena faced her at the Grand Festival, I'm good with you acting cocky back to someone like her as long as you take her down," Coovers replies with a shrug.

"Admittedly, it seems like she's always going to be like this during a competition, Timothy," Serena says with a sigh. "So whether it's you, Ash, or Max, you all have my blessing to take her down if any of you end up facing her."

Ash turns to Serena and smiles, hoping that maybe defeating Giselle will help her cheer up from what is bothering her.

"Then I won't let you down if I face her, Serena," he says confidently.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

"Me too," Timothy says with a friendly smile.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

Serena softly smiles, appreciatively at the two guys. Soon after, Brock and Holly enter the Pokemon Center and spot everyone else.

"Hey, you guys," Brock says.

"How's it going, Brock?" Coovers greets.

"It's going great," Brock says excitedly. "Holly is all set to compete in the Indigo League."

"That's right," Holly says. "My first battle is in the grass field, and I'm against someone named Barty."

"Good deal," Timothy says. "And just so I remember correctly, you plan to officially get together as soon as you're done with the league win or lose, right?"

Brock and Holly, both giggle and Holly, caresses her necklace before she answers.

"That's right," she says. "Win or lose the league, I want to go as far as I can and then we will finally become boyfriend and girlfriend."

"Oh, as much as it's still hard to believe, I'm still so happy for you guys," Dawn coos with her hands clasped together.

"Me too," Serena says.

"I'm excited too," Bonnie says before glaring at Clemont. "Though I still need to find a wife for you."

Clemont blushes furiously, and he shouts, "Bonnie, knock it off with that already!"

Bonnie chuckles mischievously, and everyone else chuckles at Clemont's bashful demeanor. Just then, the intercom turns on, and a man begins to speak.

"_Macy and Ash, please report to the water field. Your battle will begin in twenty minutes,_" he says. "_Again, Macy and Ash, please report to the water stadium._"

"Well, it looks like it's time for me to get the show on the road," Ash says before turning back to Timothy and offers him his fist. "Give it everything you've got, Timothy."

"You too, Ash," Timothy says as he bumps Ash's fist. "Same goes for you, Holly."

"You can count on me," Holly replies before she and Holly leave, and Ash and the rest of the group head to the water field.

Within ten minutes, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Clemont, and Bonnie make it to the water field. Already, countless people are going inside the arena and finding their seats. The gang finds a backstage entrance where a security person finds Ash and smiles.

"Ah, Mr. Ketchum, glad to see you could make it," he says. "Are these all your friends?"

"Yes, sir, they are," Ash says

"Well, you know, we do have benches that some of your friends can sit on in the field to watch you from behind," the security guard says. "But you can only have two people sit behind you."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you can do that at the Indigo League," Ash says in realization. "In that case, my first person should definitely be Serena on all of my battles."

Everyone else turns to Serena while the honey blonde girl stares at Ash, baffled.

"Me?" She asks.

"Of course," Ash says with a toothy grin. "It was your idea that I go on a journey to rechallenge the gyms where I didn't rightfully earn my badges. In fact, out of everyone, you have been supporting me the longest ever since we came back home from Kalos. How could I not want someone like you cheering me on throughout the entire Indigo League?"

Serena stays still in shock while Misty looks at her with a subtle jealous look. Cilan, Iris, and Clemont smile at her while Dawn and Bonnie give her teasing grins. After a moment, Serena snaps out of her surprise state and smiles sweetly at Ash.

"I would love to, Ash," she says.

Ash nods and smiles, thinking he helped cheer Serena up a little before turning to the others.

"As for everyone else, I think you should all take turns cheering me on with Serena," He says.

"That sounds fair," Clemont says. "If you make it to at least the quarterfinals, well will all have a chance to cheer for you with Serena at least once."

"Exactly," Ash says. "With that in mind, how about Misty goes with Serena and me since she's been supporting me the longest out of everyone as well."

"I would like that, Ash," Misty says with a happy smile.

Serena frowns sadly and glances at Misty, knowing how the orange-haired girl feels about the guy she likes. She shakes her head to snap out of her worried state before anyone else notices while the security guard nods in approval.

"Alrighty then," he says. "I'll need the rest of you to line up so you can take your seats with the rest of the audience. As for you and your two friends, Mr. Ketchum, please follow me."

"Understood," Clemont says before turning to Ash. "Good luck, Ash."

"Indeed, give it your all," Cilan says.

"Knogiving Ash a high-five.

"ck 'em dead," Iris says with a grin.

"We're all counting on you," Dawn says before We have faith in you," Bonnie says cheerfully.

"Thank you, guys," Ash says.

With that, the rest of the group leave to get their tickets, leaving Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Serena alone with the security guard. The guard gestures them to follow him, and the three teenagers follow him all the way to the hall where the battlefield is. The security guard gives Ash a wink as a way of wishing him luck before he leaves, and Ash takes a deep breath before turning to Serena and Misty.

"Well, this is it," he says.

"We're with you all the way, Ash," Misty says.

"That's right," Serena says. "Remember, don't give up until the very end."

"I will remember, Serena, I promise," Ash says before he turns to Pikachu, who is standing next to him. "Let's do it, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says with a determined grin.

Ash nods to his partner, and the two of them face the end of the hall and wait until they hear the audience cheering, knowing it's time to enter the field. Ash and Pikachu walk to the end of the hall side by side with Serena and Misty following behind them. When the four of them enter the field, the whole stadium is filled with people. From a distance, they can see Bonnie, Clemont, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, and Axew cheering at the top of their lungs. At the center of the field is a large pool with a few platforms for the Pokemon to stand on. Ash grins confidently as he and Pikachu get on the green platform from his side of the field while Serena and Misty sit down on the bench beside the wall. The four of them wait patiently while the crowd is still cheering until they hear a familiar voice.

"Hey, Ash, my dear!"

Both Serena and Misty feel shivers down their spines as they reluctantly look at the other side of the field to find Macy running over to the red platform.

"Hey, Macy," Ash calls with a friendly smile. "Looks like we already get to battle."

"Sure does," Macy says before she notices Serena and Misty and grumbles, "Oh, you two are here too, huh?"

"You got a problem with that?" Misty growls. "We're here to support Ash all the way to the end."

"That's right," Serena says with her arms crossed.

"Oh yeah? Well, you won't be needing to support him for very long," Macy boasts. "I intend to win this battle and go on a very romantic date with Ash."

Serena and Misty glare daggers at Macy, who just sticks her tongue out at them. Ash chuckles awkwardly before calling out to Macy.

"Look, Macy, I still don't understand what a date is, but I'm still not going to go on one just because you said so," he says.

"Why not?" Macy demands. "I think you'll like going on a date with me, Ash. I'll even let you choose where we'll go to celebrate my victory today."

"Well, for one thing, I'm just not that interested in doing that with you," Ash says bluntly. "For another, I plan to win this battle no matter what you say or what tricks do you have up your sleeve with your Pokemon."

Macy stares at Ash, shocked at his harsh honesty. She looks at Serena and Misty. The honey blonde girl smiles, relieved that Ash said that while the orange-haired girl childishly sticks out her tongue and pulls her lower eyelid at the girl in the yellow dress. Macy clenches her teeth and glares back at Ash, frustrated.

"Oh yeah? Well then I'll just have to beat you and make you go on a date with me," she says.

"Okay, but I don't see either happening," Ash says with a confident smirk.

"Given that she lost to him at the Johto League, I agree," Misty says quietly to Serena.

"And I saw her lose to him again when we were heading to Neon City like I said," Serena whispers back. "I don't think we need to worry about her."

Suddenly, the announcer begins speaking loudly on the speakers.

"_Good afternoon, everyone!_" He says. "_Welcome to the first preliminary round at the water field!_"

The audience cheers loudly before the announcer continues.

"_On the green side competing in the Indigo Plateau Conference a second time, it's Ash from Pallet Town!_" He says. "_And on the red side, competing in the league for the first time from the Johto region, it's Macy from Mahogany Town_!"

Once again, the audience cheers and Ash and Macy happily wave at the audience.

"_So, without further ado, let's have a battle!_" The announcer shouts.

The audience cheers while the referee walks to the sideline with a red flag on his right hand and a green flag on his left hand. He clears his throat before he lifts both flags up high.

"This is a three-on-three battle between Ash and Macy!" He begins. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon from either side are unable to continue. Furthermore, both sides are allowed substitutions! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready!" Ash and Macy reply.

"Then let the battle begin!" the referee shouts.

"All right, Starmie, let's go!" Macy shouts as she throws a Pokeball.

The ball opens to reveal Starmie.

"So you're starting up with Starmie since this is a water battlefield, huh?" Ash says with a smirk. "Well, alright then, Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts as it hops onto one of the platforms.

"You are starting with Pikachu, huh?" Macy says. "That won't do you any good against my Starmie even with the type disadvantage."

"We will see about that, Macy!" Ash calls out back.

Serena frowns and turns to Misty, saying, "I admit, I have not seen Macy's Starmie in battle before."

"Neither have I," Misty says. "But as far as a non-fire-type Pokemon to use in a water battlefield, it was the right choice on her part. I'm guessing she's going to avoid using her fire Pokemon for as long as she can."

"Alright, Pikachu, let's not waste any time," Ash says. "Use Thunderbolt!"

"Starmie, use Thunderbolt too and then use Ice Beam on the water!" Macy shouts.

Both Pokemon use Thunderbolt, and the attacks collide, causing them to explode in a cloud of smoke. Starmie then shoots a beam of ice from its top appendage, and it covers all of the water in the field. When the smoke clears, Ash, Serena, Misty, and the audience look in shock of what Starmie has done.

"_Unbelievable!_" The announcer exclaims. "_Starmie has used the cover of the smoke to turn the water arena into an ice arena_!"

"Ah, I see," Ash says, smirking. "Making sure your other Pokemon have solid ground to stand on."

"That's right," Macy says. "So if you think you can get the best of me just because this is a water battlefield and most of my Pokemon are fire types, you are sorely mistaken, Ash."

"Good. Makes things more interesting," Ash says. "Pikachu, Electro Ball!"

Pikachu jumps into the air and throws an Electro Ball at Starmie, but Macy just smirks confidently.

"Starmie, use Harden!" She commands.

Starmie's body becomes sturdy, and the Electro Ball hits it, hardly doing anything to the starfish-like Pokemon.

"Now, Starmie, use Ice Beam!" Macy orders.

"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Ash shouts.

Starmie uses Ice Beam again, but Pikachu moves away from the mysterious Pokemon's line of fire and charges at its opponent so quickly that it runs into Starmie before Macy could make another command.

"Oh yeah? Well, let's see how you handle this, Ash, my dear," Macy says. "Starmie, use Psywave!"

Before Ash or Pikachu can react, Starmie fires a white ring from its gem and hits Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon squeaks as it is sent back into Ash's side of the field.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash calls out.

Pikachu stands up with a couple of scratches on its body and grins at Ash to shore that it's fine.

"Okay then, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash commands.

"Use Harden again, Starmie!" Macy shouts.

Pikachu unleashes another large bolt of electricity, but it does little to hurt Starmie.

"Don't let up. Use Electro Ball again! Ash shouts.

"Knock it back while using Harden!" Macy instructs.

Pikachu flings another ball of electricity at its opponent, but Starmie makes its body sturdy again and spins around to knock the Electro Ball back.

"You can keep using all of your electric attacks all you want, Ash!" Macy taunts. "But as long as Starmie uses Harden, you're just gonna waste energy until -"

"Knock it back with Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Macy looks in confusion until she sees Pikachu knock its Electro Ball back toward Starmie with its tail. Her eyes widen as she realizes that Starmie has stopped using Harden, and gets hit hard by the ball of electricity. Starmie falls on its back and struggles to stand up to show that it can still fight.

"That's what happens when you let your guard down in the middle of the match," Misty says with a smug look.

"She sure had it coming," Serena agrees.

Macy grows frustrated and glares at Ash angrily.

"That does it!" She barks. "Starmie, use Ice Beam!"

"Dodge with Quick Attack followed by Electro Ball!" Ash commands.

Starmie fires Ice Beam from its top appendage a third time, but Pikachu uses its speed to dodge again and ram into its opponent. Starmie takes a step back from the hit, but it's all the distraction Pikachu needs to hit it again with Electro Ball!"

"Starmie, no!" Macy cries out.

"Pikachu, let's finish it with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu builds up electricity with its cheeks again before it strikes its starfish-like opponent hard with a powerful bolt of electricity. Starmie can do nothing but stand there as many volts of electricity hit its body before it tumbles to the ground with its gem blinking.

"Starmie cannot continue!" The referee declares. "Pikachu is the winner!"

The audience cheers and the color on the picture of Starmie on the big screen fades to grey. Serena and Misty smile at each other while Macy sadly returns Starmie to its Pokeball.

"You did great. Get a good rest," she says to the ball before she takes out another one. "Electabuzz, let's go!"

She throws the ball, and her Electabuzz comes out, glaring menacingly at Pikachu.

"Electabuzz, huh?" Ash says, amused. "Pikachu, come back and get some rest."

"Pika!" Pikachu replies as it obediently returns to Ash's side.

"So, who are you hoping to call out this time, Ash?" Macy queries.

"You're about to find out," Ash says, taking out a Pokeball with a grin. "Gabite, I choose you!"

He throws the Pokeball, and Gabite comes out. Macy and Electabuzz stare at Ash's Pokemon in confusion.

"What in the world is that?" Macy asks, confused.

"This is Gabite," Ash answers plainly. "I caught it in the Sinnoh region."

"Oh, interesting," Macy says half-heartedly. "But it won't stop me. Electabuzz, use Thunder Punch!"

Electabuzz charges at Gabite with electricity coming out of its fist. Ash and Pikachu smirk while Misty and Serena stare in disbelief of what is happening as Electabuzz punches Gabite in the face. Macy grins that her Pokemon hit its target until she notices that Gabite isn't hurt at all.

"Guess she doesn't know what type Gabite is," Serena says with a smug smile.

"Doesn't look that way," Misty says, crossing her arms with an amused grin.

"Gabite, use Rock Smash!" Ash shouts.

Both of Gabite's hands glow white, and it punches Electabuzz twice in the gut before punching it hard in the face, causing his opponent to back away several feet in a daze. Macy stares in shock before she shakes her head and tries to bring back her determination.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" She shouts.

Ash smirks again and stays silent, letting Electabuzz's Thunderbolt hit Gabite. Once again, the attack does nothing, and Macy is dumbfounded.

"Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" He commands

Gabite charges at Electabuzz using Dragon Rush and hits Electabuzz hard. The electric Pokemon gets down on one knee while its trainer pouts in irritation.

"Why are none of my attacks working?" She screams.

"_Wow, what an awkward situation for Macy!_" The announcer says. "_It looks like she doesn't know that Gabite is immune to electric attacks_!"

Macy's eyes widen, and her mouth hangs open.

"What?!" She shrieks.

"That's right, Macy," Ash calls out. "Gabite is both a dragon and ground type, so your electric attacks are useless."

Macy is flabbergasted by what she just learned. Misty tries to hide a little chuckle while Serena smirks. Macy looks down on the ground and thinks about what to do while Electabuzz looks at her, feeling uneasy about the situation. In her mind, she considers to switch Pokemon, but she decides against it knowing that all of her remaining pokemon are fire types which are weak against ground type Pokemon and not very effective against dragon type Pokemon. She shuts her eyes and tries to think of something before she shakes her head and glares at Ash.

"Fine, we can still take you down even without electric attacks," she claims.

Serena looks at Macy skeptically and turns to Misty, saying, "I don't think she can. If I remember correctly, the only other moves Electabuzz knows are Light Screen and Iron Tail."

"That sounds about right," Misty says. "I think she knows that Ash has her trapped in terms of Pokemon type, so I guess there's nothing else she can do but give it her all despite the odds."

"Electabuzz, Iron Tail!" Macy shouts.

Electabuzz charges at Gabite again with its tail turned into Iron, but Ash just smirks again.

"Use Dragon Rush!" He commands.

Gabite's head glows blue, and it charges at Electabuzz with its body surrounded in blue energy again. Before Electabuzz can spin its body to hit Gabite with its tail, the cave Pokemon rams into it again, and Electabuzz is sent back a few feet.

"Now, use Rock Smash again!" Ash commands.

"Block it with Light Screen and then use Iron Tail again!" Macy orders.

Gabite charges at Electabuzz with its hands glowing white again, but Electabuzz puts its hands in front of its body, and a yellow glass screen appears. Gabite punches at the screen, but it does no effect. Electabuzz then makes the screen disappear and hits Gabite with Iron Tail, making Ash's Pokemon take several steps back.

"Yeah! You can't do anything with Electabuzz using Light Screen!" Macy boasts.

"Oh yes, we can," Ash says. "Gabite, use Draco Meteor!"

"Electabuzz, use Light Screen again!" Macy shouts.

Gabite grins before it lifts its head at the sky and fires a giant orb into the air. Macy watches the orb in confusion while Electabuzz creates another glass screen in front of itself. The orb explodes mid-air, and thousands of tiny orbs start falling from the sky. Macy's eyes widen, and she gasps sharply when she realizes what is happening.

"Electabuzz, watch out!" She cries out.

But it is no use. Electabuzz sees the orbs coming down, but it can't move its glass screen to protect itself. The electric Pokemon can do nothing but stand in place as an orb hits it, and it falls through the ice. Countless other orbs hit the ice, causing it to break until only a few large chunks of ice and the platforms are the only things still floating. The referee looks around for Electabuzz until it floats up in the water with swirly eyes.

"Electabuzz is unable to battle!" he declares. "Gabite is the winner!"

The audience cheers and Misty and Serena stand up and applaud for Ash. Macy frowns sadly and returns Electabuzz to its Pokeball.

"You did what you could," she whispers to the ball before looking at the battlefield. "But now I'm in a pickle. That attack destroyed my big ice platform for my fire Pokemon. I clearly need to be careful with who to choose next."

The girl in the yellow dress racks her brain, feeling disheartened by the situation. After a minute, she bites her lip and takes out another Pokeball.

"Typhlosion, come on out!" She shouts.

Typhlosion comes out of its Pokeball and roars at Gabite until it realizes that it's in a platform surrounded by water.

"So Typhlosion again, huh?" Ash thinks. "Then it's time I give Oshawott a chance for payback."

He takes out Gabite's Pokeball and gets ready to return it, but he stops halfway and hesitates.

"_But then again, I wouldn't give Buizel a chance to fight even though I just added it to my team,_" he says in his mind before turning to Serena and Misty. "_And Serena made a good point with how Buizel would be tactically better suited for the battle._"

He frowns and thinks about what to do for a few seconds before he makes a decision.

"If nothing else, it might make Serena happy, and that's part of the reason why I'm competing," he says to himself before lifting up his Pokeball. "Gabite, return!"

Gabite nods before it goes back into its Pokeball. Macy becomes irritated that Ash is changing Pokemon again while Serena and Misty wait to see who he'll call up next.

"Buizel, I choose you!" Ash shouts, throwing another Pokeball.

Buizel emerges from its container and lands on one of the remaining blocks of ice. It smirks at Typhlosion, who glares daggers at it.

"What is that thing?" Macy says, confused.

"That is Buizel," Ash answers proudly.

"Buiiiii!" Buizel shouts.

"Aw, it looks cute," Misty coos. "So this is the water Pokemon you suggested, Serena?"

"Yeah, it is," Serena says, not noticing that her cheeks are turning slightly pink.

Macy pouts childishly and says, "I'm sure it's a water Pokemon, but we have taken down one of your water Pokemon before. Typhlosion, use Swift!"

"Dodge it!" Ash shouts.

Typhlosion fires several golden stars at Buizel, but it easily hops from the platform it was on to an ice cube floating by.

"Typhlosion, use Flamethrower full blast!" Maxy barks.

"Go deep into the water, Buizel!" Ash commands.

Buizel jumps into the water before Typhlosion uses Flamethrower, destroying the ice cube. Macy and Typhlosion become uneasy as Buizel is so deep in the water that they have no idea where it is.

"Now, use Aqua Jet from behind!" Ash commands.

Almost instantly, Buizel emerges from the water behind Typhlosion and rams into it. The volcano Pokemon nearly falls off the platform as it falls down on it's back, seriously hurt while Buizel jumps back inside the water.

"Typhlosion, are you okay?" Macy calls out.

Typhlosion groans softly before it gets up on all fours and forces itself to stand up on its back legs.

"Typhlooooooo!" It roars as the fire on it's back reignites.

Macy smirks and says, "Alright, time for a counterattack! Use Flamethrower on the water!"

Typhlosion releases a powerful stream of fire on the water, and it becomes so hot that it isn't long before Buizel shoots out of the water and lands on the nearest platform to escape the heat.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Macy orders.

Typhlosion charges at Buizel at blinding speed and tackles it hard. Buizel is sent crashing into another platform on the other side of the field with a couple of scratches on its body.

"Don't give up, Buizel!" Ash calls out. "Use Sonic Boom!"

Buizel gets up and jumps into the air. Its two tails glow white, and it flips around, sending a large, white shockwave at Typhlosion.

"Dodge it using Quick Attack again!" Macy shouts.

Typhlosion moves away from the white Shockwave and jumps from platform to ice cube to platform again until Buizel lands on a platform, and Typhlosion tackles it from the side. The sea weasel Pokemon is once again sent crashing into another platform, and Macy grins.

"Finally," she says. "Typhlosion, use Flame Wheel!"

Typhlosion gets down one all fours and starts hopping from platform to platform again with its entire body engulfed in flames. Ash grinds his teeth, trying to think of a way to counter the attack until he remembers something.

"That's it!" He shouts. "Buizel, use Counter Shield!"

"Counter Shield?" Serena and Misty says in confusion.

Buizel opens its eyes, and it starts spinning around and firing streams of water while still lying on its back. The water flies all over the field, with some of it landing on Typhlosion as it's charging, weakening the flames surrounding its body. Buizel keeps spinning and tossing water all over the place until the flames surrounding Typhlosion die out. The volcano Pokemon stops running, shocked that's attack is disrupted.

"Now, use Water Gun!" Ash shouts.

Buizel shoots water from its mouth, and it hits Typhlosion, making it howl in agony as the water hurts its fire-type body.

"Typhlosion!" Macy cries out.

"Now, finish it with Aqua Jet!" Ash orders.

Buizel surrounds itself with water and shoots toward its opponent like a rocket. Typhlosion stands in place, still in pain from the last attack before Buizel rams into it, sending it crashing into a wall. Macy's heart sinks as her Pokemon plummets to the ground, limp.

"Typhlosion cannot continue!" The referee declares. "Buizel wins, therefore the victory goes to Ash!"

The audience roars in applause and Ash, and Pikachu cheer as Buizel runs toward Ash and jumps into his arms.

"You were great, Buizel!" He exclaims.

"Buizel!" Buizel shouts happily.

"Alright!" Serena shouts as she jumps off her seat and thrusts her fist into the air. "Way to go, Ash and Buizel!"

"Great job, Ash!" Misty praises.

"Thanks, you guys," Ash says.

Macy looks at Typhlosion's body sadly before she returns it to its Pokeball. She lowers her head to hide her face with her hair and fights the tears coming out of her eyes. She wipes her eyes and takes a deep breath before she forces a smile and walks over to Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Buizel, and Misty. Ash notices her first and gives her a friendly smile.

"Good battle, Macy," he says.

"You too, Ash," she replies, politely with a small smile. "I guess I still have a way to go before I can beat you."

Ash nods and says, "Maybe someday you will. We can battle again anytime."

Macy's smile grows, feeling a little better.

"Thanks," she says. "And next time, I'll ask you on a date properly."

Serena and Misty give Macy disapproving glares, but Ash just chuckles and says, "Okay, but I think I already know how that's going to turn out."

Macy pouts for a moment before she suddenly laughs it off and gives everyone a grin.

"Well, I better get going then," she says as she turns around and starts running away while waving at everyone. "Good luck during the rest of the tournament, sweetie!"

"Thanks, see you later!" Ash calls out while waving back.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu calls out.

"Buizel!" Buizel shouts with a wave.

Serena and Misty shiver in secret over Macy, calling Ash "sweetie" but politely smile and wave back. They both smile at each other relieved that they won't see the girl again any time soon as they exit the field together with Pikachu, Buizel, and the boy they both care for.

"Yay, Ash!" Bonnie exclaims.

The little girl and Clemont, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, and Cilan we're all outside to meet Ash, Pikachu, Buizel, Serena, and Misty. Dawn steps forward to give Ash another high five as the others congratulate him.

"Nice job using that Counter Shield technique," Dawn says. "I completely forgot about it until you used it to disrupt that Flame Wheel."

"Oh, so that was what you were doing?" Iris asks.

"Yep, that's how Buizel and I stopped Typhlosion's Flame Wheel,"

"Bui!" Buizel exclaims.

"How fascinating," Cilan says gleefully. "Just a creative use of spices and other flavors to bring out -"

"Yes, yes, it was an incredible move," Clemont interrupts, having been used to the way Cilan talks by now. "Now, why don't we go over to the ice stadium and see if Max has won yet."

"Good idea," Ash says before taking out Buizel's Pokeball. "Buizel, why don't you get some rest?"

Buizel nods before it goes back into its ball, and everyone starts heading to the next stadium. But as they are walking, Misty turns to Serena and decides to speak to her privately.

"By the way, I've meant to ask; how are things going with you and Ash?" She whispers.

Serena winces and looks away with a downhearted look on her face as she walks.

"I thought as much," Misty says sadly. "Does that mean you've accepted the truth? That you can't keep traveling with him forever?"

"I don't know," Serena says. "I haven't given up on him, but I have a feeling we might not travel together after the Pokemon League. The only thing that seems clear to me that if we do go our separate ways that I want to do one direct move to express my feelings to him."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Misty asks. "You may have nothing to really gain from something like that."

"I know," Serena says. "But even so, at least I gave it my all rather than stay silent."

Misty winces, knowing that Serena is referring to her own decision to not confess her feelings for Ash. Even though Serena didn't mean to say it to be mean or cold to her friend, it still stings her. Serena looks at her apologetically, but Misty just nods her head and pats the honey blonde girl on the back.

"You're a brave girl, Serena," she says. "Braver than I am."

Serena frowns sympathetically and opens her mouth to say something until they hear May calling out to them from a distance.

"Hey, you guys!" She shouts.

"Hey, May, Max!" Ash calls out as the two siblings run over to the rest of the group.

"Did you win your match, Max?" Bonnie asks eagerly.

"Sure did," Max says proudly. "My opponent took down my Pinser before Gallade took out the rest of his Pokemon. How about you, Ash?"

"I took out all of Macy's Pokemon using all of mine without any of them fainting," Ash replies.

"That's great," Max says. "Then let's head to the grass arena and see how Holly's doing. I think it's already started by now."

Misty smiles and says, "Good idea. We should see how she's doing with just Brock cheering her on."

"Oh, I'm sure she's just more than happy with Brock there," Serena says.

"Ash? Serena? Max? May?"

Everyone looks confused until they turn around to see none other than Lucy, Barbara, and their sisters walking over to them.

"Hey, Lucy," Ash greets. "Fancy meeting you all here."

"Yeah, how're you doing?" May asks.

"I'm doing well," Lucy says with a mild-mannered smile. "But tell me, where is Brock? I'd very much like to see him."

Once again, everyone else looks confused as they stare at Lucy.

"Really? Why's that?" Serena asks.

"Oh, nothing much," Lucy says with a small blush on her face. "We just made a promise to each other for after Ash competes in the Pokemon League."

Everyone in the group is even more puzzled than ever, while Lucy's sisters are dying to know what it is. Serena looks at Lucy, concerned as she asks what is on everyone's mind.

"What promise was that?"

"Poochyena, use Crunch!"

"Beedrill, use Poison Jab!"

A Poochyena races toward Holly's Beedrill with its teeth glowing white while the poison bee Pokemon's stingers are glowing purple. The bite Pokemon pounces at Beedrill, but it flies past Poochyena and stabs it on the side. Poochyena howls as it crashes into the ground on its side with purple bubbles showing on its body.

"_It looks like Poochyena has been poisoned,_" the announcer says. "_This might be all over for Barty._"

The man named Barty looks at his Pokemon in shock while Holly smirks confidently. Poochyena tries to stand up while Beedrill waits for another command.

"Come on, Holly, you can do it!" Brock calls out from the bench behind Holly. "Finish it! You know what to do."

Holly turns to the tan young man, puts her hand on the necklace he gave her, and winks at him before turning to Beedrill.

"You heard him, Beedrill!" She shouts. "Let's finish it with X-Scissor!"

Barry's pupils shrink as he watches Beedrill cross its arms and slashes at his Poochyena. The wolf-like Pokemon howls again as it's sent flying back a couple of feet and lies down, fainted.

"Poochyena cannot continue!" The referee announces. "Beedrill is the winner, so the victory goes to Holly!"

"Yes!" Holly exclaims, jumping up and down before running over to Brock and jumping into his arms. The two of them laugh happily while the crowd cheers. Even Beedrill does a gleeful dance in the air, happy to have helped its new trainer win. Barty sighs sadly before he returns Poochyena to its Pokeball and glumly leaves the grass battlefield. Brock and Holly stop celebrating before Holly also returns Beedrill to its Pokeball, and the two of them leave the field together.

"Wasn't I just great?" Holly asks happily.

"You were incredible," Brock replies with a grin. "It was your first Pokemon league battle, and you only lost one of your Pokemon before completely wiping out his team."

Holly smiles sweetly and snuggles her head against Brock's shoulder, saying, "But I could not have done it without you. I would never have known how powerful Beedrill's bug attacks are against that Poochyena."

"Maybe, but even then, you have a lot of faith in your Pokemon as well," Bock points out. "I may have been a good teacher, and you've been a good listener, but I can see out there that you trusted all of your Pokemon, including Beedrill, even after you only just recently caught it."

"Aw, thanks, Brock," Holly coos. "Anyway, do you think Max and Ash are done with their battles too?"

"No doubt about it," Brock replies as the two of them exit the stadium. "In fact, I bet the whole gang it's probably looking for us with excited smiles on their faces right about -"

But as soon as they are a few feet away from the exit, they suddenly see Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, May, Max, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Bonnie, and Clemont, waiting for them. Instead of happy smiles on their faces like Brock predicted, Ash is looking disappointed at Brock while everyone else is looking livid at him. Serena and Dawn have their arms crossed while Misty and May have their hands on their hips, and Iris hands are turned into balls of fists. Bonnie is grinding her teeth, trying to look angry while Clemont is glaring at Brock and Cilan is shaking his head. Brock and Holly grow uncomfortable as they feel the tension in the air.

"Hey, guys," Brock says. "What's the matter?"

"I think we should be asking what's the matter with you," Max says.

"What do you mean?" Brock asks.

Serena, Max, Bonnie, Clemont, May, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan just point to their left, and Brock and Holly turn to where they're pointing to see Lucy and her sisters standing next to the group. Brock's mouth hangs open, and his body stiffens in fear as he looks at Lucy, who gives him a hurt look on her face. Barabra and her other sisters look at him venomously as if they are ready to tear the tan-skinned man apart with their bare hands. Holly, however, is completely confused and turns to Brock.

"Brock, who is this?" she asks.

Brock stammers hysterically, trying desperately to find words to come out of his mouth. Suddenly, Misty steps up to him and bangs her fist on top of his head like a hammer on a nail. Brock whines in agony and gets down on his knees, holding the top of his head with his hands while Misty gives him a death glare.

"You promised to get together with two different women?!" She barks.

"What?!" Holly shrieks.

"That's right," Misty says. "It appears Brock and Lucy here had a private conversation where they confessed to liking each other and planned to be together after the league."

"Yeah, and this all happened just a little while before he, Ash, and Serena saw you at Neon City," May says.

Holly stares at her friend, unable to move a muscle in her body. Brock stands back up while still rubbing his head, but hides his face from everyone in shame. Lucy looks at Brock, trying hard not to cry.

"How could you, Brock?" Is all she manages to say.

Holly turns to Brock, who is still hiding his face.

"Brock?" She says. "Brock, tell me this isn't true."

But instead of responding, Brock just stays in place, refusing to look at anyone. Holly looks back at Lucy and then at Brock as the reality of the situation hits her.

"So...when you said you were thinking a lot about me and trying not to think about other women...that was a lie?" She asks.

Brock winces before he quietly answers, "No, most of it was true."

"But not all of it," Holly says.

"Brock, I thought you were a good person," Lucy says with pleading eyes. "How could you do this?"

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Brock says, looking at her apologetically. "I didn't mean for -"

"Shut up!" Holly screams. "Just...just shut up! You don't get to be sorry to anybody!"

"But I -" Brock begins before Holly slaps him so hard in the face that he gets down on his knees, caressing his cheek.

"I don't ever want to speak to you again!" She shrieks before she storms away from everyone.

"But...but Holly!" Brock protests while still in one knee.

Barabra cracks her knuckles and turns to Lucy's other sisters saying, "Come on, ladies, let's knock this foul crook to next Tuesday!"

The other woman all say words of agreement until Lucy firmly lifts her hand up for silence.

"No," she says.

"No?" Barabra protests. "But Queen Lucy -"

"I said no, Barabra," Lucy says sharply. "Don't bother with him. Let's just go. I need some time to myself."

With that, Lucy turns her back on Brock and walks away. Barbara and the other woman try to protest again, but they soon sigh and silently follow their queen. Brock stretches out his hand for Lucy in vain before he lowers his head again in defeat. Serena stays incandescent with Brock before she turns around and heads into the direction of where Holly left. The rest of the group just glare at Brock for a little longer before they silently leave except for Ash and Pikachu.

The raven-haired boy and his partner just look at their old friend in pure, sad disappointment. Even though Ash does not understand the full gravity of what his friend has done, he perceives enough to look down at his old companion. Brock notices Ash and Pikachu still there and fights the tears in his eyes, and he lowers his head again.

"Ash...what have I done?" He weeps.


	64. Chapter 64

Serena looks for Holly while walking in the direction of where the auburn-haired woman went. The honey blonde girl is still fuming with anger as she marches through the area, looking for her friend.

"I can't believe Brock did that," she grumbles to herself. "And to think I was supporting him and thinking he changed just like that. Ugh, he's lucky I'm not violent like Misty or I would have -"

But as she's walking, she stops talking in mid-sentence as she hears something. She looks around until she spots Holly sitting under a tree, hugging her legs and burying her face as she cries bitterly. Serena's angry face melts away into a look of pity as she walks over to her friend. She slowly places her hand on Holly's head, but Holly immediately knocks it away.

"Get away from me, Brock!" She chokes out.

"Holly, it's me," Serena says.

Holly lifts her head up to look at Serena. Her eyes are bloodshot red, and tears are still running down her face. Serena is heartbroken for her friend as Holly looks away from her and gestures her to sit next to her. The honey blonde girl sits down and puts her arm around Holly while Holly rests her head on her legs.

"I am so sorry," Serena says softly. "I feel like such a fool. I wish I never vouched for him at Neon City."

Holy sniffles and says, "Don't beat yourself up, Serena. You didn't know that he talked to this Lucy woman in secret."

"I know, but I still gave you hope," Serena says. "I just wish I knew that he did that or that she had any feelings for him at all. There gave no indication from her that she had any interest in Brock when I was in her house. I'm the one who said I was going to try to help Brock with his... issue."

Holly pats Serena on the shoulder and gives her a sad smile.

"Maybe this is something that should never have been your responsibility," she says. "Maybe, in the end, he needs to help himself."

Serena nods robotically, still feeling down about the situation. Holly wipes the tears from her eyes and sniffles again before she tries to force a smile on her face.

"I guess Brock and I were bound to hit a problem like this in our relationship at some point," she says with a forced laugh. "I mean, who says you get to have all the drama with trying to get through to Ash?"

The two of them chuckle quietly before silence overtakes them again. Holly lets out a big sigh, and Serena looks at her friend downhearted. Eventually, Holly looks down and sees the necklace still hanging around her neck. Anger starts to fill her eyes, and she grasps on the pearl attached to a rock getting ready to rip it out of her neck. Serena watches the action with a look of worry and horror in her eyes until Holly stands still and slowly loosens her grip on the necklace. The auburn-haired woman hangs her head in shame as she accepts that she cannot remove the necklace away from herself.

"Ugh, I'm so mad at him, and yet I can't even take off the necklace he gave me," she groans. "Have you ever felt so mad with Ash that you'd want to throw away your ribbon?"

"No, never," Serena says almost instantly while putting her hand on her ribbon defensively. "But Ash has also never hurt me like that either."

Holly whines and buries her face with her legs again. Serena rubs her back despite knowing that anything she does won't make her friend feel any better. They sit under the tree in silence for a few more minutes before Holly wipes the tears from her eyes again and stands up, trying to collect herself.

"I better get to the Pokemon Center," she says. "My Pokemon will need to rest up before my next match tomorrow."

"Good idea," Serena says, standing up.

For the rest of the day, Holly has her Pokemon checked by Nurse Joy and spends the rest of the day thinking about what happened with Brock. Eventually, Dawn, Piplup, May, Misty, Bonnie, and Iris join in comforting her with Serena. They try to help her through her every need, but Holly just politely tells them no and that she needs time alone. Ash and Pikachu stayed with Brock, but don't say a word to him while the young man stays miserable over what he's done. Max, Cilan, and Clemont refuse to say a word to Brock even though the three of them and Ash and Pikachu are staying in the same room as him in the Pokemon Center. The next day, Brock found himself eating breakfast alone, with everyone still giving him the cold shoulder.

After breakfast, the rest of the group follows Holly, Ash, and Max to the main building for the Indigo League to find out who they are facing in the next round of the preliminaries. Holly still downcast, but she tries to stay focused on the competition. As everyone waits in line for the front desk, they notice Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers waiting in a different line and call over to them.

"Hey, Timothy," Ash calls out.

The two men and Electchu turn to the gang and smile at all of them.

"Hey, you guys," Timothy greets. "How did the first round go for you?"

"Holly and Max and I all won," Ash says proudly with a toothy grin.

"Sure did," Max says.

Holly just nods robotically, only half paying attention.

"And it looks like you clearly won your match too, Timothy," Dawn comments.

Timothy and Coovers chuckle before the latter says, "Yeah, you could say you were right on the money when you said Timothy's opponent was going to be easy compared to Alain, Dawn. Poliwrath wiped out all three Pokemon with ease."

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

"Awesome," Ash says. "I used all of my Pokemon, but none of them fainted."

"Glad to hear it," Timothy says with a smile. "Let's keep it up so we can battle again."

"Agreed," Ash says with a nod.

Before long, everyone makes it to the end of the line with Ash going first. His next battle is revealed to be the third battle of the day at the ice field against a young boy named Bartamas. Timothy goes next around the same time as Ash and discovers he's going to face a man named Jeremy. Max comes next, and he finds out that he's competing in the ice field right after Ash against a girl named Stacy. Finally, Holly comes last and presses the red button at the front desk. The auburn-haired woman doesn't even look at the screen until she hears Ash and Serena gasp sharply, and she looks up and stares in horror.

"You will be battling against Abigail in the seventh battle at the rock field," the woman at the front desk says. "Best of luck."

But instead of saying thank you, Holly just runs to the exit with everyone, including Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers, running behind. Holly bursts out of the building and runs until she's several yards away and panting for breath with her hands on her knees. Eventually, everyone catches up with her, and Iris is the first person to ask what is on everybody but Ash and Serena's mind.

"Holly, what is the matter?" The girl with the large purple hair asks.

Holly takes a few deep breaths from running before she answers.

"I've faced that woman before at Neon City," she says without looking at anyone. "She humiliated me in battle with her Nidoqueen, and it was right in front of Brock just when he found me here in Kanto."

"Is she really that strong?" May asks.

"Strong and arrogant," Serena answers, for her friend. "She was always boasting about how powerful she was. I faced her at the Pokemon contest there, and I was all too happy to beat her for Holly."

Ash nods while Holly gives Serena a brief appreciative look, remembering that day.

"So it sounds like you're worried that you're going to lose again against this Abigail," Coovers says.

"That's right," Holly says. "I don't know how I'm going to stand a better chance against her than I did before."

"But you can't lose hope just like that," Bonnie protests.

"Bonnie is right," Max says. "You need to stay strong."

"Yeah, don't let your worries get the better of you," Dawn says.

"Piplup!" Piplup says, trying to sound confident.

Clemont nods in agreement, and Holly briefly smiles at everyone before her face is filled with dread again. Timothy grows concerned for the auburn-haired woman and decides to speak too.

"Okay, let's take this in little steps," he says. "What other Pokemon does this Abigail have apart from a Nidoqueen?"

Ash and Serena scratch their chins in thought before the former says, "I do remember her using a Dewgong, but that's about it."

"Okay, so that supposedly means we know two of the three Pokemon she might use for the match," Timothy says. "With the Nidoqueen, your best bet is ground, water, ice, and Psychic attacks. With Dewgong, fighting, rock, electric, and grass attacks are the most effective. I wish I knew what's her other Pokemon are. Otherwise, I would straight out tell you what Pokemon you should use for that."

"I understand," Holly says quietly. "Thanks for the advice. That does give me a couple of ideas."

"No problem," Timothy says with a friendly smile.

"Hey, wait a minute," Coovers says in realization. "Where's Brock?"

Holly winces sharply and looks away while the rest of the gang becomes uncomfortable.

"Hey, that's right. Where is he?" Timothy asks. "Shouldn't he be cheering you up and giving you advice just like the rest of us?"

Holly tries to fight the urge to cry again before she answers the two men.

"We're not speaking to him right now," she says.

Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers frown and give Holly sympathetic looks.

"I see," Timothy says. "Well, whatever is the problem, I hope you two can figure it out."

"Thanks," Holly says bluntly.

"Hey, I know," Bonnie says. "We could look up whatever other Pokemon Abigail has using one it the computers at the Pokemon Center."

"Good idea, Bonnie," Ash says. "We should be doing that to prepare for Max's, Timothy's, and my battles anyway."

"Agreed," Max says. "So let's go do that while we still have time before all of our battles."

Everyone says words of agreement before they all head back to the Pokemon Center, with Holly feeling slightly better with all of her friends here to support her.

Everyone starts getting on a couple of computers to look up what Pokemon Ash, Max, Holly, and Timothy might be facing in their upcoming battles. After finding out what Pokemon his opponent has, Ash decides to switch Pokemon with Professor Oak again so that he has his Donphan, Sceptile, and Scraggy on his team. Timothy and Max decide they are satisfied with the Pokemon they have while Holly becomes more uneasy after she discovers the rest of Abigail's team. Thankfully for her, Serena, Clemont, Cilan, Timothy, and Coovers are quick to encourage her and help her come up with more strategies with the Pokemon she has.

Eventually, the next round in the preliminaries start. Ash takes down Jeremy's Abra with Scraggy before Jeremy's Graveler takes Scraggy down. Ash's Sceptile defeats Graveler, and he switches Pokemon so that his Donphan can take down Jeremy's Machamp with Rollout and Hyper Beam, thus winning the match. Not long after that, Max comes up next, and things start off ugly with Stacy's Rapidash taking out his Pinser and Rhydon. But then he chooses Gallade as his last Pokemon, and the blade Pokemon cuts down Rapidash and wipes out Stacy's Staryu and Skarmory, winning the match. Timothy wins another perfect match with just Odyssey, but unbeknownst to everyone else, his victory gives Ash new ideas to try to beat him for Serena.

Finally, it's late in the afternoon, and everyone is heading to the rock field for Holly's match. Despite everyone having her back, however, the auburn-haired woman's mind is still focused on Brock. Secretly, she tries to reason in her mind how she should never speak to him again, but at the same time, her heart is trying to reason with the idea to find it deep inside to give him a chance. Both arguments inside her are driving her crazy, and she gives it everything she has to hide it from everyone as they make it to the entrance.

"How about Cilan and I sit on the bench behind Holly so we can give her advice," Serena suggests.

"I think that is a good idea," Clemont says. "What do you say, Cilan?"

"It would be my honor," Cilan says with a graceful bow.

Holly smiles at her friends until she feels a bump on her shoulder. She turns around and feels a pain in her heart as she sees Lucy and her sister's. The Battle Pike Queen looks down as if the ground in front of Holly is the most interesting thing in the world.

"Sorry," Lucy says quietly.

"It's okay," Holly says awkwardly.

The two women look away from each other, feeling uneasy while everyone else is uncomfortable with the entire situation. Just then, everyone hears the sound of panting, and they turn to see Brock running towards them. Lucy and Holly sadly look away from him while Barbara and Lucy's other sisters, as well as Misty, give the tan-skinned man hard glares while everyone else just looks at him disapprovingly.

"You have some nerve showing your face here," Barabra growls.

"No kidding," Misty agrees, cracking her knuckles. "Seems like you want another knuckle sandwich."

The two of them storm toward Brock, and he quickly waves his hands at them in panic.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" He exclaims. "I'm here to apologize!"

"It's a little late for that, Brock," Max says.

"I know," Brock says, turning to Lucy and Holly. "But please just give me a chance to explain myself."

"What's there to explain?" One of Lucy's other sisters ridicules.

"I'd like to speak with Holly and Lucy alone before the battle if I could," Brock says.

May, Max, Misty, Dawn, Iris, Barabra, and Lucy's other sisters look at Brock in disbelief.

"You want to speak with them?" Iris rebukes. "You're pretty gutsy for -"

"Let him speak,"

Everyone turns to Lucy, confused. She turns around to look at Brock with a serious look on her face. Lucy's sisters are feeling fidgety over the idea while everyone else is wondering why she would allow Brock to apologize. Holy hesitates until she reluctantly decides to also hear out what Brock has to say.

"Fine, let him speak," she grumbles.

Everyone turns to Holly, even more surprised.

"Are you sure?" Dawn asks.

"No," Holly answers honestly. "But, I want to hear him out, at least."

Ash and the others look at each other worriedly before they silently decide to respect her wishes.

"Serena and I will be on the field waiting for you," Cilan says with Serena nodding.

"Thanks," Holly says silently.

Barbara and Lucy's other sisters are still acting uneasy as they turn to Lucy.

"Are you really sure about this?" Barabra questions.

Lucy turns to Barabra and, with a wooden face, says, "Your queen has spoken."

Barbara and the other women are taken aback by Lucy's final word, and they reluctantly obey her. With that, Serena and Cilan go inside while the rest of the gang and Lucy's sisters find the main entrance to look for a place to sit in the stands. Once Brock, Holly, and Lucy are alone, the two women glare at Brock as the tension between them grows.

"Well?" Holly asks harshly.

Brock squirms before he sighs and looks at Lucy and Holly with a penitent expression on his face.

"Look, I can't defend myself for what I've done," he starts. "I made a promise to each of you without thinking about the consequences, without thinking about how I would seriously hurt both of you."

Both women are completely silent, looking at Brock skeptically as he continues.

"I have only told this to Holly, but the thing is, I have a horrible habit of chasing a lot of women," he says. "Other women have never really thought of me as someone to like romantically apart from you two. There may have some other to a small degree, but you two have been the most heartfelt and sincere out of anyone I've ever known. And you are both amazing people to me. Lucy, you're a strong person, and you speak your mind without a doubt. Holly, you keep finding ways to improve yourself and get stronger no matter what the odds."

Lucy and Holly try to hide the fact that they are not slightly flattered by the way Brock complimented them.

"I care for both of you, and I wish I knew how else to make this up to you, but I can't," Brock answers honestly. "I don't know how to handle something like this, and I wish I could undo the hurt I've brought to both of you. All I can say is I've caused you pain because of my problem, and I'm sorry."

Lucy and Holly's skeptical faces fade slowly, feeling unsure of how to take Brock's apology. Brock stares at both of them for a moment until he remembers something and reaches into his backpack. He takes out two different flowers, one a purple Crane's Bill and the other an orange begonia. Both women are taken aback as Brock gives Lucy the Crane's Bill and Holly the begonia. They both hold the flower they are given in surprise before they sniff their flowers and smile slightly.

"Brock, how did you know this is my favorite flower?" Lucy asks.

"And mine too?" Holly asks.

Brock scratches the back of his head one looks way from the two of them with a chuckle.

"I didn't," he answers truthfully. "I just browsed at the flower shop and picked the flowers that make me think of each of you the most."

Lucy looks away from Brock and tries to keep a wooden face despite a small blush emerging from her cheeks. Holly fights the urge to crack a smile, feeling her heart skip a beat from Brock's openness. Brock gets on his knees and humbly bows his head at both women.

"All I ask is a chance to redeem myself," he says. "If you give me that one chance, I swear to both of you I will give it everything I have to make it up to you."

Neither Holly nor Lucy are sure of how to answer to Brock's request. In their minds, they find his request to be clunky at best, but their hearts seem to feel otherwise. After a couple of minutes, Lucy walks over to Brock, and he lifts his head to look at her with a pleading look in his eyes. The Battle Pike Queen looks deep into the eyes that she is so fond of and sighs.

"Brock, I cannot say I'm not disappointed by what you have done," she says. "That said, I believe you when you say you're sorry. I can see how deep down you still are the caring person that I grew to like, but it's clear that you have a problem that you need help with. I want to aid you out or hope that you will change for the better."

Brock smiles, and he stands up with a hint of hope in his eyes. He turns to Holly, who is still hesitating with her emotions. Before she could think of an answer, an attendant walks over to the three of them from the entrance.

"Holly!" He calls out. "The match starts in four minutes!"

Holly's eyes widen, realizing she's forgotten about her battle against Abigail.

"Okay, I'll be right there!" She replies.

The attendant nods and walks back inside the building, and Holly turns to Brock, who are still waiting for her to answer.

"I...I...I can't think about this right now," she says. "I need to focus on my battle. I'm against Abigail, and I really want to beat her this time."

Brock's mouth hangs open, shocked to learn that the arrogant woman that Holly faced at Neon City is her next opponent. His face then turns serious, and he nods at the auburn-haired woman.

"I understand," he says. "Give it everything you've got."

"Believe me, I intend to," Holly says.

"Good luck, Holly," Lucy says.

Holly turns to the woman with the black and red hair, taken aback by her brief encouragement. She looks at Lucy skeptically, wondering if she's trying to impress Brock in some way by acting like a good sport even though Holly hasn't given him an answer yet.

"Thanks," Holly says out of politeness before she goes inside.

As Holly goes down the hall leading to the rock field, she tries to focus on the task at hand, but her mind and heart are still debating on what she should do with Brock. Her mind says she should never speak to him again, but at the same time, her heart is trying to reason with the idea to find it deep inside herself to give him a chance. Both arguments inside her drive her crazy again, and she gives it everything she has to suppress her feelings as she enters the field.

By the time she is walking toward the green platform, Serena and Cilan are already sitting on the bench behind the platform while Abigail is on the red platform. The crowd is roaring with applause, and Abigail is blowing kisses left and right with men in benches trying to catch them. Holly grumbles incoherent words, annoyed that Abigail's fans clearly came all the way here from Neon City to cheer her on. Serena and Cilan notice Holly coming and stand up from their bench to face her.

"So, what happened?" Serena asks.

"He apologized and asked to give him a chance to make it up to both that other woman and me," Holly answers plainly without looking at her friends.

Cilan frowns skeptically and says, "And what did you say to that?"

"Nothing yet," Holly says. "And I'm not going to until I put Abigail in her place, so can we just focus on my match for right now?"

Serena and Cilan look at each other, and after a couple of seconds, nod and smile at their friend.

"Of course," Cilan says. "We're with you all the way."

"Thanks," Holly says before realizing she's still holding her flower. "Oh yeah, could you hold this for me, Serena?"

Serena is taken aback as Holly hands her the flower and says, "Sure," despite feeling uneasy, figuring who gave it to her friend. Holly takes a deep breath and glares at Abigail. As she gets on the green platform, the woman with shiny brown hair gives Holly a smug look while showing off her white dress to the audience.

"I have to hand it to you, I didn't expect you to qualify for the Pokemon League in time," she mocks. "Doesn't change the fact that you're going to be humiliated again."

"I'm going to make you eat those words!" Holly barks. "I am much stronger than before. I even went against a member of the Elite Four and held my own very well against her!"

"Well, bully for you," Abigail says with a wave of her hand

"_Hello, everyone, and welcome to the seventh battle on the rock field!"_ The announcer shouts. "_In the green corner, it's Holly from the Sinnoh Region and the beloved Abigail from Neon City in the red corner!_"

The audience roars with thunderous applause, but Abigail's fans shout even louder, screaming her name as they cheer.

"_So, without further ado, let's get this battle started!_" The announcer continues.

The referee walks over to the sideline and raises both of his flags, announcing, "This will be a three-on-three battle between Abigail and Holly! The battle will be all over when all three Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! Furthermore, both sides are allowed substitutions! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready!" Holly and Abigail reply.

"Then battle begin!" The referee shouts.

"Wigglytuff, let's go!" Holly shouts.

"Dodrio, come out!" Abigail shouts.

Both women throw their respective Pokeballs, and Wigglytuff, and Dodrio both come out.

"Wigglytuff, use Headbutt!" Holly shouts.

Abigail scoffs and bluntly shouts, "Quick Attack!"

Wigglytuff charges at Dodrio head first, but Dodrio is so fast that it rams into the balloon Pokemon before Wigglytuff could realize it.

"All too easy," Abigail says with a grin. "Now, Dodrio, use Tri Attack!"

Dodrio opens its beak and positions its heads so that it looks like a triangle. An orb of energy appears from each of the beaks with one green, one indigo, and another red. Holly becomes uneasy with the attack until Cilan calls out to her.

"Stay calm, Holly!" He shouts from the bench behind Holly. "Remember what we planned with Wigglytuff!"

Holly tries to think of what he's talking about until it hits her.

"Of course," she says. "Wigglytuff, use Sing!"

Wigglytuff smiles cheerfully and takes a large breath before it sings a loud but soothing tune. Dodrio keeps preparing its attack until its eyelids start to grow heavy, and the orbs forming on each of its beaks begin to fade. The triple bird Pokemon wobbles until it falls down face-first on the ground, shocking Abigail.

"Dodrio, what are you doing?" She snaps. "Get back up!"

"Oh, I don't think it's getting up," Holly says in a mocking tone that mimics Abigail's. "Wigglytuff, use Pound multiple times!"

Wigglytuff makes a cute but serious, angry face, and charges at its opponent before punching it multiple times. Abigail grinds her teeth in irritation as Wigglytuff violently punches her Dodrio left and right senselessly, making the triple bird Pokemon helplessly weaker with every punch. After one more punch, Dodrio takes several steps back, barely standing up while still asleep, and Holly grins.

"Now, use Headbutt one more time!" She commands.

Wigglytuff lowers its head and charges at Dodrio. This time, the balloon Pokemon successfully hits its target, knocking Dodrio off its feet. The triple bird Pokemon falls down on its back with swirly eyes on all three heads.

"Dodrio is out of the match," the referee declares, causing his green flag. "Wigglytuff is the winner!"

But instead of loud cheering, most of the audience is silent, clearly shocked that Abigail's Pokemon fainted. The only people cheering from the stands are several people who are neutral and Ash, Pikachu, Clement, Bonnie, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, and Misty. Serena and Cilan stand up and cheer from the bench behind Holly. But out of all of them, Brock is cheering the loudest while sitting with Lucy and her sisters. Holly smiles secretly at Brock, appreciative that he's been staying loyal to supporting her, but her smile quickly disappears when she keeps in mind that he is sitting beside Lucy. Eventually, Abigail snaps out of her shock and returns Dodrio to its Pokeball before taking out another one.

"You got lucky that time, but this is where your luck runs out," she growls. "Dewgong, come out now!"

Her Dewgong comes out of its Pokeball with a cheerful grin. Holly thinks for a moment before she turns to Cilan and Holly.

"I know the plan is I switch to Farfetch'd since it knows Razor Leaf, but I want to keep using Wigglytuff," she says

"Okay, but be careful," Cilan advises. "Wigglytuff isn't strong or weak against Dewgong and vice versa."

"Got it," Holly says.

"Dewgong, Aurora Beam!" Abigail yells.

"Use Defense Curl, Wigglytuff!" Holly shouts.

Wigglytuff deflates the air out of its body and rolls itself into a ball. Dewgong fires Aurora Beam, but the multicolored beam bounces off Wigglytuff.

"Now, use Sing!" Holly commands.

"Oh, no, you don't," Abigail snaps through her teeth. "Dewgong, use Ice Beam on that stupid balloon's mouth!"

Dewgong fires an Ice Beam from its mouth, and it hits Wigglytuff's mouth before it could open it. The poor Pokemon tries to get the ice off its mouth, but its little arms can't reach it.

"Oh no, Wigglytuff!" Holly cried out.

"That's better," Abigail says. "Now, use Aqua Jet!"

Dewgong surrounds itself with water and shoots at self toward Wigglytuff like a rocket. Holly grinds her teeth angrily at her opponent before she makes the next call.

"Wigglytuff, use Defense Curl, followed by Pound!" She instructs.

Wigglytuff rolls into a ball again, and Dewgong rams into it with no effect. Before it could move away, Wigglytuff unrolls itself and slaps Dewgong multiple times with both hands.

"Dewgong, use Ice Beam again at full power!" Abigail shouts.

"Wigglytuff, use Defense Curl again!" Holly commands.

"No! Don't use Defense Curl!" Cilan shouts.

Before Holly can ask the green-haired connoisseur, Wigglytuff rolls into a ball, and Dewgong easily hits it with Ice Beam. The sea lion Pokemon's attack hits Wigglytuff and it covers its opponent in ice. Holi cries out desperately, "Use Pound or Headbutt or something!" But it is no use. Even if Wigglytuff wanted to do what its trainer is asking, it's still stuck as a ball inside the block of ice. The referee waits for a moment until he raises his red flag.

"Wigglytuff cannot continue the fight! Dewgong wins!" He declares.

This time, the crowd goes wild and starts chanting Abigail's name again. The pompous woman with the shiny black hair smiles proudly while Serena and Cilan and all of their friends on the stands frown sadly. Holly frowns as she robotically takes out Wigglytuff's Pokeball and puts it back in before taking out another.

"Let's go, Farfetch'd!" She calls out as she throws it toward the field.

Farfetch'd comes out of the Pokeball and flies in the air while holding its leek stalk. Abigail sneers before she turns to her Pokemon.

"Just use Ice Beam again," she commands plainly.

"Farfetch'd, dodge it!" Holly shouts seriously.

Dewgong fires another Ice Beam, but Farfetch'd just flies away from its line of fire. The sea lion Pokemon frowns and fires Ice Beam again only for Farfetch'd to easily dodge again. The two of them continue this process until Dewgong grows weak from constantly using its attack.

"Now, use Razor Leaf!" Holly shouts.

"What?!" Abigail shouts, shocked.

Farfetch'd swings its stalk at Dewgong from a distance, and razor-sharp leaves emerge from the stalk and hit its opponent. Dewgong lets out a painful howl, and Abigail grows waspish.

"That's not fair!" She barks. "Farfetch'd can't learn that attack."

"It can, and it has," Holly counters. "Now use Peck, followed by Fury Attack!"

Farfetch'd dives down in front of Dewgong and pecks it hard with its back. Before its opponent can react, Farfetch'd starts swatting Dewgong repeatedly with its stalk. Abigail's Pokemon stands there and takes all the hits until she gets an idea.

"Dewgong, use Ice Shard quick!" She shouts.

Dewgong takes one more hit from Farfetch'd before it opens its mouth, and several shards come out of its mouth. Farfetch'd begins deflecting the shards with its stalk, but some of them hit its wings, and it gets down on one knee massaging its injured wings.

"Now, use Aurora Beam!" Abigail orders.

Holly grows nervous and tries to think of something with Farfetch'd unable to fly away.

"Uh...uh...Farfetch'd, cut it down with Air Slash!" She shouts desperately.

Farfetch'd makes a stance with its stalk glowing white. Dewgong fires its multicolored beam, and Farfetch'd slashes at it just as it's about to hit it. The attack splits apart and destroys two giant boulders behind Farfetch'd. Holly lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and laughs in relief.

"Alright, Razor Leaf, pronto!" She chortles.

Farfetch'd swings its stalk again, and two leaves hit Dewgong again. The sea lion Pokemon struggles to stay standing with serious scratches on its body.

"Alright, let's finish it, Razor Leaf, one more time!" Holly shouts.

Abigail grinds her teeth and screams, "Dodge that irritating attack with Aqua Jet!"

Dewgong shoots itself like a rocket again with its body surrounded in water and dodges the sharp leaves thrown by Farfetch'd before ramming into the wild duck Pokemon into a boulder. Farfetch'd falls to the ground and struggles to get up, using its stalk like a cane.

"Now use Ice Beam again!" Abigail commands.

Dewgong takes a deep breath and fires another powerful ice being. Before Holly can say a word, Farfetch'd is hit and is pinned to the boulder in a block of ice. The referee checks on Farfetch'd before he raises his red flag.

"Farfetch'd is unable to continue! Dewgong wins!" He announces.

The majority of the crowd roars in applause once again, with the only exception of all of Holly's friends. She sadly returns her wild duck Pokemon back into its Pokeball and thinks carefully about who to send next. She racks her brain thinking about what Pokemon to choose out of the four she has left. Cilan and Serena hesitate with what advice to give her since Farfetch'd was the only one strong against Dewgong with Razor Leaf, and they can only assume what Abigail's third and final Pokemon will be even if Holly takes down Dewgong with her last Pokemon. Holly keeps thinking hard for a moment before she grumbles and takes out a Pokeball.

"Toxicroak, let's do this!" She shouts, throwing the Pokeball.

Toxicroak comes out of the ball and stares at Dewgong with an angry glare, and Dewgong stares back menacingly. Cilan and Serena frown, uneasy with Holly's decision.

"Holly, do you even have a plan with how to finish off Dewgong?" Cilan questions.

"Mostly," Holly answers. "Dewgong is weak against fighting attacks, so between getting hit by Razor Leaf twice and Toxicroak's Brick Break attack, I should be able to take it down."

"Yeah, but you don't know what Pokemon Abigail will choose if you do defeat Dewgong," Serena says worriedly. "For all you know, she'll pick Nidoqueen, which is resistant to all of Toxicroak's moves."

"I'm aware of that. And if she does, I'll just trust my Pokemon and give it everything I've got," Holly says. "Besides, Nidoqueen is not resistant to all of Toxicroak's attacks."

Cilan and Serena looks at each other unconvinced while Abigail grins mischievously.

"Let's finish this," she says proudly. "Use Ice Shard, Dewgong!"

"Toxicroak, use one of the boulders to take cover!" Holly instructs.

Toxicroak jumps out of the way of Dewgong's line of fire and hides behind a boulder as ice shards pass by it.

"Ha!" That's a sloppy move!" Holly rebukes. "Dewgong, use Aqua Jet to take Toxicroak out of its hiding place!"

"I was hoping you'd say that," Holly mutters before she shouts," Toxicroak, climb up!"

Toxicroak climbs to the top of the boulder just before Dewgong uses Aqua Jet to project itself and circle around the boulder in an attempt to flank its opponent. Dewgong stops using its move and looks around curiously until Holly makes her next move.

"Now, use Brick Break multiple times!" She commands.

"Dewgong, get out of there!" Abigail screams.

Dewgong is confused with its trainer's command, while Toxicroak jumps from the top of the boulder and lands behind Dewgong. Before the sea lion Pokemon knows it, Toxicroak's hands glow white, and it karate chops Dewgong three times before it karate chops its side, sending it crashing into another boulder. Toxicroak grins as it watches its opponent fall down motionless.

"Dewgong is unable to battle! Toxicroak wins!" The referee shouts.

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Cilan, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Misty, Max, and May all cheer for their friend while the majority of the audience stays silent and glares daggers at Holly. But once again, Brock is cheering the loudest, chanting her name and clapping loudly while Lucy and her sisters clap modestly. Holly tries to resist the urge to smile from Brock cheering proudly for her, but deep down, she feels like she misses hearing him do that even though he did it before with defeating Dodrio and after winning her first match. She shakes off the feeling and brings back her determined face while Abigail growls in irritation again as she returns Dewgong to its Pokeball and takes out another one with an evil grin.

"Alright, I'll admit that that was a little clever," she says. "But there's no way you can avoid losing to me with that toad. Nidoqueen, let's get them!"

Holly frowns seriously as her opponent, as Abigail throws her Pokeball and Nidoqueen, appears. All of Holly's friends both behind her and on the stands become uneasy with Serena, Brock, and Ash the most worried.

"Just as I was afraid of," Serena groans.

"This is a real predicament," Cilan agrees.

Holly takes a huge breath to calm her nerves and turns to her Pokemon.

"Toxicroak!" She calls out. "I know we didn't do so well last time with her Nidoqueen, but we've learned a lot since then. So I need you to trust me, and we might win this match!"

"Crock," Toxicroak bellows bluntly.

Abigail sneers again and says, "Well, aren't we foolishly optimistic? Nidoqueen, use Scratch!

"Dodge and use Poison Jab!" Holly shouts.

Nidoqueen charges at Toxicroak with its claws glowing white, but Toxicroak doges and jabs Nidoqueen on the side with its poison attack. Abigail laughs out loud and holds on to her gut before looking at Holly.

"Have you learned nothing from our last battle?" She asks, wiping tears from her eyes. "Nidoqueen is resistant to poison attacks."

"But it can still take some damage," Holly points out.

Abigail scoffs in amusement and says, "Yeah, sure. Nidoqueen, use Earthquake!"

Holly becomes nervous and tries to think of a way to avoid the attack until she sees the boulders and gets an idea.

"That's it," she says. "Toxicroak, climb on top of a boulder quick!"

Toxicroak runs to the nearest boulder and climbs up before Nidoqueen stomps on its feet. The ground shakes violently, but the move does not affect Toxicroak while it's standing on its boulder.

"Oh, come on!" Abigail barks. "Nidoqueen, use Supersonic!"

"Use the boulders for cover again and use Poison Jab once more!" Holly instructs.

Toxicroak jumps off from its boulder and hides behind another one before Nidoqueen releases blue circles from its mouth, the circles hit the boulder, but Toxicroak is unaffected by the normal-type attack. Before Abigail can make another command, Toxicroak runs to flank Nidoqueen, using the boulders as cover. Once again, the toxic mouth Pokemon jabs Nidoqueen's side and moves away while its opponent frowns, slightly hurt from the attack.

"Oh, come on, Poison Jab again?" Abigail rebukes. "At least try to use more than one attack you. Nidoqueen, use Scratch!"

Before Holly can react, Nidoqueen takes advantage that Toxicroak is close to it and scratches her Pokemon.

"Oh yeah? Toxicroak, use Revenge!" She shouts.

Toxicroak quickly recovers from its scratch, and an orange aura appears on the stinger on the back or its right hand. It slashes at Nidoqueen angrily, and the drill Pokemon takes a couple steps back, distracted from the attack.

"Now, let's hurt it bad with Mud Shot!" Holly commands.

Toxicroak takes a deep breath and belches out a large ball of mud. The ball hits Nidoqueen hard, and it squeals in pain as serious scratches appear on its body.

"What in the world just happened?" Abigail says in disbelief.

"I'll tell you what happened," Holly announces. "Toxicroak hit Nidoqueen bad with a ground attack! You see, Nidoqueen may be resistant to poison attacks, but it's also weak to ground attacks because it's a poison type. I just waited for the right moment to take you off guard before I -"

"Supersonic now!" Abigail screams.

Holly's eyes widen, and before she could react, Nidoqueen fires rings from its mouth, and they hit Toxicroak. Holly's heart sinks as Toxicroak wobbles in a daze.

"Toxicroak is confused," Cilan says.

"Oh, no!" Serena says worriedly.

Abigail grins and says, "I know Nidoqueen is weak to ground attacks. I just waited until your guard was down, so it won't miss its next move."

Holly is horrified by the extent of what she has done. Abigail smiles evilly before turning to Nidoqueen.

"Let's make this defeat as slow as possible," she says. "Hit it with Scratch!"

"Toxicroak, snap out of it!" Holly cries out. "You got to dodge that attack!"

But Toxicroak is still in a daze while Nidoqueen scratches it aggressively. The drill Pokemon scratches again and again while Holly keeps calling out to it.

"Toxicroak, please!" She pleads. "You need to dodge. We're so close!"

"Holly!" Brock cries out from the stands. "You need to trust your Pokemon! I know you have a close bond with Toxicroak, so just keep calling out to it and believe that it will snap out of it!"

Holly turns to Brock, who is looking at her seriously. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and puts her hand on her necklace, using her memory of the times she had with her Pokemon ever since it was a Croagunk. Then her eyes snap open, and she turns to Toxicroak.

"Toxicroak!" She shouts. "You need to snap out of your confusion right now! I know you can do it! We can still win this no matter what Abigail says! So snap out of it and fight!"

Abigail lights out a cruel, high-pitched laugh.

"My, you certainly are a silly woman," she mocks. "No Pokemon can snap out of Nidoqueen's Supersonic. You are wasting your time with your boyfriend's worthless cheering."

Holly grows angrily and scowls at the woman with the shiny brown hair.

"Brock is not worthless!" She screams. "Sure, he can be goofy, and sometimes his weakness for women gets the better of him, but his intentions are good. He just wants to love and be loved in return, whether it's his friends or me. No matter what his problems are, the best of him is more valuable than what you could ever gain with hundreds or even tens of thousands of men fawning if not drooling over you just because of your outer beauty!"

Serena and Cilan are taking it back by how Holly is defending Brock so sporadically. Abigail, on the other hand, just scoffs in disinterest with a wave of her hand.

"Whatever, your Pokemon is still helpless," she says. "Nidoqueen, let's finish this with Earthquake!"

Nidoqueen raises its foot to use Earthquake while Holly tries to reach out to her Pokemon again.

"Toxicroak, you can do it!" She calls out.

"Oh, no, it can't," Abigail claims. "Nidoqueen, use Earthquake, and get it right this time!"

Holly grows worried and grabs her necklace again before she screams at the top of her lungs.

"TOXICROAK, DODGE NOW!"

Toxicroak keeps wobbling for a moment before it blinks and shakes its head. It comes to just in time to see Nidoqueen get ready to use Earthquake again, and it quickly jumps into a boulder and climbs on top of it. Nidoqueen stomps on the ground, and the ground shakes, but Toxicroak is once again too high above to get hit.

"Augh, knock it off with using the boulders to dodge my attacks!" Abigail screams. "And how in the world did your Pokemon stops being confused?!"

"Because I've developed a bond with my Toxicroak that can reach out to it even when it's confused," Holly answers. "Now, Toxicroak, use Brick Break!"

Toxicroak once again hops from boulder to boulder before it pounces on Nidoqueen, and karate chops it on the head. It takes a couple steps back to keep at a distance before Nidoqueen shakes its head, hardly affected, and glares daggers at its opponent.

"Pathetic," Abigail mocks. "Nidoqueen, use Body Slam!"

"Dodge it and use Mud Shot!" Holly commands.

Nidoqueen jumps toward Toxicroak, but the toxic mouth Pokemon just steps away, and Nidoqueen slams into the ground with a thud. With its opponent lying on its stomach, Toxicroak uses Mud Shot, and the ball of mud comes out of its mouth and hits Nidoqueen. The drill Pokemon squeals in agony and quickly gets up with more scratches on its body.

"I've had enough of this!" Abigail yells. "Use Earthquake again!"

"Toxicroak, finish this with Mud Shot one more time, on the double!" Holly yells.

Nidoqueen raises its foot again, but before it can stomp on the ground, a ball of mud flies toward it and hits it in the face. Abigail watches in disbelief as her Pokemon let out one last cry of pain before it falls to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Nidoqueen is out of the match!" The referee declares. "Toxicroak wins, and so the victory goes to Holly!"

"Yes!" Holly screams happily.

"Alright!" Serena shouts.

"Well done!" Cilan praises.

Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Clemont, Bonnie, May, Max, and Brock cheer loudly, and Lucy and her sisters smile and politely applaud. Other audience members who aren't on either side cheer as well, but the majority of them who were supporting Abigail boo and hiss loudly. Holly grins and mockingly takes several bows in front of Abigail's fans as if she's a prima donna who just finished a spectacular performance in an opera. Abigail lets out an ear-piercing scream before returning Nidoqueen to its Pokeball and stomps out of the field like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

When Holly is finished mockingly bowing to the audience, she walks out of the field with Serena and Cilan walking behind her. As she walks down the hall, however, she thinks about how she acted when Abigail insulted Brock, and thus, her mind goes back to what to do with his desperate plea.

Within seconds after Holly, Serena, and Cilan exit the building, the entire gang runs over to meet them. Dawn and Bonnie joyfully praise Holly for her victory while everyone else just congratulates her. She smiles warmly, thanking each and every one of them. But while everyone is talking, Brock and Lucy walk over to them with Lucy still holding her flower and her sisters walking far behind. The talking dies down almost instantly, and awkward silence fills the air. Misty, May, and Dawn do not hesitate to glare daggers at the tan-skinned man, but Holly clears her throat and speaks calmly.

"Everyone, I'd like another moment with Brock and Lucy," she announces.

Everyone in the group turns to her, and Ash asks, "You sure, Holly?"

"I am," she states. "I think I know what I need to do."

Everyone hesitates before they silently respect her wishes. They head in the direction of the Pokemon Center, but Serena stops walking for a moment and turns to Holly and give her back her flower

"I hope you know what you're doing whatever it is," she says.

Holly smiles at her appreciatively and says, 'I'm pretty sure I do. I'll see you later."

The honey blonde girl hesitates before she nods and catches up with the rest of the group. Once Holly, Lucy, and Brock are alone, silence fills the air for a few seconds before Brock clears his throat.

"So...what do you want to say?" He asks with a hint of hope in his voice.

Holly grimaces sadly and takes a deep breath through her nose before she speaks her mind.

"Brock, I won't sugar coat it. I am devastated that you promised to be with another woman," she says calmly.

Brock winces and hangs his head in shame. Lucy frowns, feeling equally betrayed by what the man she likes has done.

"That being said, I know when we were traveling, you were true to your word by never fawning over another woman since Neon City," Holly continues. "And in that time, you have done all you could to make me happy, whether it was helping me grow as a trainer or when you gave me my necklace. I also believe you when you said you want to do everything you can to make it up to this woman standing beside you and me."

Brock smiles slightly, feeling a little hopefully before Holly speaks again.

"After considering what you have asked and seeing how you cheered me on with my battle, I have decided to take you up on your plea to make up for what you did to me," Holly says before she speaks sharply. "But that in no way means you are forgiven. You will need to give it your all and then some to even have a chance. Understand as well that there is a good possibility that you might lose us both then and there, and you will have no one to blame but yourself."

"I understand," Brock says seriously. "Thank you, Holly."

Holly nods with a wooden face before turning to Lucy.

"So, how do you suggest we do this?" She asks.

Lucy thinks about it for a minute before she gets an idea.

"I say we take turns with him making things up to us," she says. "Perhaps we take turns eating meals together or spending time when we're not watching our friends battle at the tournament. Brock may cheer you on to whatever end, but he must spend time with me afterward, depending on how long your battles are. Do you agree?"

"That sounds acceptable," Holly says. "In fact, I'll even add that during each turn, we will not discuss his mistake. This is about him devoting time to each of us regardless of how we feel."

"Agreed," Lucy says before turning to Brock. "What say you, Brock? These are our terms. Take them or leave them."

"I will take them without a doubt," Brock says without hesitation. "Whatever you ask of me, I will do it no matter how difficult it might be. I swear to both of you."

"Good," Holly says plainly. "Now, I know you were beside him during my match, but since it's one of our rules, you may spend time with him first for as long as I have battled Abigail."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asks, confused.

"I am," Holly says. "My Pokemon need healing anyway."

Lucy nods in understanding and turns to Brock she offers him is arm and Brock is quick to wrap his arm around it. Thus, the two of them walk away to think of something to do with the time they are given while Holly heads back to the Pokemon Center.

But as she walks, she can't help but turn around and watch Lucy and Brock at a distance. Her heart grows heavy as she hears Lucy ordering Brock to take her sightseeing at once. Her mouth quivers and her mind instantly goes to the time she went sightseeing together with Brock, and she begins to regret giving Lucy permission to have anything to do with him, let alone time. She puts her hand on her necklace and runs her fingers through it gently before she walks to the Pokemon Center again and feels a tear coming out of her eye.


	65. Chapter 65

Giovanni and Matori watch as Dr. Zager, Agent Basker, and their team rebuild their machine. Persian is sitting beside its master and watches the process while feeling bored. The leader of Team Rocket intently watches every little move his minions make to recreate the machine for Arceus itself.

Meanwhile, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet are forced to mop the floors of the machine as punishment for lying to Giovanni. Naturally, the four of them have no memory of claiming that they alone defeated Team Flare, Team Galactic, or Team Plasma, but Giovanni doesn't care whether or not they know about their lies. The trio and Wobbuffet moan childishly as they sadly do their petty chores, feeling like they've done nothing whatsoever to be punished by their boss.

But as Giovanni watches his scientists work, he hears the sound of several helicopters and a jet heading his way. His impatient face turns into an evil grin as the helicopters and jet fly toward him and land on the landing platforms next to Team Rocket headquarters. Giovanni, Persian, and Matori walk over to the helicopters with Dr. Zager and Agent Basker deciding to stop their work and follow behind. The leading helicopter opens, and Domino exits with a proud look upon her face.

"Agent 009, was your mission a success?" Giovanni asks right away.

"And then some," Domino answers while the other helicopters open. "But first, a couple of presents that I know you'll like."

Domino signals the Team Rocket members inside the helicopters and they bring out hundreds of members of the International Police wearing brainwashing headbands, including Dutch and Looker. Giovanni raises an eyebrow and smirks in amusement while Dr. Zager grins excitedly at the sight.

"The entire International Police brainwashed by your inventions and ready to assist you in rebuilding the machine signed, sealed, and delivered," Domino announces. "I trust they are to your liking doctor?"

The doctor walks over to one of the brainwashed policeman and ask, "You there, who do you serve?"

"Team... Rocket... sir," The policeman replies.

"And will you assist me in creating the ultimate machine that will secure Team Rocket's ultimate goal to take over the world through all of the Pokemon?" The doctor questions.

"Yes...sir," the brainwashed man says. "I will...serve Team Rocket... and do whatever you say... for the honor... and everlasting glory... of Giovanni... and all of Team Rocket."

"Hmmm," Matori says observantly. "So, I assume these brainwashed police will be enough to complete the machine before the Indigo League is over?"

Dr. Zager gives an evil, toothy grin while Giovanni chuckles with his mouth closed.

"Yes. These will do very nicely," Dr. Zager says. "We might even finish the machine ahead of schedule."

"Excellent," Giovanni says before turning to Domino. "And what of the Gieldanstone, 009?"

Domino grins and says, "Patience, boss. I think you'll want to see my next present before I give you your true prize."

Giovanni frowns, wanting his white jewel immediately. Domino snaps her fingers, and two Team Rocket grunts go back inside her helicopter and shortly come out dragging Mewtwo. Giovanni becomes amused as he sees the genetic Pokemon be brought to him while also wearing a headband on its head.

"Ah, so you brought the culprit who erased our memory," Giovanni says, smirking. "Well done, 009."

"Don't compliment me yet, sir," Domino says. "Capturing this devil is only half of the gift."

"Oh?" Giovanni queries.

"It turns out this Pokemon can bring back memories," Domino explains. "In fact, I ordered it to bring back all the memories its ever taken from me, and it just so happens that it had taken more than just the original mission for the Gieldanstone."

Giovanni raises his eyebrow curiously. Domino turns to Mewtwo with a commanding grin.

"In the name of the glory of Team Rocket, I order you to bring back all the memories of everyone here that you've taken away," she instructs.

"_As...you...wish,_" Mewtwo says dully.

Mewtwo's eyes glow blue, and it waves its right hand. Everyone but Domino and her team let out a soft gasp as if they feel something like a spasm inside their brains. Some of the grunts become faint and plummet to the ground. Giovanni, however, stays standing and holds his head with his left hand before his eyes widen. As all of his memories come back, his look of shock melts away into a sinister grin as he looks at the psychic-type Pokemon.

"Mewtwo, my old friend," he says. "How good of you to come back. I must admit I didn't know you could wipe out memories with your psychic powers. Looks like that fool, Dr. Fuji made you more powerful than even I could possibly imagine."

Dr. Zager, Agent Basker, Matori, Persian, Jessie, James, Meowth, Wobbufet, and the rest of Team Rocket, excluding Domino and her team, look at Mewtwo in pure disbelief.

"I don't believe this!" Agent Basker growls. "Of all the things that would take away my moment of vengeance against Durbin, it was Team Rocket's own creation!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth squeal at the sight of the Pokemon.

"It's Mewtwo!" James exclaims.

"And da boss has it!" Meowth says.

"We haven't seen it since Mount Quena!" Jessie says. "And to think that twerp reformed it before it destroyed the world!"

"Wobbuffet," Wobbuffet says nervously.

Giovanni frowns and turns to the trio and Wobbuffet. Though he now remembers them being on Mount Quena where he last saw Mewtwo, he has no recollection of Mewtwo trying to destroy the world.

"What are you dolts rambling about?" He growls.

Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet squeal again nervously before they quickly salute their leader.

"Sir, our encounters with Mewtwo at Mount Quena and the place where Gieldanstone was found were not the only times we've encountered it," Jessie says.

"Go on," Giovanni orders.

"Ya see, boss, we were tracking down a group of trainers - one of which possesses a very powerful Pikachu that we've been trying to capture and bring to you for years," Meowth explains. "But then this Dragonite approached them and gave them this invitation to go to New Island. Apparently, there was some sort of Pokemon Master who was inviting powerful trainer to come to the island and meet him."

"New Island," Giovanni says, thinking out loud before it clicks in his mind, and he turns to Matori. "We do have the deed to that island."

"That's right, sir," Matori says in realization. "That was where Dr. Fuji and his people created Mewtwo."

Giovanni turns to the trio and demands, "What happened next?"

Jessie steps in and says, "Well, we followed the twerps to New Island where Mewtwo apparently built some kind of castle in its image. We snuck inside and found a lab where we discovered a recording of some scientists explaining how Mewtwo was made."

Giovanni scratches his chin in thought and says, "So Mewtwo can also create buildings with its powers. Not only that, but he rebuilt the lab inside. Heh, I suppose that's how he made all of those Pokemon clones."

"Yes, sir, it is," James confirms. "While we were down there, Mewtwo somehow captured the Pokemon of all the trainers that came to its castle, including the twerps we've been following with some sort of Pokeballs of his own design."

"I see," Giovanni says. "What happened next?"

"When all da clones were made, they woke up and went back up to come to Mewtwo," Meowth says. "By the time we got up, the trainers were with their Pokemon while Mewtwo was with its clones. On top of that, Mew was there."

"Mew?!" Giovanni exclaims, surprised. "You saw Mew?"

"Yes, sir," Jessie says. "It was trying to explain to Mewtwo that real strength comes from the heart or something like that."

Giovanni chuckles in amusement.

"Strength from the heart. Even the rarest Pokemon believes all that nonsense," he says. "Continue."

"Yes, sir," Meowth says. "Mewtwo challenged Mew to a battle between the original Pokemon and their clones without using any of their moves. So the Pokemon, both original and clones alike, started beating each other while Mewtwo and Mew fought each other."

"But in the end, the twerp with the powerful Pikachu tried to stop the fight by running into Mewtwo and Mew's line of fire only to end up getting turned into stone," James says. "He was somehow revived by the Pokemon by something we can't quite explain, and Mewtwo was so touched that it decided not to destroy the world. So it took all of its clones and flew away with Mew, and then a bright light appeared from the ground and covered the entire castle."

"The next thing any of us knew, we were stuck in New Island, which turned into a field of grass and flowers," Jessie says. "We never saw Mewtwo again until we came to Mount Quena about the same time as you did."

"Interesting," Giovanni says. "This story does answer a few riddles like how Mewtwo made its clones and why it was caring about other people and Pokemon when we saw it again even though it only cared about itself before."

Agent Basker frowns and steps in, saying, "Hold on a minute, sir. These are the same losers who have lied to us before."

Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet instantly become afraid of Agent Basker's accusation.

"He does have a point, sir," Matori says. "They did claim that they defeated Team Flare, Team Plasma, and Team Galactic when Agent Basker proved it not to be true."

Giovanni frowns seriously and glares daggers at Jesse's, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet.

"How do I know you are telling the truth?" He demands. "If I find out you speak false on one single thing, so help me…"

The trio yelps and quickly gets down on their knees and bow their heads to the ground in front of Giovanni, like a group of acolytes worshipping an idol. Wobbuffet stands in place behind them, quivering in fear.

"We swear on our lives that it's da honest truth!" Meowth squeals. "We'll even confess that it was the twerp with da Pikachu and his friends that took down the other crime organizations!"

Agent Basker raises an eyebrow and steps forward to the trio bowing to their leader.

"This 'twerp' you speak of with this so-called powerful Pikachu," he begins. "What is his name?"

"His name is Ash Ketchum!" James quickly answers.

Agent Basker grows intrigued and asks, "And this Ash Ketchum, does he have black hair and usually wear a blue jacket and a red cap?"

Jessie, James, and Meowth look up and stare at Agent Basker curiously while still on their knees.

"Yes, he does," Jessie answers. "How did you know?"

Agent Basker returns to Giovanni and says, "I think their story adds up, sir. If you remember my report from a while back, the defeat of our enemies was usually done partly in the hands of a boy that meets that description. While I didn't look too much into his personal profile, some reports I found confirm that his name is Ash Ketchum. So by that connection, I'm beginning to think they actually are telling the truth this time."

Giovanni frowns skeptically and says, "That's not enough for me. I want solid evidence that they are not trying to deceive me again."

"How about we ask Mewtwo, sir?" Dr. Zager suggests. "It seems it did not see them during this event at New Island according to their story, but it can confirm that everything else is the truth."

"Good idea," Matori says.

Jessie, James, and Meowth's eyes light up with hope, and they quickly stand up.

"Yes! Yes! Ask Mewtwo!" Jessie exclaims.

"Yeah, it'll set da record straight! We promise!" Meowth begs.

Giovanni looks at them skeptically before he says, "Very well."

Jessie, James, and Meowth hug each other, mentally praying that they will get their proof. Wobbuffet shakes behind them, whimpering for its friends. Giovanni walks over to Mewtwo, takes it by the jaw, and forces it to look at him deep in the eye.

"Answer me honestly, Mewtwo," he commands. "Are these three telling the truth?"

"_They...are,_" Mewtwo answers slowly. "_I...did...try to...end the world…with my...clones...until...a boy named...Ash...stopped me. Everything...they've said...is the truth._"

Jessie, James, and Meowth sigh in relief loudly. Giovanni lets go of Mewtwo's jaw and turns to the trio with a smirk.

"It seems despite your deceptive ways, you have been very useful," he compliments. "You are to be commended for giving me such valuable information regarding Mewtwo and its powers."

The trio smiles happily with stars in their eyes and start giggling like little children. Matori, Domino, and Agent Basker roll their eyes at the three of them before Giovanni turns to Domino.

"Right, now that our memories are back and Mewtwo belongs to me again, it's time for my real prize," he demands. "Give me my Gieldanstone now!"

"With pleasure," Domino says before she signals two grunts. The two men go back inside Domino's jet and come back with a chest. They give the chest to Domino, and she proudly presents it to Giovanni. The leader of Team Rocket doesn't hesitate to open the box and stare in awe.

"At last," he says with a grin. "The key to world domination. A stone in which half of the name means 'yield.' The white jewel that can control a Pokemon capable of turning to any Pokemon type. The stone that shines in 18 colors that all represent all the Pokemon types. What was once a myth that many have forgotten is finally mine."

He grabs the jewel and holds it close to him like a mother holding her baby before holding it up in the air for all to see.

"Behold!" He announces. "The Gieldanstone, at last, is mine! All mine!"

All the members of Team Rocket shake their fists in the air and cheer loudly. Jessie, James, and Meowth began to dance together, thinking the retrieval of the jewel will lead them to promotions and great wealth from their boss. Giovanni lowers the Gieldanstone until it's at face level and grins evilly.

"Now for the moment I've been waiting for," he says eagerly before he holds it up on the air again. "Arceus, I command you to come to me at once!"

At first, nothing happens. Jessie, James, and Meowth stop dancing, and the Team Rocket grunts that are still celebrating start to awkwardly stare at their leader. Giovanni's grin starts to melt away into an angry frown.

Suddenly, a giant, blue portal appears from the sky. Everyone stares had it in awe before Arceus comes out of the portal and flies toward them. As the portal disappears, Arceus lands on the ground and glares at Giovanni angrily.

"_You humans dare remove the Gieldanstone from its hiding place?!_" It roars angrily through telepathy. "_I will bring judgment on all of you for your ineffable insolence!_"

Many of the Team Rocket members quiver and back away. Even Matori, Dr. Zager, Domino, and Agent Basker are afraid of the alpha Pokemon's terrifying threat. Persian yelps in panic and hides behind its master's legs. But Giovanni is unfazed by the mythical Pokemon's threat.

"I am Giovanni, the future ruler of all Pokemon and the world!" He declares while still holding the jewel up high. "You are nothing compared to me! I command you to cease your threats against my organization and me at once!"

Arceus freezes in place, and its pupils shrink in fear. It tries to resist the urge to do as Giovanni has commanded, but the power of the stone is too great. Everyone else in Team Rocket becomes more comfortable in the presence of the giant Pokemon.

"Good," Giovanni says. "Now bow to me and swear your undying loyalty to me and me alone! I am your lord and master forever! You will never threaten me or all that I own ever again, and you will never try to resist any command I give you no matter what!"

With the last command made, Arceus almost instantly gets down on both of its front legs and lowers its head until it touches the ground.

"_I, Arceus, the first of all Pokemon do solemnly and humbly swear on my life that I will be loyal to you and you alone,_" it says. "_I will never try to resist your every will or bring harm to everything and everyone you control. I am yours forever, my lord._"

Giovanni grins before he begins to maniacally laugh uncontrollably. It isn't long before everyone in Team Rocket laughs evilly except for Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet who are secretly afraid of what has happened. Mewtwo, Looker, Dutch, and all the other members of the International Police just stand in place like zombies. Finally, the laughter dies down, and Giovanni turns to Arceus.

"Now, Arceus, we have a special place for you," he says. "But at the moment, it isn't finished yet, so you will stand in front of our headquarters where I will keep my eye on you from my office. There you will stay until I give you further instructions."

"_As you command, my master,_" Arceus says almost instantly.

The alpha Pokemon turns around and walks over to the building until it stops when it's face is just inches away from the windows in Giovanni's office. The leader of Team Rocket's grin grows before he turns to Dr. Zager.

"Doctor, continue your work on the machine with your new slaves at once," he commands. "And make a strap for me to keep my Gieldanstone with me at all times."

"At once, sir," he says before turning to Mewtwo and the police. "You heard him. Get to work!"

"Yes...sir," they all say.

"Wait!" Giovanni says immediately. "On second thought, come with me, Mewtwo. I also want you close to me. We have much to discuss."

"_As...you...command,_" Mewtwo replies.

With that, Giovanni, Persian, Matori, and Mewtwo go inside the Team Rocket headquarters. Dr. Zager and Agent Basker begin herding Looker and the other police to start working on the machine with the science team. But as they head to the machine, Jessie, James, and Meowth still quiver in fear.

"I thought I was prepared for trouble, but this is too much," Jessie says.

"I would make that trouble double at this point," James says.

"Wobbu," Wobbuffet says sadly.

Meowth hesitates before asking, "Does anyone else feel we should be scared about what is happening?"

Jessie and James nod simultaneously.

"I feel sorry for Arceus and Mewtwo," James says. "I remember us sort of befriending Mewtwo at Mount Quena. Don't you?"

"I do now thanks to it bringing back all of our memories," Jessie says. "And I felt so proud that we followed those two men and that Raichu all the way to the Gieldanstone, but after seeing the boss controlling it like that, I kind of feel sick."

"Me too," Meowth says. "But what can we do?"

"Hey, you four!" Dr. Zager barks, startling the trio. "Get back to mopping on the double!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" they shout while saluting.

When Dr. Zager turns away, the trio and Wobbuffet glumly walk to where they left their cleaning equipment and begin mopping. But as they mop the floor to the machine, they debate in their minds about what to do between following their boss to the end or doing something else.

**Dun-dun-duuuuun! **

**Hey, everyone, it's HAKDurbin again. I just want to let you know that due to a technical difficulty on his side, my editor has been unable to send his edit suggestions for the next several chapters, so I'll have to wait to receive them so that I can start publishing them. Sorry for the inconvenience and I hope you guys are willing to wait until the chapters are ready. **

**As always, thank you for reading, The Lord be with you, and have a great day!**


	66. Chapter 66

"Infernape, Flamethrower!"

"Heracross, dodge, and use Fury Attack!"

It is the fourth and final round of the preliminaries in the Indigo League, and Ash is going against a girl named Debbie at the grass field. With Ash already in the lead by taking down Debbie's Sandshrew and Lickitung with his trusty Infernape, he's close to winning the competition. But Debbie turns out to have saved her best Pokemon for last as it turns out her final Pokemon, Heracross, can mega evolve. As soon as her final Pokemon was taken out of its Pokeball, Debbie didn't hesitate to touch the keystone on her bracelet, and Heracross transformed into Mega Heracross. With its attacks stronger than it would have been without mega evolving, Mega Heracross proves to be more than a match for Infernape despite the type advantage going in the flame Pokemon's favor.

Infernape fires a giant stream of flame from its mouth, but Mega Heracross flies away from the line of fire and repeatedly hits Infername with its horns. Infernape grinds its teeth in pain but stays strong.

"Infernape, use Dig!" Ash calls out.

Infernape jumps and digs underground. Debbie smirks and turns to her Pokemon.

"Herecross, just stay high in the air and use Aerial Ace when it comes out!" she instructs.

Mega Heracross uses its wings to go higher up in the air. It waits patiently until Infernape emerges from the ground to attack it only to be a couple feet away from arms reach. Mega Heracross then ingulfs itself in light and rams into Infernape with its horn. Infernape screeches as it plummets to the ground in front of Ash with a thud.

"Infernape!" Ash shouts.

Behind the raven-haired boy is Serena and Clemont sitting on a bench and watching the match. Both of them are worried that Infernape is down for the count.

"Oh, I hope Infernape can get up," Serena says worriedly.

"It's hard to say," Clemont says. "A flying type move like Aerial Ace is super effective on its own since Infernape is part fighting type. But with Heracross in its mega evolved form, I don't know if Infernape is going to stand up."

Serena's fear grows after hearing Clemont explain the situation. Even though Ash still has two Pokemon left, she still worries about the well being of his Pokemon. She places her hand on her ribbon and watches as Infernape struggles to get up. Unbeknownst to her, Ash notices how worried she is and frowns in frustration.

"Infernape, you can do it!" He shouts. "We need to make this a perfect match!"

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asks.

"In...fer...nape?" Infernape asks while still struggling to stay conscious.

Ash kneels down on the green platform he's standing her on and speaks to his Pokemon secretly.

"You see, I"m still trying to cheer Serena up," He whispers. "I know she's happy when I win, but she's always acting down almost as soon as the battle is over. It's clear that her loss against May brought her down, and I really want her to smile more. I hope to make her happy again by winning the league, but maybe winning a perfect match even against a mega evolved Pokemon like Heracross will make her happier than usual. It's a long shot, but I really want to try."

Pikachu is surprised at his partner's devotion to cheer up his friend before it smiles in support. Infernape looks up to its trainer and sees the determination deep in Ash's eyes. Feeling influenced, Infernape grinds its teeth and slowly gets up. It uses the platform for suppose until it completely stands up and grins at Ash.

"So, are you with me?" Ash asks with a smile.

"Infernape!" Infernape screams.

Suddenly, Infernape's eyes glow red, it's head glows bright orange, and the flame on its head grows massive in size. Ash and Pikachu smile brightly as the flame Pokemon makes another battle stance in determination.

"Alright, looks like we activated Blaze," Ash says.

Debbie raises an eyebrow curiously before she shakes her head.

"I don't know what Blaze is, but it's not going to stop us," she claims. "Heracross, use Aerial Ace one more time!"

Mega Heracross engulfs in light again and charges at Infernape. The monkey-like Pokemon waits patiently for Ash to make a call as its opponent becomes closer.

"Steady...steady…" Ash says calmly before he shouts, "Now, use Flamethrower!"

Infernape takes a deep breath and fires it at Mega Heracross. The single horn Pokemon is too close to its opponent to stop and dodge and so it gets hit hard by the fire attack. It falls to the ground with burn marks all over its body and groans weakly.

"Heracross!" Debbie screams.

"Now, let's finish this!" Ash shouts. "Use Fire Blitz on the double!"

Infernapes screeches again like a manic and charges at Mega Heracross with its body surrounded in light blue fire. Mega Heracross can do nothing but watch as Infernape slams into it with great force. Once the deed is done, the flame Pokemon gets down on one knee and struggles to stay up with red sparks appearing over its body while its opponent crashes into the ground in front of Debbie. Heracross returns to its normal form with its body limp, and the referee raises the green flag.

"Heracross is unable to battle!" He declares. "Ash is the winner!"

The crowd cheers, and Ash, Pikachu, and Infernape jump up and down excitedly. Clemont joins in the cheering while Serena lets out a big sigh of relief and smiles happily.

"Nice work, Infernape!" Ash praises while taking out a Pokeball. "Now, get a good rest. You deserve it!"

Infernape grins and nods at its trainer before being sent back into its Pokeball.

"_What a great match for Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town_!" The announcer says. "_And with that, he will move on past the preliminaries and on to the final rounds!_"

The audience cheers again, and Ash and Pikachu walk over to Clemont and Serena.

"Well done, on winning a perfect match, Ash," Clemont compliments.

"Thanks, Clemont," Ash says before turning to Serena. "Serena, did you enjoy the match?"

Serena is taken aback by Ash's question for a moment before she regains her smile and speaks honestly.

"Yes, I did," She says. "I'm happy that you went through the whole battle together with Infernape. Plus, you get to move on to the final rounds now."

"Yep, I sure do," Ash says with a toothy grin. "And I can't wait for my next battle. I wish I could have it right now."

Serena can't help but giggle at Ash's enthusiasm. Ash keeps smiling at her until he decides to head back to the exit with Pikachu on his shoulder with Serena and Clemont following him. As they walk down the hall, however, Serena's face falls, and she looks down sadly. Despite Ash's best efforts, his cheerful demeanor and accomplishment only makes Serena's heartache more over how she will miss him dearly if the two of them part ways. Ash glances at her when she thinks no one is looking and frowns as well.

"Darn, Pikachu," he whispers quietly. "I thought I really cheered her up this time. I want to make her really happy, but it seems like my efforts are just making it worse somehow. I don't know how, but...I just have this feeling."

"Pika," Pikachu says sadly.

Ash puts his hands in his pockets and looks at the ground with a determined face as he walks.

"I guess that just comes to show that I have to win the entire league no matter what," he says quietly. "No matter what it takes, I'm going to win the whole thing not just for you and all of my other Pokemon and me, but for Serena. I don't care who I'm up against. If I have to win the whole thing to see her smile again, then I'm going to do it."

"Pika," Pikachu says with a smile.

Before long, Misty, Bonnie, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, and Axew meet up with Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Clemont and together, they all head back to the Pokemon Center so that Infernape can heal up. After dropping off Infernape's Pokeball to Nurse Joy, the group heads back to the registration office to find out who Ash is going to face next.

"So, remind me again how it's determined who you face in the first of the final rounds?" Iris asks. "All I remember is that it's a little different than the preliminaries."

"Well, the registration office will have a couple of tubs installed with groups of Magikarp inside," Misty explains. "Basically, each Magikarp will have a letter and a number on it, and the attendants instruct you to catch one of the Magikarp. Whoever has the same letter and number that you have is the person you're going up against in the fifth round."

"I see," Iris says. "Do they do that for the rest of the competition until the final round or something?"

"Uh, maybe," Misty says, unsure. "To be honest, we never got to find out since Ash lost the fifth round because Charizard refused to fight."

Iris smirks and turns to Ash smugly.

"Yeah, I guess he would get caught in a situation like that. What a kid," she says.

Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Dawn glare at the girl with the purple hair while Misty chuckles.

"Now there I agree with you," Misty says with a grin. "Sometimes, it feels like he never really matures."

"Hey, knock it off, you too," Ash rebukes.

"Never," Iris says plainly, ignoring him.

The raven-haired boy groans in annoyance as the group enters the registration office again. Just as Misty said, there are a few tubs filled with Magikarp, and a couple of trainers are already catching some of the Magikarp and finding out who they are up against. As they look around, they see Max and May leaving one of the desks and walking in their direction.

"Hey, May, Max!" Ash calls out.

The two siblings notice their friends and walk over to them with May saying, "Hey, you guys."

"Did you win your fourth battle, Max?" Ash asks.

"Yup, and I just learned I'll be up against a guy named Ron tomorrow night," Max announces. "How did your match go?"

"It went great," Ash boasts. "I did a perfect match."

"That's what I like to hear."

Everyone turns to see Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu walking over to them with the man in the "H.A.K." shirt smirking at Ash before they give each other a fist bump.

"Won your fourth battle, too, Timothy?" Ash asks.

"You know it," Timothy answers. "I just finished it, and now I'm checking who I'm up against next."

"Awesome, so am I," Ash says. "Maybe we'll face each other in this upcoming round."

"Heh, I honestly hope not," Timothy says. "We've technically already had a three on three battle twice already, and I want us to face each other again with a full battle."

"That makes sense," Ash says with a cheerful smile. "We'll give it everything we've got with our entire teams that way."

"Exactly," Timothy confirms. "Plus, the Indigo League doesn't allow substitutions after the preliminaries, making it all the more difficult for both of us."

"Sounds like you want to face each other again really badly," Cilan comments.

"They sure do," Dawn confirms. "I've seen the tension grow between them."

"Me too," Coovers says.

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

Serena silently nods in agreement. But while Ash and Timothy are talking, she sees Holly glumly entering the building and runs over to her.

"Holly!" She calls out as she catches up.

May, Misty, Iris, Dawn, and Bonnie notice Serena running to Holly and run over to the two of them with Piplup and Axew following while the guys continue talking. Holly gives the girls a friendly smile before Bonnie asks the question that's all in their mind.

"Please don't tell me you lost your fourth match!" she pleads.

Holly chuckles at Bonnie for a brief moment before the bluntly says, "Don't worry, I won my match."

The girls smile in relief before they look at Holly, confused.

"So, why are you so down?" May asks.

Holly looks down on the ground and glumly says, "Because it's Lucy's turn."

The girls realize the situation and frown sadly with Holly. For the last couple of days, Brock has devotedly been going back and forth between spending time with Holly and spending time with Lucy. For the most part, Holly gets to see him the most when they have a couple of meals together before it would be time for Brock to focus on making restitution to Lucy. While everyone else is still upset with Brock, they respect Holly's decision to give him a chance. Misty sighs in annoyance, still ticked off at her long-time friend.

"I still can't believe you agreed to this," she says bluntly. "I don't get why you or Lucy are giving him a chance. Shouldn't you still be mad at him for what happened?"

"Of course, I'm mad at him. How could I not be mad at him?" Holly replies. "But I can't deny how genuine he is with trying to make it up to me. I don't know how to explain it, but I guess it's like the man I've been traveling with since Neon City is still there, and part of me still wants to be with him. I can't bring myself to forgive him, but maybe I can help him fix his problem before Lucy does."

"You make it sound like you're trying to win him back when it should be the other way around," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup says.

Holly groans and says, "Maybe I am trying to win him back, maybe it's just him trying to win that woman or me back, maybe it's none of the above. I really don't know. The whole thing is just so complicated. I guess in the end, all I know is a part of me aches when Lucy is with him. I hate what he did, but I feel like I'm losing a piece of myself when he turns around and focuses on her. I don't know what to do."

"Sounds like you should put your foot down and demand that you take him back or something," Bonnie says with a determined grin.

Holly chuckles at Bonnie's enthusiasm before she frowns sadly.

"I'm afraid relationships aren't as easy as you are lead to believe, Bonnie," she says calmly.

Bonnie pouts childishly, wishing her older friend could fix things as easily as she would like.

"Well, you should put that behind you for now," Iris suggests. "Why don't we see who you're up against in the next round, Okay?"

"Good idea," May says. "Maybe finding out who you're battling and looking up what Pokemon they have will clear your head."

Holly smiles slightly and nods.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she says. "That is what I am here for anyway."

"There you go," Misty encourages. "Come on, let's get a fishing rod for you."

Holly nods while the girls lead her to the nearest registration desk. Meanwhile, the guys finish their conversation and head to the nearest tub where Timothy and Coovers notice Holly robotically fishing for Magikarp with the girls surrounding her.

"Looks like Holly made it past the preliminaries too," Coovers says.

"Sure does," Timothy agrees. "Though it looks like she's down in the dumps."

Ash and Pikachu grow uneasy while Max, Clemont, and Cilan look at each other, thinking about what to say.

"Yeah, things are...not great between her and Brock," Clemont says. "It's probably best that you don't know too much for the sake of their privacy."

"Indeed. Holly has been going through enough with everyone in our group asking her what's going on," Cilan says.

"Understood," Timothy says. "We won't dive into it."

Coovers and Electchu nod in agreement, and Cilan, Max, and Clemont smile, appreciative of the two men and Raichu respecting their friend's privacy. Ash, on the other hand, makes it to the registration desk and decides to change the subject.

"Hey, let's not worry about the drama going on, you guys," Ash says. "We need to find out who Timothy and I are up against, so let's focus on that while we're respecting Holly's privacy,"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"Good idea," Coovers says.

Cilan, Max, and Clemont nod in agreement, and the six of them walk over to the nearest registration desk.

"Hi, the two of us are here to find out who we're competing against next," Timothy says, pointing at himself and Ash.

"Certainly," the attendant says with a smile before taking out three fishing rods. "Just start fishing in the tub closest to you,"

"Great. Thanks," Ash says as he and Timothy take a rod.

Coovers, Cilan, Pikachu, Max, Electchu, and Clemont wait in anticipation as Ash and Timothy cast their rods in the water. They wait patiently for a few seconds before Timothy's rod twitches, and he instantly pulls it out with a Magikarp.

"I have E-4," Timothy says.

The attendant nods and types on her computer until Timothy's picture appears with a scrawny, blond man with glasses standing next to it.

"Timothy, you are going against Cody later in the evening. Good luck," the attendant says.

"Thanks," Timothy says before turning to Ash."Have you got a bite yet, Ash?".

"No, I haven't yet," Ash says, frustrated. "Strange, I got one right away last time. You'd think that I would -"

Suddenly, Ash feels something pulling his rod and and he quickly pulls out another Magikarp.

"Finally," he says before looking at the letter and number on the Magikarp's side. "Looks like I got B-3."

The attendant types on her keyboard again, and only Ash's picture appears.

"Huh, it looks like no one has also caught a Magikarp with the same letter and number yet, Ash," she says. "Hopefully, you should find out soon."

"Aw, but I want to find out now," Ash whines.

"Hey, Ash!"

All six guys and Pikachu and Electchu turn around to find Ritchie and Sparky running over to them. Pikachu happily hops off Ash's shoulder to say hi to Sparky and Ash high fives Ritchie while holding on to the fishing rod with once hand.

"So, you made it past the preliminaries?" Ash asks.

"You bet," Ritchie answers. "I took down all three of my opponent's Pokemon with just one Pokemon."

"Awesome. So did I." Ash says.

"Cool," Ritchie says before turning to Max and Timothy. "Looks like we all made it past the preliminaries."

"Yep,' Max confirms with Timothy nodding. "And we all know who we're facing except for Ash."

"Yeah, my opponent hasn't been discovered yet," Ash says, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I hope you get to find out soon," Ritchie says. "Anyway, I better find out who I'm against."

The attendant overhears Ritchie and gives him a fishing rod with a smile. While he puts the rod in the water, Holly, Serena, Misty, May, Dawn, Piplup, and Iris walk over to join the guys with Holly feeling slightly better through the girl's support. Ash and the other guys apart from Ritchie smile softly at the auburn-haired woman despite Timothy and Coovers not knowing what the situation specifically is.

"So, who are you up against, Holly?" Cilan asks.

"A woman named Katrina," Holly answers.

"Ah, I think I've seen her battle at the rock field before Timothy's battle there," Coovers says. "Friendly tip: she seems to favor electric and fire types."

"Thank you, Coovers," Holly says kindly. "I think I have a good idea of how to handle that."

"Whoa!" Ritchie exclaims. "I got a bite!"

Everyone turns to Ritchie as he pulls out a Magikarp. Ash's eyes widen as he sees the letter and number on the Magikarp's side. The attendant types on a keyboard and both Ash and Ritchie's pictures appear on the screen above her.

"Alright, you got B-3, and that means you will have your next battle against Ash," the attendant says. "Best of luck to you both."

Ritchie and Sparky stare at the screen in shock. They turn to Ash and Pikachu, who are already looking at the two of them surprised. Serena, Holly, and Misty are also looking shocked while everyone is just slightly taken aback.

"So you're up against each other," Clemont states, unaware of what exactly is going on. "Well, I guess we were going to have some of you facing each other at some point."

"It's not just that, Clemont," Serena says. "Ash and Ritchie have faced each other in the Indigo League before during the same round."

Clemont, Bonnie, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew. Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at Serena in surprise.

"So Ritchie was the person Ash lost to because his Charizard refused to obey him?" Iris asks.

"That's right," Misty answers. "And now they're facing each other in the same round again."

Everyone stares at Ash and Richie, speechless. It takes a moment before Cilan clears his throat.

"Well, that's an unusual set of circumstances," he says awkwardly.

"No kidding," May says.

"You said it," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup says.

Bonnie, on the other hand, just proudly says, "Who cares how crazy it might be? Ash is going to win, no matter what!"

Ash, Cilan, Iris, Misty, Dawn, and May chuckle at Bonnie's enthusiasm while Max just smiles fondly at her. Even Serena and Holly lightly chuckle with their mouth closed despite being low in spirits. Timothy and Coovers snicker before the latter speaks.

"Well, he and I have our promise to face each other during this tournament, so he better," Timothy says.

Ash nods and turns to Ritchie with a smirk.

"I'm planning to win the entire tournament no matter what, so I won't lose to you," he states.

Ritchie smirks back and says, "That's what I want to hear from you, Ash. Let's make this a battle we will never forget."

"You got it," Ash says as he firmly shakes hands with his good friend.

Throughout the rest of the day, Ash has been training his Pokemon, as usual, to prepare for his upcoming match. Holly spent the night having dinner with Brock much to her joy but was soon in low spirits again when Brock ended up having breakfast the next day with Lucy.

Soon after, the final three-on-three battles begin with Holly going against her opponent, Katrina. Brock stays by her side on the bench behind her platform, and his support and his advice give her the strength she needs to defeat all three of her opponent's Pokemon. Holly was so happy that she spontaneously gave Brock a tight hug before he had to leave to spend time with Lucy again. Though Holly and the girls found it strange that she still acts so happy to be around Brock despite what he's done, she can't help but miss feeling the tan-skinned man around her arms. After a couple of battles, Max has his fifth match and defeats all three of his opponents, Ron's Pokemon with just Sceptile. After that, Timothy goes against his opponent, Cody, and also wins with another perfect match. But much to the despair of Misty and Serena, Giselle wins her match after Timothy's without trying.

But as the matches go on, Ash's thoughts are fixed on his upcoming match with Richie. Deep down, he sees his upcoming battle as not just a mere match between a good friend of his or his desire to win as just a means to achieve his goal to make Serena happy, but as some sort of rite of passage. In his mind's eye, his chance to face Richie again in the same round in the tournament as before might be the biggest chance he needs to prove how much he has grown since the first time he competed in the Indigo League.

Finally, the battle before Ash and Ritchie's begins and Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup leave the stands to get ready for the match. Misty, May, Max, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, and even Holly and Brock are there together to wish Ash good luck before he, Serena, Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup leave. Together, he walks downstairs and heads to the hall that leads to the battlefield with Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup following behind. As they walk down the hall, Serena and Dawn feel the tension rising as Ash walks ahead of them with eagerness all over his face. Even though he hasn't said anything to them, they can tell that this match means a lot to him.

Finally, they stop when they were a few yards away from the entrance to the battlefield and wait patiently as the battle before Ash and Ritchie's comes to a close with a girl's Steelix crushing the guy's Fetaligator. The referee makes the call, and the audience cheers while the guy sadly returns his Pokemon exits the field and walks past Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Dawn, and Piplup with his head down and his hair covering his devastated face. Ash intently watches him sadly walk away until the guy is out of sight and turns to Serena and Dawn.

"That's just like me when I lost to Ritchie last time," he says.

Dawn frowns and says, "Don't worry about how it went before. Remember, you made it to the semifinals at the Sinnoh League and the finals at the Kalos League. You're much stronger than before, and you're going to win this no problem. Right, Serena?"

"Right," Serena says with a weak smile. "Just remember what I've been reminding you throughout our journey."

Ash notices the lack of energy Serena still has, and he frowns until her words come into his mind.

"Don't give up until it's over," he says in realization. "That's it."

Dawn and Serena look at Ash confused.

"What's it, Ash?" Dawn asks.

But Ash just gives her a toothy grin and says, "Let's just say I have the motivation I need for more than just this match and leave it there."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Serena asks.

But then the announcer is heard introducing the next battle outside, and Ash just smirks.

"Sorry, I got a battle to win!" He says in a singing voice as he and Pikachu run into the field.

"Ash!" Serena calls out, but he's already on the battlefield. She pouts and turns to Dawn who is scratching her head.

"Where did that come from?" She asks. "You just told him your motto to motivate him for the match, right?"

Serena nods.

"So, what's this about him being motivated for something else?" Dawn asks.

"I don't know," Serena answers.

Dawn pouts before she rolls her eyes and says, "Well, that is Ash for you. You just don't know what he's up to sometimes."

"Piplup," Piplup says in agreement.

Serena smiles slightly again and nods.

"Come on," She says. "Let's get seated already."

Dawn nods, and together the two of them and Piplup enter the field and sit on the bench behind Ash. On the other side of the field is Ritchie and Sparky, both smirking at Ash and Pikachu. The referee walks to the sidelines and raises both his flags.

"This will be a three-on-three battle between Ritchie and Ash!" He declares. "The battle will be over when all three Pokemon from either side are unable to battle, and no substitutions are allowed! Let the battle begin!"

Ritchie's smirk grows as he shouts, "Alright, Sparky, let's go!"

"Pika!" Sparks shouts as it jumps into the field.

"So he's already starting with Sparky, eh?" Ash says before turning to Pikachu. "Let's go, buddy!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed as it also hops into the field.

Ritchie grins, happy that both he and Ash are starting out with their partners.

"Ash, let's give this fight our full power, okay?" he calls out.

"Oh, don't worry. I intend to give it full power and then some," Ash says determinedly. "Pikachu, let's start off with Quick Attack!"

"Sparky, dodge using Agility!" Ritchie shouts.

Both mouse Pokemon run at amazing speed, but when Pikachu gets close enough and tries to tackle Sparky, Ritchie's Pikachu just jumps out of the way.

"Now, Sparky, use Electro Ball!" Ritchie commands.

"You use Electro Ball, too, Pikachu!" Ash orders.

Both Pikachu throw Electro Ball at each other while Sparky is still in the air. The two moves collide and cover the field in smoke.

"Now use Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Sparky lands on the ground but is taken aback when Pikachu jumps toward it with its tail made of iron. Pikachu swings its tail at Sparky, and Ritchie's mouse Pokemon is sent flying and nearly slams into a wall. Ritchie stares in shock before he smirks at Ash.

"Nice job!" he compliments. "You've trained Pikachu so that it can see through smoke. I gotta admit I didn't see that coming."

"You've seen nothing yet!" Ash shouts. "Pikachu, Electro Ball again!"

"Sparky, dodge using Agility, and then use Thunder!" Ritchie instructs.

Pikachu throws another Electro Ball, but Sparky uses its speed to dodge the attack. The Pikachu with the messy top hair then builds a lot of electricity and releases it on its friend. Pikachu squeals in pain and barely stays standing with several scratches with its body.

"Yikes, how can Thunder do so much even though they are both electric types?" Serena asks in alarm.

"Most likely because Thunder is one of the most powerful electric attacks there is," Dawn points out. "Pikachu may have taken half of the damage, but that still was a lot."

"Now, use Electro Ball again!" Ritchie shouts.

"Knock it back with Iron Tail!" Ash commands.

Sparky jumps and flings another Electro Ball in the air. Pikachu's tail turns into iron and spins, knocking the Electro Ball back towards Sparky, who is still in mid-air and hitting it. Ritchie's Pikachu is sent flying into the air and crashing into the ground. It slowly gets up with several scratches all over its body, as well.

"Alright then, Sparky, use Thunder again!" Ritchie orders.

"Dodge it with Quick Attack followed by Iron Tail!" Ash instructs.

Sparky uses Thunder again, but Pikachu dodges it and rams into its opponent. Sparky only starts to react to the attack before Pikachu swats it with Iron Tail. Ritchie grows worried for his partner and becomes desperate to take Pikachu down.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

"Sparky, use Thunder now!" Ritchie yells.

Both Pokemon store up electricity in their cheeks before they release their respective attacks. Both Thunderbolt and Thunder hit their targets with Pikachu and Sparky giving it everything they have. The process goes on until they both run out of electricity. The mouse Pokemon stare at each other, panting heavily as they struggle to stay standing. Ash and Ritchie grind their teeth, hoping that their respective Pokemon will pull through. After half a minute, Pikachu and Sparky slowly close their eyes and fall down on their backs, fainted.

"Both Pokemon are down for the count!" The referee declares, raising both flags. "It's a draw!"

The crowd cheers, excited by the twist of events while Serena and Dawn frown.

"Poor Pikachu," Serena says. "Looks like using Thunder twice was powerful enough to defeat it."

"Yeah, and I guess Pikachu landed enough hits with Iron Tail, Electro Ball, and Quick Attack that Sparky was weak enough to be taken down by Thunderbolt," Dawn days observantly.

"Piplup," Piplup says.

Ritchie returns Sparky to its Pokeball while Ash runs over to Pikachu and picks it up with both hands.

"You did great, buddy. Get a good rest," Ash says with a smile.

"Pi...ka," Pikachu replies weakly.

Ash walks back to his side of the field and holds out Pikachu towards Serena, asking, "Serena, can you look after Pikachu?"

"Of course," Serena says kindly as she takes Pikachu and holds it like a baby.

Ash smiles appreciatively at Serena before he turns around and goes back to his spot while looking at Richie at a distance.

"Well, Ritchie, it looks like our battle is at an interesting start!" He calls out.

"You said it!" Ritchie replies, smirking as he takes out a Pokeball. "But I'm not going to tie with you this time! Wraps, come on out!"

He throws the Pokeball into the air, and his trusty Tentacruel comes out of its Pokeball glaring at Ash.

"Wraps, huh?" Ash says, amused while taking out his own Pokeball. "Well, I know exactly how to handle that! Servine, I choose you!"

Ash throws his Pokeball at the field, and Servine comes out. Ritchie looks at Ash's Pokemon and is completely stunned.

"What in the world is that Pokemon?" He asks before taking out his Pokedex.

"_Identity unknown,_" it says.

Ritchie frowns, realizing that his Pokedex is out of date. He puts it away and looks closely at Servine, hoping to get an idea of what his Pokemon is up against.

"If I had to guess, Ash, you're trying to take Wraps down with what looks like a grass type," Ritchie says. "If that's so, I hope you're not thinking it's going to be easy just because you have a type advantage!"

"I wouldn't dream of it!" Ash replies. "Now, Servine, use Vine Whip!"

"Just as I thought," Ritchie whispers to himself before he shouts, "Wraps, block it with Barrier!"

Wraps create a barrier in front of it, and the two vines coming from Servine's neck hit the Barrier with no effect.

"Now, use Bubble Beam!" Ritchie commands.

"Counter with Leaf Tornado!" Ash shouts.

Wraps shoots countless bubbles at Servine, but the grass snake Pokemon creates a tornado full of leaves and send it heading toward its opponent. The tornado easily destroys the Bubble Beam and captures Wraps. The Tentacruel roars in panic as the tornado separates in the air, moves back in an upside position, and floats up into the air. It then crashes into the ground with Wraps lying down, moaning in agony with scratches surrounding its body.

"Wraps!" Ritchie calls out. "Are you okay?"

Wraps groans before it gets up on its tentacles and gives its trainer an assuring nod.

Ritchie smiles and shouts, "Okay, let's show them what we're made of!"

"I don't so!" Ash shouts. "Servine, use Leaf Blade!"

The leaf at the end if Servine's tail glows light green, and it runs toward Wraps. Ritchie grins, knowing what to do.

"That was a mistake, Ash!" He calls out. "Wraps, dodge, and use Wrap right away!"

The Tentacruel jumps away just as Servine is about to slash at it with its tail. The next thing Servine knows, several gray tentacles wrap around its body and squeeze it hard. The grass snake Pokemon screams as Tentacruel keeps it trapped.

"Quick, Servine, use Attract!" Ash shouts.

Servine stops squirming and winks at Wraps. A pink heart appears and hits Wraps, but it has no effect on the Tentacruel. Ash gasps in shock while Ritchie chuckles.

"Did I forget to mention that Wraps is a girl?" He mocks. "Ah, well. Wraps, use Poison Jab!"

Wraps takes out one of its tentacles that starts to glow purple, and it starts hitting Servine with it. Servine's grass type body grows weaker as its opponent repeatedly smacks it with its tentacle while it constantly squeezes it with its other tentacles. Ash grinds his teeth angrily until he gets an idea.

"Servine, use Vine Whip until you are freed!" He shouts.

Servine stops squirming, and two vines come out of its neck. One vine stops the tentacle using Poison Jab while the other starts smacking Wraps violently like a real whip. The Tentacruel, groans, and lets go of Servine, making Ash grin.

"Now, use Leaf Blade!" He shouts.

Once again, the leaf on Servine's tail glows light green, and it jumps and does a flip before slashing at Wraps' face. Wraps howls as it steps back, feeling weaker from the attack

"Okay, let's end this!" Ash orders. "Use Leaf Tornado one more time!"

"Wraps, use Barrier quick!" Ritchie shouts.

Servine summons another tornado, and the tornado sucks the Tentacruel into its center, and Wraps is sent spinning in the air panicking as the leaf tornado gets higher and higher. Richie watches in fear as the tornado crashes into the ground, and his Pokemon lies on the ground with swirly eyes.

"Wraps is unable to battle! Servine wins!" The referee announces while raises his green flag.

"Alright! Way to go, Servine!" Ash cheers.

"Servine," Servine replied weakly, during to stay up.

Back in the stands, Misty, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Brock, Holly, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu are cheering for Ash. But as they cheer, Brock and Holly notice Servine struggling to stay up. The auburn-haired woman frowns as she turns to Brock.

"Brock, if I remember correctly, poison attacks are strong against grass attacks, aren't they?" She asks.

Brock nods seriously.

"That's right," he says. "And given the way Servine was repeatedly hit with Poison Jab, I'm afraid it's not going to last much longer. It looks likely that it will go down, leaving both sides with just one Pokemon left."

Holly frowns, concerned for Ash before she turns her head to look at the field. Meanwhile, Ritchie is thinking hard about which Pokemon to choose as his last one in the match - worried about which Pokemon Ash will use if his last Pokemon takes out Servine. After a moment, he bites his lip and takes out one of his Pokeballs.

"It's all down to you," he whispered, be throws the ball, shouting, "Go, Zippo!"

The ball opens, and his Charizard comes out. Zippo glares menacingly at Servine who's morality sinks at the sight of the fire and flying type Pokemon.

"Don't be afraid, Servine!" Ash calls out, knowing how Servine is feeling. "Let's see if you can immobilize Zippo with Attract!"

Servine takes a deep breath to stay focused before it bravely looks at Zippo and gives it a wink. A couple of pink hearts appear and head toward the Charizard, but Ritchie has other plans.

"Zippo, destroy those hearts with Fire Spin!" He commands.

Zippo sneers before it opens its mouth, and an orb of flames comes out. The flames easily destroys the pink hearts before they mercilessly hit Servine. The grass Pokemon cries out in agony as it is knocked off its feet and plummets to the ground. Ash's eyes widen as he looks at his Pokemon burned and limp and the referee raises his red flag.

"Servine is unable to battle! Zippo is the winner!" He declares.

The crowd cheers as Ash sadly returns His Pokemon back into its Pokeball. Dawn, Piplup, and Serena frown sadly as the honey blonde girl still cradles Pikachu. Misty and Brock and the others look at Ash concerned as they wait for their raven-haired friend to choose his final Pokemon.

Ash's hands turn to balls a fist and shut his eyes, thinking very hard about his decision. He fights the urge to grow worried, with only one Pokemon left to defeat his friend. He considers water Pokemon like Oshawott or Buizel, but he decides against it and takes out one particular Pokeball.

"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash shouts.

The ball opens, and with a flash, Charizard comes out. All of Ash's friends stare in disbelief, taken aback that of all the Pokemon he could choose, it is the same Pokemon as Ritchie's.

"What in the world is Ash thinking?" Iris asks.

"I agree," Coovers says. "Why would he choose Charizard when he has Pokemon that can easily take down Ritchie's Pokemon?"

The others nod in agreement except for Misty and Brock. The two of them to look at each other seriously and nod.

"Because he wants to show that he's worthy of going forward," Misty says.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asks.

"Is it because he lost last time because Charizard refused to fight?" Cilan asks.

"Yes, it is," Brock says. "He and Charizard's bond has grown stronger since the last time he competed in the Indigo League, and he wants to prove how much stronger he is since then."

"Well, if that's the case, then I hope he can pull through," Timothy says.

Meanwhile, Zippo and Charizard stare at each other. Zippo remembers the way it was humiliated when it last faced Ash's Pokemon as a Charmander and Charizard knows that it has a chance for redemption for what it did to its trainer that it has since regained its bond with. Ash and Ritchie, on the other hand, smirk at each other, knowing that the best of their battle is soon to come. Suddenly, Charizard and Zippo roar loudly. They shoot fire from their mouths and beat their chests like ancient warriors trying to intimidate the other before facing each other in a duel. Ash and Ritchie point at the other's Pokemon, eager to triumph against the other.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash yells.

"Zippo, use Flamethrower as well!" Ritchie shouts.

Without hesitation, both Pokemon release large streams of fire from their mouths. The two flamethrowers collide, causing the attacks to explode in a ball of fire. The ground shakes, alarming the crowd, but Ash and Richie keep staring at each other unfazed.

"Charizard, use Slash!" Ash commands.

"Use Slash too now!" Ritchie screams.

Both Charizard and Zippo's claws grow longer and glow white before they charge at each other. They clash their claws repeatedly as if they are swords, trying to get an opening against the other. The process goes on until Zippo ducks its head, avoiding a swipe from Charizard, giving it the opening to uppercut slash its opponent. Charizard takes a step back while Zippo gets ready to strike with its claws again.

"Charizard, counter with Wing Attack!" Ash commands.

Charizard dodges Zippo's Slash attack and, with its wings glowing white, hits its opponent in the gut with its left wing. Zippo gets down on one knee, feeling the air get knocked right out of it before Charizard smacks it in the face with its other wing.

"Zippo, get up and use Fire Spin!" Ritchie shouts.

"Block it with Flamethrower!" Ash commands.

Zippo gets up before it, and Charizard fire their respective attacks and they clash together. The two flame Pokemon keep using their respective attacks until Charizard's Flamethrower overpowers Zippo's Fire Spin and ultimately hits Ritchie's Pokemon.

"Yay, Charizard!" Bonnie cheers.

"It's too early to be cheering, Bonnie," Clemont says calmly. "Flamethrower is not very effective against another fire Pokemon like Zippo."

"Clemont's right," Brock says. "Charizard only landed a hit because Flamethrower is more powerful than Fire Spin. But even then, that's not saying much."

"Agreed," Cilan says. "I also wonder if they both have a trick up their sleeve. After all, we've only seen three out of four attacks from both sides."

"That's a valid point, Cilan," Timothy says. "Perhaps they both have another move that's not a fire type. I hope Ash does because if not, then constantly using Slash might be the best bet he has against Ritchie."

Back in the field, Charizard and Zippo are panting, with a couple of scratches on their bodies. Ash and Ritchie, however, are still smirking as if they want this fight to keep going for as long as it can. But deep down, they both know that their flame Pokemon can't keep this up forever, and they need to do whatever it takes to win the round.

"Alright, let's kick things up a notch," Ritchie says. "Zippo, use Dragon Claw!"

Zippo's hands become surrounded in light green, claw-shaped energy and then charges at Charizard, ready to strike.

"Charizard, counter it with Dragon Tail!" Ash shouts.

A light blue glow spreads until Charizard's whole tail is light blue. Charizard spins around and uses its tail to block the claws on Zippo's right hand. But just as soon as Charizard blocks it, Zippo swipes with its left claws, slashing Charizard's back. Ash's Pokemon howls in pain and plummets to the ground.

"Charizard!" Ash cries out.

Serena and Dawn immediately stand up from their seats, worried about Charizard with Serena's hand on her ribbon while still holding Pikachu in her left arm. Charizard whimpers as it struggles to stay up. The referee waits patiently to see whether on not Ash's Pokemon is going to faint. Ritchie and Zippo also wait out of respect, hoping that the battle isn't over. Ash glances at Serena and sees how agitated she is over whether or not he will win. Ash frowns, not wanting her to worry and turns to Charizard.

"Charizard, get up!" He barks. "You can't give up now! Not when we are this close! You can do this, Charizard! We have to make it to the finals no matter what it takes! So get up now!"

Charizard moans and slowly lifts its head to look at Ash, but as it does, it gives a confused look on its face. Charizard sees determination in Ash's eyes, but it can tell that he wants to win for another reason besides simply wanting to become the champion of the Pokemon League. What Ash's reason is, the flame Pokemon cannot tell for not even Ash himself truly knows why else he wants to keep going. All that seems clear to Charizard is that Ash is after something far more precious than proving he is the best, and he's counting on it to give it to him.

The peculiar look on Ash's eyes motives Charizard despite how little it understands what is on its trainer's mind. It clenches its teeth and pushes itself up until it's able to stand on both feet. Ash smiles happily while Dawn, Piplup, and Serena sigh in relief. Charizard turns to Zippo and takes a large breath, letting out a thunderous roar while firing a large steam of fire into the air. Zippo grins, eager to battle its opponent a little longer while Ritchie smirks.

"Nice work, Ash!" he compliments. "It's clear that you and your Charizard have come a long way since the last time we've battled!"

"Thanks. I'm glad you noticed!" Ash says.

Ritchie nods before he gives a competitive smirk.

"Now, let's keep this battle going!" He says. "Zippo, use Dragon Claw once more!"

Zippo charges at Charizard again with large, green claws on both hands, and Ash thinks carefully until he gets an idea.

"Charizard, block both sets of claws with your wings using Wing Attack!" He orders.

Charizard's wings glow white and moves them in front of itself, just as Zippo is about to strike. Ritchie's Pokemon swipes with both sets of claws again, but they are blocked by both of Charizard's wings.

"Zippo, use Dragon Claw multiple times!" Ritchie shouts.

"Charizard, keep blocking!" Ash commands.

Zippo starts swiping at Charizard ferociously with its large claws while Charizard stands its ground with its wings still glowing white. As the process keeps going, Brock frowns and crosses his arms, looking at Richie skeptically.

"I hope he's not planning to keep using Dragon Claw until it eventually disarms Charizard," he says.

"I agree," Timothy says.

"So do I," Coovers says, nodding.

Holly looks at all three men confused before she turns to Brock and asks, "Why is that?"

"Well, you see, Dragon Claw is very powerful, but it requires a lot of stamina," Brock explains. "Wing Attack, on the other hand, is not especially powerful, but it requires less energy because of it. On top of that, Charizard is only using half of its attack since it's not using its wings to strike at its opponent."

Holly stares at Brock, intrigued.

"So between the two of them, Zippo is getting weaker because it's using more of its energy?" She asks.

"Basically," Coovers answers. "It will probably tire before it has any chance to break Charizard's defense at this point."

"Exactly," Timothy says. "If Ritchie doesn't do anything soon to break Charizard's defenses, then he may have unintentionally brought the match to Ash's favor."

Back in the field, Ash watches closely as his friend keeps defending itself. He thinks carefully of what to do next in case Ritchie comes up with a way to overpower Charizard. But while he is thinking, he notices something is off with Zippo. Its attacks are weak, slow, and sloppy. It takes a moment before Ash realizes that it's running out of energy, and he gets an idea.

"Charizard, knock Zippo's claws back and hit it on the head with your wings!" He instructs.

Charizard grins, liking the raven-haired boy's idea. Zippo swipes at it with both of its claws, only for them to be blocked again before Charizard's wings suddenly fling open, knocking Zippo's arms back. Before Zippo has a moment to react, Charizard smacks it in the head with both of its wings. Ritchie's eyes widen as his Pokemon stands in a daze.

"Alright, use Dragon Tail now!" Ash shouts.

Charizard's tail glows light blue, and it spins around and hits Zippo in the stomach.

"Zippo, fight back with Dragon Claw!' He shouts.

"Dodge it and use Slash multiple times!" Ash commands.

Zippo charges with its green claws again, but with its energy nearly depleted, Charizard easily flies away to avoid the attack before flanking its opponent and uses Slash multiple times. Ritchie watches helplessly as his Charizard grows weaker with Ash's Pokemon scratching its body left and right. By the time it's done, Zippo is panting heavily and hanging its head low.

"Alright, it looks like it's weak enough to finish it off like this!" Ash shouts. "Use Flamethrower at full power!"

Charizard grins before it takes a huge breath and releases a large stream of fire. Zippo just stands there as the attack hits it hard in the chest. It cries out in pain while Charizard lets it all out. Once Charizard is finished, Zippo stays still for a moment before its eyes grow heavy, and it plummets to the ground with a thud.

"Zippo is unable to battle!" The referee announces, raising his green flag. "Charizard is the winner. Thus, victory goes to Ash!"

The crowd goes wild, and Misty, Brock, Holly, May, Max, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu stand up from their seats and cheer loudly. Serena and Dawn get up from their seat and happily applauded. Pikachu smiles weakly, still being carried by Serena while Piplup happily dances on the bench. Ash shakes his fist into the air before running to Charizard and giving it a big hug!

"Great job, Charizard!" He shouts. "We did it!"

Charizard smiles, glad that its trainer is happy. Ritchie, meanwhile, covers his sad face with his hat while returning Zippo to its Pokeball. He sighs heavily before he brings himself to put up a smile and walks over to his friend.

"Great battle, Ash," he compliments. "It's clear from between our last battle and this one that you've become so much stronger and cunning since our last match in the Indigo League."

"Thanks, Ritchie," Ash says. "So, what are you going to do now?"

Ritchie shrugs and says, "I think I'm going to go home now. I want to rest and think about where to go next."

"In that case, let's have another battle the next time we see each other," Ash says, offering his hand.

Ritchie smiles, trying to fight the tears in his eyes as he shakes Ash's hand.

"I'd like that, Ash," he says. "I'd like that a lot."

Everyone in the group is cheering for Ash for his victory as he, Serena, and Dawn sit down next to them in the stands with Pikachu lying down on Ash's lap and Piplup sitting on Dawn's lap. As they watch the last battle of the day, Ash glances at Serena. The honey blonde girl appears to still have a small smile on her face because of his victory, but deep in her eyes, she looks sad. Ash frowns at this before he picks up Pikachu to the yellow mouse Pokemon can face him.

"Hey, Pikachu, I don't know if you noticed, but Serena looks a little better," he says quietly. "I think it's because I told her about my loss against Ritchie, and she's a little happy that I finally beat him."

"Pika," Pikachu says silently, still a little worn out from the match.

Ash nods and says, "It still looks like I have a long way to make her completely happy, but that's okay. Do you know why?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, shaking its head.

"Because she reminded me not to give up until the end," Ash explains. "And not only did I need that for my battle with Ritchie, but I need to remember that for trying to cheer her up. So after you and the others are healed, we're going to train even harder to make sure we keep winning until Serena is purely happy. You with me?"

Pikachu smiles softly and licks Ash as a way of saying yes. The raven-haired boy grins and hugs his partner carefully.

"Thanks, buddy," he says before secretly turning to Serena and quietly says, "Don't you worry, Serena. I'm going to cheer you up no matter what it takes."


	67. Chapter 67

The next day, Ash gets up earlier than everyone else to pick up his Pokemon from Nurse Joy and starts training. As he trains with his Pokemon, he notices that Charizard is feeling higher in spirits, clearly glad to have won Ash the battle against Ritchie. Servine feels like it could have done better against Zippo, but Ash cheers it up, saying not to worry about it and to just keep going. A little later in the morning, Ash and Pikachu see Ritchie and Sparky leaving the Pokemon Center to head back to his hometown, and the two of them wave goodbye to their friends. A couple hours later, Misty comes up to him and childishly orders him to come inside for breakfast. Ash wants to train more, but then his stomach rumbles, so he quickly follows Misty with his Pokemon following behind.

After breakfast is over, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Brock, Holly, Clemont, Bonnie, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu all leave to go back to the registration center to find out who Ash, Max, and Timothy are going to face next.

"Man, only 8 people left in the league already," Max says before turning to Ash, Holly, and Timothy. "And we're half of the remaining 8."

"Yup, we sure are," Ash says with a smile.

"At this rate, it's only a matter of time before some if not all of us have to face each other," Max says.

"And that's assuming some if not all of us don't end up facing each other today at the quarterfinals," Holly points out. "Or that any of us are going to win this round."

"Speak for yourself, Holly," Timothy says. "I don't see any of the other contestants keeping me from reaching the semifinals."

"You might if you go against me," Ash says.

Timothy smirks at Ash, and the raven-haired boy just smirks back competitively.

"Just make sure all of your Pokemon are ready for this, guys," Brock suggests. "You are competing in full battles from now on, after all."

"Oh please," Timothy says with a wave of his hand. "I've gotten this far many times, and Ash has too as I recall."

"You got that right," Ash boasts.

"Well then, my advice goes to just Max and Holly then," Brock says.

Max nods and says, "Admittedly, I haven't had a full 6-on-6 battle before, so I hope I'm ready for it."

"Me too," Holly says. "It hasn't been that long since I got a full party by capturing Beedrill."

"You'll do fine," Brock says, pitting his hand on Holly's shoulder.

Holly turns to Brock and smiling sweetly, treasuring the times that he's with her and not Lucy.

"I'm just annoyed that Giselle is still competing," Dawn says with an annoyed frown. "Did you see that pompous look on her face when she was battling last night?"

"I sure did," Misty says. "I'd like to personally wipe that arrogant smile off her face."

"Me too," May says.

Serena hesitates and says, "I'm not one for violence like that, but I would like to see her get knocked out of the tournament."

Ash turns to Serena and give her a toothy grin.

"Don't you worry, Serena," he says. "I still plan to keep my promise if I end up having to face her."

"So do I," Timothy says, giving Serena a wink.

The honey blonde girl smiles appreciatively at both Ash and Timothy. Before long, the entire group makes it to the registration center, and already a couple of trainers who are still in the tournament begin fishing for Magikarp. The office is rearranged so that there is only one large pool left to fish for Magikarp and find out who is competing against who in the quarterfinals. Ash, Max, Timothy, and Holly walk toward the desk to get fishing rods until Giselle cuts in front of them.

"Hey!" The four of them say at the same time.

"Hey, yourselves," Giselle says rudely before turning to the attendant. "I'd like to find out who I'm up against."

The attendant looks like Gisele skeptically over her rude demeanor before she gives the girl a rod. Giselle smirks and begins to head to the pool before giving Timothy a glare.

"I better be facing you next," she grumbles. "I still want payback after you disqualified me in the preliminaries last time."

"I don't doubt you," Timothy says bluntly. "But we won't know until you start fishing, won't we?"

Giselle snarls and puts her rod in the water. It isn't long before Giselle gets a bite, and she pulls a Magikarp out of the water.

"Humph, D-5," She says plainly before turning to the attendant. "Who am I up against?"

"I don't know yet," the attendant answers. "In fact, no one has found the same Magikarp as someone else."

"So does that mean we won't find out who battles against who until, Max, Timothy, Holly, and I catch our Magikarp?" Ash asks.

"That's right," the attendant answers.

"Well, what do you know," Cilan says, amused.

"Looks like none of you are going to face each other in this round either," Iris says.

"Axew," Axew says with a nod.

"Looks like it," Max says as he takes a rod from the attendant. "So, let's find out who we are up against already."

"Right," Ash, Holly, and Timothy say before getting their own rods.

The other remaining trainers in the competition watch eagerly as the other four competitors put their rods in the tub. Serena Pikachu, Brock, Misty, Bonnie, Clemont, May, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Coovers, and Electchu also watch their friends, invested with what's going to happen. Giselle drums her fingers while her arms are crossed until Max gets a bite and pulls out a Magikarp.

"F-7," the attendant says. "That means you will be going against Thomas in the first battle today."

Max's picture and the picture of a guy with green hair appears on the screen above the attendant. Max smiles before turning to the man named Thomas, who gives him a competitive smirk.

Holly's rod moves next, and she pulls out a Magikarp that has a C and a 6 on its side.

"C-6. And that means you will go against Jim on the second battle," the attendant announces.

Holly's picture appears on the screen alongside the picture of a tall man with long brown hair tied into a ponytail. Holly turns to find Jim until she spots him, giving her a grin and a thumbs up. Next, Timothy's rod begins to twitch, and he immediately pulls it out. Giselle grins excitedly, expecting him to get the same letter and number, but her hopes are crushed when she sees what he has instead.

"Z-9. So you will be going against Laura in the third battle," the attendant announces.

Timothy's image appears alongside a teenage girl with black, curly hair and freckles. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt turns to see Laura giving him a serious, determined look with her hands turned into fists. Giselle clenches her teeth in irritation while the entire gang turns to Ash.

"So if Giselle didn't get Timothy or Holly or Max, then that means…" May says.

Ash feels a Magikarp pulling the string in his rod and pulls it out. Sure enough, the fish Pokemon dangling in the air has a white "D" and the number 5 on its side.

"Ash, Giselle, you will partake in the last battle today against each other," the attendant says. "Best of luck to all eight of you."

"Thanks," All the competitors say except for Giselle.

With that, the gang and all of the remaining participants in the tournament all leave the registration center. Everyone in the group is about to leave when Giselle walks behind Ash, taps him on the shoulder, making him turn around to face her.

"Listen here and listen good, Ash," she begins, pointing at Ash with her finger. "You may have gotten the best of me at the Pokemon Institute, but it won't happen again. I don't care what Pokemon you have now, I'm going to beat you."

Serena, Misty, May, and Dawn glare at Giselle's attitude. Ash, however, just smirks at Giselle.

"Whatever you say, Giselle," he says. "Just know that I'm not going to lose."

"Humph, we'll see about that," Giselle says before she walks away with her head held high. Serena, Misty, May, and Dawn continue to glare at her until she's out of sight.

"She really grows on you, doesn't she?" Coovers says jokingly.

"Oh yeah, she's a diamond in the rough," Bonnie says sarcastically.

The others nod in agreement until a beeper is heard in Brock's pocket. Holly's heart sinks as he turns to him.

"Oh, please don't tell me it's already time," she says.

"I'm afraid so. Lucy and I have plans for lunch and a couple of other things," Brock says before he gives her an assuring smile. "Don't worry, though. I'm going to be at your battle cheering you all the way, and we'll have dinner right after. I promise."

Holly frowns sadly. Deep down, Brock knows what he said is not what she wants to hear, but it's all he can do to make things up to her. He gently strokes her cheek, making her smile for a brief moment before he turns around and leaves. Holly puts her hand on her necklace and sighs sadly. Everyone looks at her sympathetically except for Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu.

"I'm sorry, what's this about?" Timothy queries.

Serena turns to him and looks at Holly as if to ask her if he and his companions should be told what is happening. Holly hesitates before she softly nods her head, and Serena turns back to the two men and the Raichu.

"Basically, when we were at that dinner party at Lucy's house, she and Brock secretly left to confess their feelings," she begins. "They planned to be together after Ash competes in the Indigo League, but then Brock forgot about all of that when we ran into Holly at Neon City and…"

"And then they made their own plan to get together after Holly competes in the league," Coovers says, figuring out the rest.

"Yes," Serena says. "On the first day of the preliminaries, Lucy came, and she told us about her deal with Brock, and we all confronted him about it. We're all angry about what he did but then later came to apologize to Lucy and Holly and together, they formed a compromise where he takes turns spending time with either Lucy or Holly as a way to try to make up for both of them for what he did."

Both men and the Raichu frown in concern. They look at Holly, who is looking away from everyone with her head down and her hand still on her necklace.

"This is unfortunate to hear," Timothy says. "I'm sorry that you're going through this, Holly."

"Thanks," Holly says softly.

Coovers runs his fingers through his hair, disturbed that the man he thought was getting the romance he's always wanted brought himself into such a terrible situation.

"I can't believe this is happening," he says.

"Believe it," Misty says, coldly. "Brock has always had a weakness for women."

"Yeah, but he really put his foot in it this time," Max says, disapprovingly with his arms crossed.

May, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, and Cilan nod in agreement while Ash just frowns for his long-time friend. Holly sighs again before she shakes her head and turns to the group.

"You know what? I don't want to hear you guys talk about it anymore," she says. "Let's just focus on our upcoming battles."

"Good idea," Clemont says with a small smile for Holly before turning to Ash. "So, what do you know about Giselle's Pokemon?"

Ash scratches his chin in thought and says, "Well, half of her Pokemon are both rock and ground types including a Rhydon, a Marowak that knows a couple of fire attacks and a Golem that knows some electric attacks."

"Hmmm, that's a smart set of moves to have, especially the electric attacks," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu agrees.

"Yup, but apart from that, I only know about her Espeon," he says. "Those are the only Pokemon I've seen her use both here and during the Grand Festival."

Coovers thinks about it and says, "You know, I think I remember watching her compete in the rock field a couple of battles before Timothy's during the preliminaries, and I think she was using a Vileplume."

"That's right," Timothy says, remembering. "If I recall correctly, her Vileplume knows Petal Dance, Mega Drain, Toxic, and Sludge Bomb."

"Good to know. That means I know about all of her Pokemon except for two," Ash says, smiling. "And best of all, I have a good idea about how to deal with half of her party."

"You do?" Everyone asks at the same time.

"I sure do," Ash says.

"Well, what is it?" Bonnie asks.

"Let's just say after one of her contests battles against Serena, I have a good feeling that she doesn't know a whole lot about Pokemon beyond the Kanto and Johto regions," Ash says with a grin.

"Ooh, sounds like you've already got a pretty cunning strategy in mind," Dawn says with a smug grin. "I'm excited to find out what it is,"

"Me too," May says.

"Me three," Bonnie says cheerfully.

Serena smiles softly and nods.

"That all sounds well and good, but what about Giselle's last Pokemon?" Iris asks, concerned.

"Indeed, you can't have a complete dish without knowing all of the ingredients," Cilan says.

Max rolls his eyes at Cilan's metaphor and says, "Then we all better get back to the Pokemon Center and find out what her other Pokemon might be along with what Pokemon Holly and Timothy and I have to face."

"So, what are we waiting for?" Iris says. "The quarterfinals start in a couple of hours, so let's get going."

Thus, for the next hour, the group looks up what Pokemon Thomas, Ashley, Jim, and Giselle have. But while Max, Holly, and Timothy find out their opponents' entire parties, Ash doesn't find anything in the Pokemon Center's computers to find out what Giselle sixth and final Pokemon is. Everyone grows uneasy with this information, especially Serena and Misty, as they begin to suspect that Giselle's final Pokemon is meant to be a secret until someone successfully takes out her other five Pokemon. But despite that, Ash chooses to think positively about his upcoming match as he calls Professor Oak and has a couple of his Pokemon switched out.

After Ash spends an hour training the Pokemon he received from Professor Oak, the group heads to the Indigo League stadium for the quarterfinals. Max comes first against his opponent, Thomas, who makes May nervous since it is her little brother's 6-on-6 battle. Her worry grows when Thomas gets a head start by knocking out Max's Pinser and Arcanine, but after he chooses Sceptile for his third Pokemon, he begins to take the lead by taking out four of Thomas's Pokemon before Thomas' Rapidash finishes Sceptile off. Fortunately, Max calls out Kubutops next who finishes off the rest of Thomas' Pokemon. May lets out a big breath that she didn't know she was holding before standing up and cheering loudly for her brother.

Holly comes next to battle, feeling just as uneasy as May was. But thankfully, Brock comes in time to motivate her before she goes into the field. She starts out by having Wigglytuff constantly using Sing to immobilize Jim's Pokemon and beating them until they fainted until Jim calls out his Mr. Mime that has the ability, Soundproof, and defeats Wigglytuff. She then calls Beedrill, knowing that Mr. Mime is weak against poison attack and keeps using Poison Jab until Mr. Mime is down. The barrier Pokemon was quickly replaced by a Flaaffy who constantly electrocutes Holly's Pokemon until it was unconscious. Finally, Holly used Probopass, who takes out Flaaffy and the rest of Jim's Pokemon, much to the auburn-haired women's joy. She quickly runs up the stands where the gang is to give Brock a big hug. Her spirit is crushed, however, when Brock once again has to leave to spend time with Lucy.

Timothy comes next against his opponent, Laura. The teenage girl start, with a couple of ghost and fire type Pokemon, but the man in the "H.A.K." shirt takes advantage that Ashley doesn't know that Ghost-types are immune to normal Pokemon and that his Snorlax knows Ice Punch to wipe out most of Laura's Pokemon. Snorlax is finally immobilized when Laura takes out her Lapras and has it use Sing to make Snorlax fall asleep. Knowing that he can't wake up his Pokemon and Laura would have Lapras use its other moves to take down Snorlax anyway, Timothy decides to cut his losses and return Snorlax to its Pokeball. He calls out Odyssey next who uses Extreme Speed and its fighting attacks to take down Lapras before it can Sing again. Laura uses a Machamp as her last Pokemon, and Odyssey constantly defends itself against the superpower Pokemon with Bone Rush before taking it down. Unknown to everyone else, though, Ash carefully watches the way the Lucario used its bone of energy, thinking about the next time Primeape will face Timothy's Pokemon.

Finally, it's Ash's turn to battle with everyone encouraging him to take down Giselle. He and Pikachu grin proudly as the two of them and Iris, Axew, and Serena go downstairs and down the hall to enter the field. Giselle comes out from the other side of the battlefield and glares at the raven-haired boy with her hands on her hips.

"So, it's time to see how strong you really are, Ash," she states. "I'd like to see how strong you think you are after first meeting you with only two badges and three Pokemon to your name."

"Just as full of herself as ever," Serena mumbles with Iris nodding as they sit down on a bench behind Ash with Axew.

"Oh, don't you worry, Giselle," Ash says. "I think you're in for a big surprise."

Giselle looks away from Ash with a "humph," while the referee raises his flags and clears his throat.

"This will be a full battle between Ash and Giselle!" he announces. "The battle will be over when all six Pokemon from either side is unable to battle! Furthermore, substitutions are not allowed! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready," Giselle answers plainly.

"You bet I'm ready!" Ash declares proudly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts, feeling Ash's enthusiasm.

"Then battle begin!" The referee shouts.

Giselle immediately takes out a Pokeball and throws it in the yelling, "Marowak, let's do this!"

"Come on out, Palpitoad!" Ash shouts, throwing his own Pokeball at the field.

Both ball open to reveal the trainer's respected Pokemon. Giselle looks at Palpitoad curiously until she chuckles, arrogantly.

"Judging by the blue skin from your Pokemon, I reckon that's a water Pokemon, and so you think you can take out my Marowak with water attacks," she states.

"Among other moves, yes," Ash says, not afraid to confirm his opponent's observation.

"Well then, we'll just have to show you that we won't lose to your water Pokemon," Giselle says. "Marowak, use Screech!"

Marowak opens its mouth and lets out a deafening sound, causing Palpitoad to groan, feeling its defense lowering dramatically.

"Oh, no. Now I'm worried about what is going to happen with Palpitoad even though the rest of Marowak's attacks are not normally effective to a water Pokemon," Serena says.

"Relax, Serena, your crush has plenty of tricks up his sleeves," Iris says reassuringly.

Serena tries to take Iris' word for it until her eyes widen, realizing what she just said and blushes.

"Who told you?" she asks.

"Nobody told me," Iris says in a matter-of-factually tone. "It's just pretty obvious."

"Marowak, use Bonemerang!" Giselle commands.

"Knock it out with Mud Shot!" Ash orders.

Marowak throws its bone at Palpitoad, but Palpitoad simply takes out its long tongue and glows yellow before swinging its tongue, releasing multiple balls of mud. One of the balls hits Marowak's bone, sending it crashing into the ground, far from the bone keeper Pokemon. Another ball of mud hits Marowak and nearly knocks it off its feet.

Giselle frowns and shouts, "Marowak, pick up your bone and then use Fire Blast!"

Ash smirks, knowing that having Marowak run for its bone makes it an easy target for his next move.

"Palpitaod, use Supersonic!" he commands.

Palpitoad takes a deep breath and releases several sound waves with one of them easily hitting Marowak as it runs for its bone. Marowak's pupils shrink, and it starts moving around in a daze.

"Oh, no!" Giselle says worriedly.

"Oh yes," Ash grins. "Palpitoad, use Mud Shot again!"

Palpitoad swings its tongue, releasing several balls of mud again. The balls hit the bone keeper Pokemon who grunts in pain while still confused.

"Let's wrap it up with Hydro Pump!" Ash commands.

Palpitoad lets out a large stream of water from its mouth, and Marowak helplessly stands still as the water hits it directly. With its ground-type body unable to take anymore, Marowak falls down with swirly eyes.

"Marowak is unable to battle. Palpitoad is the winner!" The referee announces.

The crowd cheers while Ash shakes his fist in the air. Serena and Iris smile as they also applaud. Giselle, on the other hand, returns Marowak to its Pokeball and grins as she takes out another one.

"Now it's my turn to take down one of your Pokemon," she claims before throwing the ball. "Golem, let's go!"

Golem comes out of its container and growls at Palpitoad.

"Uh-oh," Serena says. "Golem knows Thunder Punch, so she's likely to use it to take down Palpitoad."

"I think Ash is counting on it," Iris says.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Serena asks, confused.

"You'll see," Iris says with a smile and a wink.

"Alright, Palpitoad, let's start off with Hydro Pump!" Ash shouts.

"Defend yourself with Defense Curl!" Giselle commands.

Golem puts its arms, legs, and head into its shell, protecting itself from Palpitoad's water attack.

"Now, use Rock Slide!" Giselle shouts.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouts back.

Golem raises its hands, and a large boulder appears in the air. The Megaton thrusts its arms at Palpitoad, and the boulders zoom toward its opponent. But instead of getting hit, Palpitoad starts hopping on top of each boulder coming its way. The vibration Pokemon laughs gleefully as if it's playing a game, but Giselle smirks at its demeanor.

"Now, use Thunder Punch while it's distracted!" she orders.

Serena's eyes widen with worry, and she puts her hand on her ribbon as Golem charges at the oblivious Palpitoad with electricity coming out of its fist. But the honey blonde girl's worry turns into confusion when Ash turns his head to look at Pikachu, and the two of them quietly giggle mischievously. Serena tilts her head, befuddled until she sees Golem punching Palpitoad hard in the gut, sending it falling into the ground. Giselle grins at her Pokemon's accomplishment until she sees Palpitoad standing in front of Golem, looking just fine.

"Alright, Palpitoad, use Supersonic before Giselle gets any other ideas," Ash instructs.

Palpitoad releases several sound waves again, and they hit Golem, making it act goofy just like Marowak.

"Not again!" Giselle groans.

"Now, use Mud Shot followed by Hydro Pump!" Ash shouts.

Without hesitation, Palpitoad releases balls of mud from its mouth again, which directly hits Golem with ease. Shortly after that, Palpitoad takes a deep breath and unleashes Hydro Pump. The move hits Golem so hard that it's sent flying, crashing into a wall before falling down, unconscious.

"Golem is unable to battle! Palpitoad wins again!" The referee declares.

Giselle grinds her teeth before returning her Pokemon. She turns to Ash, who just smiles at her without a care.

"How could this have happened?!" she screams, "Why didn't Thunder Punch work?!"

"Because Palpitoad is both a water _and_ ground type," Ash answers. "Thunder Punch wouldn't have done a thing no matter how powerful it is."

Serena's eyes widen, and she smiles before turning to Iris.

"So that's what you were talking about," Serena says. "Ash predicted that Giselle doesn't know much about Palpitoad because it's a Pokemon from Unova and used the fact that Giselle would have relied on Thunder Punch as a trap."

"Exactly," Iris says, smiling with her eyes closed.

Serena beams and turns to Ash.

"Just like Ash to come up with a strategy like that," she says.

"Sure is," Iris says before turning to Ash concerned. "But I wonder why Ash revealed both of Palpitoad's types to Giselle."

Serena frowns and scratches her chin in thought. She keeps thinking until she snaps her fingers with an optimistic smile.

"I think I have a good idea this time," she says.

Giselle clenches her teeth and takes out another Pokeball.

"Let's go, Rhydon!" She screams, throwing the Pokeball into the air.

The drill Pokemon comes out of its ball and roars menacingly at Palpitoad. Serena smiles at Rhydon while Iris turns to her, slowly putting the pieces together in her head.

"Oh, get it," she says. "Ash told Giselle that Palpitoad is a ground type so that she will choose Rhydon next since ground-type Pokemon are weak against ground attacks."

"Exactly," Serena confirms.

Iris smiles until she frowns and scratches chin in thought.

"But wait a minute, ground attacks are neutrally effective against Palpitoad because it's a duel type," she says. "So really, Rhydon's attacks will only do normal amounts of damage while Palpitoad has two moves that can seriously hurt it."

"So, Giselle is being reckless with her desire to take down Palpitoad?" Serena asks.

"Most likely," Iris says.

"Palpitoad, use Hydro Pump again!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it and use Drill Run!" Giselle commands.

Ash, Pikachu, and Serena are taken aback by Giselle's order while Palpitoad uses its water attack. Rhydon moves away to avoid the large steam of water and jumps into the air before it starts spinning its whole body like a drill. It then charges at Palpitoad and stabs it, sending it crashing into a wall next to Serena and Iris.

"Palpitoad!" Ash cries out.

"Heh, finally hit that stupid thing," Giselle grumbles.

Ash rushes to Palpitoad's side and asks, "Can you keep going?"

Palpitoad groans, tormented from the attack. It struggles for several seconds before it gets up.

"Palpitoad!" It shouts.

Ash smiles before he gives a detriment face.

"Alright then, let's go get 'em!" He shouts.

Palpitoad hops back into the field while Ash returns to his side of the field. Giselle sneers, unconvinced that Ash's Pokemon will still be a problem.

"Let's get rid of that annoying toad, Rhydon!" She calls out. "Use Megahorn!"

Rhydon's horn glows white and extends before it charges at Palpitoad again. Ash just smirks as he patiently waits as the drill Pokemon gets closer and closer to his Pokemon.

"Now, Palpitoad, use Supersonic again!" He shouts.

Palpitoad releases several sound waves from its mouth again, and Rhydon is too close to it to avoid the attack. The Supersonic hits it, and Rhydon just looks around completely confused.

"Oh, come on!" Giselle screams.

"Now, use Hydro Pump at full power!" Ash shouts.

Giselle can do nothing but watch as Palpitoad once again releases a giant steam of water, and it directly hits Rhydon. It roars loudly as the water hits its rock-and-ground-type body hard. The process goes on until Palpitoad stops, and Rhydon groans weakly before it falls to the ground on its stomach.

"Rhydon is out of the match!" The referee shouts. "Palpitoad is once again the winner!"

The crowd cheers loudly while Giselle screams in irritation. She puts Rhydon back in its Pokeball and immediately takes out another one.

"Vileplume, let's take that Pokemon down!' She yells, throwing the ball.

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Iris, and Axew frown in concern as Vileplume comes out of its container. Palpitoad keeps a cheerful face even though it's at a type disadvantage.

"Let's go, Palpitoad!" Ash shouts. "Use Supersonic!"

"Oh, now you don't!" Giselle growls. "Dodge and use Petal Dance!"

Vileplume jumps away just in time to avoid Palpitoad's Supersonic and stretches the opening on its flower to releases pink petals in a spiraling fashion. The petals hit Palpitoad, and it squeals before it falls down on it's back with swirly eyes.

"Palpitoad is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Vileplume is the winner!"

"Aw, poor Palpitoad," Serena says.

"Yeah, it didn't have a chance after getting hit with Screech," Iris says sadly. "That's okay, though. Palpitoad gave it it's all, and it took out half of Giselle's Pokemon. Besides, I doubt Ash could keep his charade with just Palpitoad anyway."

"Axew," Axew says in agreement.

"I guess so," Serena says. "Plus, Ash did say he switched a couple of his Pokemon, so I bet that means he has more up his sleeve."

"I think that's a safe bet," Iris says. "He may be a kid, but he can be a clever trainer from time to time."

Serena gives Iris a judging look for calling the guy she likes a kid again. Iris ignores Serena's glare before the two of them turn to face Ash, who is taking out another Pokeball.

"Glalie, I choose you!" He shouts, throwing the ball.

Glalie comes out and gives an intimidating glare that frightens Vileplume. Iris and Axew's eyes widen, and they hold each other in terror as if a giant monster is going to gobble them up. Serena turns to Iris and Axel and looks at them, confused.

"What's wrong, Iris,"

"I-i-i-i-ice Pokemon," Iris whimpers. "They frighten me because I'm a dragon Pokemon trainer and ice Pokemon are very strong against dragon Pokemon."

Serena blinks before she covers her mouth, trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh, Iris," she chortles with her mouth covered.

"Alright, Glalie, let's start things off with Icy Wind!" Ash commands.

"Dodge it and use Toxic, Vileplume!" Giselle shouts.

Glalie blows sparkling, blue snow from its mouth, and Vileplume jumps away from it and fires black gas from its flower towards its opponent. The gas hits Glalie, and it grunts in agony as purple bubbles appear all over its body.

"Oh, no!" Ash cries out.

"Glalie's been poisoned!" Serena shouts.

"Yes!" Giselle shouts, pumping her fist. "Now use Sludge Bomb!"

Ash grinds his teeth and shouts, "Glalie, use Headbutt while spinning!"

Glalie grins and starts spinning around and heading toward Vileplume per Ash's instructions. Vileplume fires a blob of brown sludge at its opponent, but the attack is knocked back with Glalie spinning. The face Pokemon headbutts Vileplume while still spinning, knocking it off its feet and sending it crashing into a wall.

"Don't give it a moment to get up!" Ash shouts. "Use Ice Beam!"

Glalie smiles mischievously and charges a light blue ball between the horn on its head. It fires a light blue beam from the ball, and it hits Vileplume, trapping it in a block of ice.

"Vileplume cannot continue! Glalie is the winner!" The referee announces.

The crowd cheers again, and Serena and Iris stand up and shake their fists in the air with Axew cheering from Iris' hair. Ash smiles and turns to Pikachu.

"Just two more to go, buddy," he says.

"Pika!" Pikachu says happily.

"Glalie!" Glalie cheers with a grin before purple bubbles appear around its body again, and it moans in agony.

Ash turns to his friend and says, "Looks like we need to be quick if we are to win before you faint, Glalie."

"Glalie," Glalie says with a nod.

Giselle returns Vileplume and glares at Ash.

"I've had just about enough of you!" she yells with another Pokeball in her hand. "Go, Espeon!"

She throws the ball, and Espeon comes out. Glalie glares at the sun Pokemon, trying to intimidate it despite is growing weaker from the poison.

"Now, Espeon, use Psybeam!" Giselle commands.

"Glalie, use Double Team!" Ash shouts.

Glalie makes multiple copies of itself all floating in a straight line. Espeon hesitates before it shoots Psybeam at all of them right to left. The attack takes down all of the copies of Glalie, but the real one is nowhere to be seen. Espeon grows worried until the real one appears behind it.

"Now use Ice Beam!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Swift!" Giselle yells.

Espeon turns to Glalie and quickly jumps away to avoid the Ice Beam. It then jumps into the air and swings several golden stars at its opponent. They hit Gallade, and it grunts in pain.

"Now, use Baby-Doll Eyes!" Giselle orders.

Espeon winks at Glalie, sending tiny, pink hearts at the face Pokemon. The hearts hits Glalie, and it feels it's strength weakening.

"Oh no, that weakened Glalie's attack, didn't it?" Serena says.

"Yeah, it did," Iris says. "But I think all Ash needs is one good hit from either Icy Wind or Ice Beam, and Espeon will be done."

"I hope so," Serena says.

"Espeon, use Swift again!" Giselle shouts.

"Dodge and use Headbutt while spinning again!' Ash shouts.

Espeon flings several yellow stars at Glalie, but the face Pokemon just dodges it and starts spinning toward Espeon. Glalie successfully hits Espeon, and it knocks the sun Pokemon off its feet, but it just slowly starts to get up with a few scratches on its body.

"Aw, Headbutt isn't as effective as it was before," Serena says.

Ash has the same thought as he says, "Alright, use Ice Beam!"

"Counter with Psybeam!" Giselle shouts.

Espeon fires a multicolored beam, and it hits the Ice Beam, causing both of them to explode and cover the middle of the field in smoke.

"Now, while you have cover, use Morning Sun!" Giselle commands.

Espeon's entire body glows white, and within a few seconds, it stops flowing to reveal that it's fully healed. When the smoke clears, Ash and Glalie are shocked that their efforts to hit Espeon were just taken away. Just then, purple bubbles appear on Glalie's body again and moans, feeling weaker by the minute.

"We don't have much time," Ash says seriously. "Use Icy Wind!"

"Dodge and use Swift again!" Giselle commands.

Once again, Glalie blows blue snow from its mouth, and Espeon simply jumps away before using Swift. The yellow stars hit Glalie, and it falls to the ground on its side.

"Glalie!" Ash cries out.

"Now, let's finish it!" Giselle commands. "Use Psybeam!"

Ash grows worried until he gets an idea.

"Glalie, use Ice Beam to cancel Psybeam!" He orders.

Glalie nods and uses its attack while still lying on its side. Once again, Psybeam and Ice Beam collide and explode, covering the middle of the battlefield in smoke.

"Oh please, Ash," Giselle says mockingly. "If you think you can get the best of me by copying my -"

"Use Ice Beam again!" She hears Ash shout.

Giselle is confused until she sees another Ice Beam emerge from the smoke. Before she knows it, Espeon only has a split second to cry out before the beam hits, and its body is covered in a block of ice.

"No!" She screams. "I can't believe it happened again!"

"Both Pokemon are unable to continue! It's a draw!" The referee declares.

Giselle is confused with the referee's announcement until the smoke finally clears, and Glalie is seen lying on the ground unconscious. It takes a moment before she realizes that the poison from Vileplume took full effect. Ash gives his Pokemon a sad smile as he returns it to its Pokeball.

"You were awesome, Glalie," he says.

Iris and Axew sigh in relief, happy to not be around an ice type Pokemon even if it was Ash's. Serena once again covers her mouth, trying to hide a laugh at their demeanor.

Giselle returns Espeon, feeling as grumpy as ever.

"At least I got rid of that ice Pokemon before," she says to herself, "Now let's see how he handles my last Pokemon."

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Iris, and Axew become serious as they wait in anticipation to find out what is Giselle's final Pokemon.

"Let's finish this, Dragonair!" Giselle shouts as she throws her last Pokeball.

The ball opens, and a Dragonair appears on the field. Ash blinks before he smirks and takes out a Pokeball.

"I think you should have waited until I took out a Pokemon that might have been at a disadvantage against Dragonair, Giselle. That might be the last mistake you'll make in the entire match," Ash taunts before throwing his Pokeball. "Go, Gabite!"

Ash's Pokeball opens, and Gabite comes out and roars at its opponent. Iris smiles happily like a kid at Christmas as she gazes at the two Pokemon.

"This is so exciting!" she squeals. "A dragon Pokemon against a dragon Pokemon."

"But isn't Gabite a duel type by being both dragon and ground?" Serena asks.

"Yes, but it's still weak against dragon attacks the same as Dragonair," Iris points out. "So it could go either way based on what dragon attacks they both have and who lands the most hits. Oh, I can't wait to find out!"

"Axew!" Axew exclaims, sharing its partner's excitement.

Serena frowns and says, "Please focus, Iris. We're here to cheer for Ash, remember?"

"Yeah...you're right," Iris says, chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of her head.

Meanwhile, Giselle looks at Gabite skeptically. While she hasn't seen the Pokemon before in her life, she has an uneasy feeling that Ash is going to use whatever type he has to his advantage, just like with Palpitoad and Glalie. With his little taunt before calling out his Pokemon, it sounds like he's laid another trap that might work against her. It frustrates her that she doesn't know what the Pokemon is, and so she grinds her teeth and take a chance.

"Dragonair, let's finish this quickly!" she commands. "Use Twister!"

The orbs on Dragonair's tail glow, and it waves its tail, creating a tornado heading to Gabite.

"Gabite, use Dig!" Ash shouts.

Gabite jumps in the air and dives into the ground, creating a hole in the battlefield. The twister passes by the hole, and Giselle and Dragonair look around for their opponent before Gabite emerges from the ground and attacks the dragon Pokemon. Dragonair squeals as it is sent a couple of yards back and crashing onto the ground before getting up with a couple of scratches into its body.

Giselle's frustration grows as she shouts, "Dragonair, use Thunder Wave!"

Ash smirks as Dragonair lets out a blue stream of electricity that wraps around Gabite like a rope. But instead of showing any hint of pain or agony, Gabite just stands there as if it's feeling nothing but air.

"What's going on?!" Giselle screams.

"Now, Gabite, use Dragon Rush!" Ash commands.

Giselle's eyes widen as Gabite charges at her Pokemon with its body surrounded lin blue energy shaped like a dragon. The attack rams into Dragonair, and it screams as it falls to the ground again, looking very weak.

"Dragonair!" Giselle shouts, worriedly.

"_What a predicament for Giselle!_" the announcer says. "_Just like with Palitoad, she doesn't know that Gabite is a dual-type - in this case, dragon and ground._"

Giselle pupils shrink as the weight of the situation hits her like a giant boulder. She glares daggers at Ash, who just keeps smirking along with Pikachu.

"So that's how it is!" she growls. "You're going to regret the announcer saying what type your Gabite is."

Serena frowns again and says, "That might actually be true. You did say that dragon Pokemon are weak against dragon attacks, right Iris?"

"I did," Iris says with a nod. "We'll just have to see where the battle goes from here."

"Dragonair, use Twister!" Giselle commands.

"Gabite, use Dig again!" Ash orders.

Dragonair uses Twister again, and Gabite just goes underground, dodging the attack. But instead of getting worried, Giselle watches closely to the ground underneath Dragonair until she sees cracks appearing.

"Dragonair, jumps away, and use Dragon Tail!" She commands.

Dragonair does as it's told, and jumps away just as Gabite is emerging from the ground. Its whole tail glows light blue before it swings its tail and hits Gabite in the stomach.

"Now, use Twister again!" Giselle shouts with a grin.

Dragonair unleashes another tornado, and this time it successfully hits Gabite, and it howls in pain while going down one knee.

"Gabite!" Ash calls out.

"Oh, no!" Serena says, putting her hand her blue ribbon.

"That was a serious combination of dragon type attacks," Iris says. "It's a miracle that Gabite is still conscious."

"Now, finish it with Dragon Tail!" Giselle commands.

Ash grows worried for his Pokemon as Gragonair prepares to use it's dragon attack again

"Gabite, I know you can beat Dragonair!" He calls out. "Deflect that Dragon Tail with Rock Smash now!"

Gabite shuts its eyes and tries to fight through the pain through Ash's encouragement. It takes a deep breath before it opens its eyes to see Dragonair about to swing its tail at it. Gabite gives its opponent a competitive look, and it raises its arm with its hand glowing white. Dragonair's tail hits Gabite's glowing hand, and the two of them struggle to overpower the other.

"Finish it, Dragonair!" Giselle exclaims.

"Come on, Gabite! You can do it!" Ash encourages. "Show Dragonair your real strength. No matter what moves it has, it's no match for you, so push back!"

Gabite hears Ash's words, and it grinds its teeth. It slowly but surely gets back on both feet and pushes back Dragonair's tail with a mighty roar. Suddenly, Gabite's entire body is covered in a white glow, and everyone watches, surprised as Ash's Pokemon grows almost two whole feet, and its body begins to change. When the white glow disappears, a Garchomp appears in Gabite's place and with its right hand still holding Dragonair's tail, makes its left-hand glow white as well and punches Dragonair, making it scream in pain and back away from its opponent.

"Alright!" Serena cheers as she jumps into the air.

"Gabite evolved into a Garchomp!" Iris says happily.

Ash and Pikachu smile widely to see their friend fully evolved.

"Way to go, Garchomp!" Ash shouts. "Now, let's finish this battle!"

Giselle stares at Garchomp, taken aback by the sudden development in Ash's favor.

"It doesn't matter if your Pokemon evolved or not because I'm still going to take it down along with the rest of your Pokemon!" She claims childishly. "Dragonair, use Twister!"

"Garchomp! Dodge using Dig and then emerge close to Dragonair and use Dragon Rush!" Ash instructs.

Garchomp flies high in the air and dives into the ground, dodging Dragonair's Twister again. Giselle watches the ground underneath her Pokemon, expecting Garchomp to emerge there, but then the mach Pokemon appears just a couple of feet next to Dragonair and rams into it using Dragon Rush. Dragonair yowls and falls down on its back with several serious scratches all over its body. The dragon Pokemon manages to get up and keep a brave face while Giselle loses her temper.

"Use Dragon Tail!" She hollers angrily.

Dragonair charges at Garchomp again with its tail glowing, but Ash just smirks, knowing that his opponent made her last mistake.

"Garchomp, let's finish this with Draco Meteor!" He shouts.

Garchomp's body glows orange, and an orange ball of light appears inside its chest. The glow fades, and the ball appears in front of the mach Pokemon's mouth. Ash's smirk grows as Garchomp fires the orb into the air and explodes into many tiny orbs falling into the ground.

"Dragonair, watch out!" Giselle calls out.

Dragonair sees the orbs falling toward it, and it moves away, trying to dodge all of the orbs crashing and exploding on the ground in a state of panic. But try as poor Dragonair might, it is only a matter of time before an orb lands on top of it and explodes. The dragon Pokemon screams one last time before it plummets to the ground, and the dust clears to find Giselle's last Pokemon limp.

"Dragonair is out of the match!" The referee announces. "Gabi - er, Garchomp wins, and so victory goes to Ash!"

The crowd goes wild, and Ash and Pikachu happily jump up and down in celebration while Serena, Iris, and Axew happily cheer in joy.

"No!" Giselle screeches.

Ash runs over to Garchomp and gives it a big hug.

"Great job, Garchomp!" He cheers.

"Gar!" Garchomp replies before it bites Ash's head affectionately, and Ash laughs through the pain. Serena stops cheering and sighs in annoyance.

"Yep, that's still Gabite alright," she groans.

After the moment or celebration ends, Ash, Pikachu, and Garchomp walk over to Serena, Iris, and Axew with Ash's eyes on Serena.

"There, I defeated Giselle as promised," he says.

Serena is taken aback as she realizes Ash is still thinking about his promise to her. She gives the raven-haired boy a smile with her hand on her ribbon.

"I'm glad," she says. "Plus, you made it to the semifinals with Max, Holly, and Timothy."

It takes more before Ash realizes that Serena is right and smiles brightly.

"Well, what do you know? So we have," he says.

"This means you'll have to face one of our friends tomorrow, and another one the next day if you're going to win the whole thing, " Iris points out. "Honestly, the more I think about it, the more exciting it is."

"Axew," Axew agrees.

"That's right," Ash says. "So what are we waiting for? Let's meet up with the others and head to the Pokemon Center."

"Right," Serena and Iris say simultaneously before Ash returns Garchomp to its Pokeball and they all head out

Before long, everyone in the group excluding Brock met up with Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Iris, and Axew, and together, they all walk to the Pokemon Center. Ash, Max, Holly, and Timothy give their Pokemon to Nurse Joy to heal them, and Nurse Joy informs Ash and Timothy that they both have a video call from Professor Oak. They look at each other curiously, wondering why he would be calling both of them before they walk to the nearest video phone, dial Professor Oak's number, and the professor, Tracey, and Delia appears on the screen.

"Ah, Ash, Timothy," Professor Oak says.

"Hi Professor, Mom, Tracey," Ash greets.

"How's it going, Professor?" Timothy asks.

"Oh, we all just wanted to congratulate both of you for making the semifinals on behalf of all of Pallet Town," Professor Oak says.

"I'm so proud of you, honey!" Delia coos.

"Yeah, way to go, Ash!" Tracey says.

"Thank you, Mom and Tracey," Ash says.

"And Timothy," Professor Oak begins. "You've made wonderful progress with winning the Johto League and now making it this far in the Indigo League. Give it your all, young man."

Timothy smirks and says, "Believe me, I intend to."

"Hey, Mrs. Ketchum," May calls from behind. "Are you taking good care of my trophy while we're gone?"

Max rolls his eyes at his big sister while Delia chuckles with her eyes closed.

"Don't you worry, May," she assures. "I'm taking good care of it as if my boy won it."

"Thanks," May says.

Misty and Iris, on the other hand, snicker.

"Can you imagine Ash competing in Pokemon contests and making it all the way to the Grand Festival?" Misty chuckles.

"I can't even begin to imagine," Iris chuckles. "He's too much of a kid to do that."

"Hey, I'll have you know I competed with May at the Terracotta contest and tied with her.

"That's true. He did do that," May says. "I still have my half of the ribbon."

"Yeah, well, you are still a kid," Iris says with a wave of her hand.

Ash, Serena, May, Max, Dawn, Holly, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, and Coovers all roll their eyes at Iris, annoyed at her constantly calling Ash a kid. Delia chuckles in amusement while Professor Oak and Tracey just smile.

"Well, we better let you go," Professor Oak says. "Good luck to you, Ash, and Timothy. Same goes to you, Max and Holly."

"Good luck, honey," Delia says with a wave.

"Thank you," the four remaining contestants say before the image disappears.

"Hey, I know," May says, turning to Max. "Let's call Mom and Dad."

"Good idea," Max says. "I'm sure they would love to find out about how far I am."

The two of them walk to the videophone while Coovers turns to Timothy.

"We should call your dad and your brother, too," he suggests.

"Agreed," Timothy says. "I bet they are thrilled that I -"

"You!"

Everyone apart from May and Max turns around to see Giselle storming towards Timothy. They roll their eyes as the brunette marches toward the man in the "H.A.K." shirt and points at him.

"That should have been me you had to face!" She snarls."I would have finally beaten you if I had the chance."

Timothy raises his eyebrow and smirks.

"Franky, I doubt that," he says. "As someone who has been a trainer for closer to 20 years, I can think of a few ways that I would have wiped out the team you used against Ash. Besides, if you couldn't beat more than two of my rival's Pokemon, what makes you think you had a chance against me?"

Serena, Ash, Dawn, and Bonnie smirk, and the brunette girl glares menacingly at Timothy.

"It wasn't a fair fight," she claims. "I was prepared for you, not for Ash!"

"Then you still have much to learn about being a trainer," Coovers says, stepping in. "A Pokemon trainer should be prepared to give it their all no matter what foe they face. Otherwise, you'll never make it to the top in a Pokemon League much less win against someone who has won one and beaten the Elite Four and Champion like Timothy."

Giselle sputters, trying to say words to counter what Coovers said, but nothing comes out. Finally, she runs in irritation and storms to the front desk to give Nurse Joy all of her Pokemon. She then glares at Serena and storms over to her, making the honey blonde girl feel uncomfortable as she leans into her ear.

"I better see you competing at the contests in the Johto region," she hisses. "Because I know you have no reason to go anywhere else."

Serena winces as Giselle marches out of the lobby. She frowns sadly as Giselle's words make her think about her fear of leaving Ash behind to pursue her dream. Ash notices her grief, not knowing what Giselle said and figures that she said something insulting to Serena about losing the Grand Festival. He turns to Pikachu, and the two of them nod, knowing that they must keep going to continue competing and the Pokemon League and try to make their friend smile with everything they've got.


	68. Chapter 68

It is early the next morning, and Holly has woken up before Serena, Iris, Axew, Dawn, Piplup, Misty, and May have. She sits up from her bed and stretches before grabbing some clean clothes and going to the bathroom to change into them. After that, she decides to leave the room and get some breakfast at one of Indigo Plateau's restaurants. As she exits the Pokemon Center, she yawns and has a smile on her face as her mind goes back to last night.

A few hours after Ash defeated Giselle, it became Holly's turn for Brock to treat her to a meal. He came to pick her up at the Pokemon Center and took her to a nice restaurant where he held the door for her before they came in. As they ate their food, they talked about several things like her battle in the quarterfinals, who she might face at the semifinals, and she would ask him to tell her more about the adventures he experienced over the years with Ash and their friends. The only thing they never talked about was the deal between the two of them and Lucy. Both of them seemed to avoid it as if they were standing on an old wooden bridge, and bringing up the situation would cause the bridge to break. Regardless though, Holly had a great time being with Brock like they used to before Lucy came in.

As Holly thinks about the situation while she walk, her smile falters. No matter how much part of her wants to, she still can't bring herself to forgive Brock for what he did. And yet the more time she's been spending with him after the deal started and the more she felt like her heart was breaking every time he leaves to be with Lucy, the more she wants to find it in herself to take him back. She wants to work something out between her and Brock to patch things up and have the official relationship they both wanted, but something has been keeping her from doing that. Whatever it is, she can feel in her gut that it has something to do with Lucy.

But as she's walking down the plaza, she hears laughing and giggling. She looks up and feels a pain in her heart as she sees Brock and Lucy sitting at a table in front of a restaurant and having a fun conversation while they eat their breakfast. Not wanting to disturb them, she finds a large tree close to them and hides behind it. She sighs, knowing that she has successfully kept herself from interrupting them, but then her curiosity gets the better of her, and she slowly peeks to watch them from afar. She can only see the back of Brock's head, but she can see Lucy just fine.

As she keeps herself hidden, she can see Lucy resting her head with her arms. She has a smile, and a small blush on her cheeks as Brock is talking. Holly can see the admiration in Lucy's eyes as they stare into Brock's eyes. It's at this moment as she watches Lucy that she realizes this other woman is feeling the same way she is. Whether she is planning to forgive him or not, she doesn't know, but deep down, she knows that somewhere deep inside her rival is also treasuring the moments she has with the tan-skinned man.

Holly's face falls as the reality of the situation sinks in. She looks down at the ground sightly, feeling more afraid of what is happening between her, Brock, and Lucy than before. She looks back up and sees that Lucy and Brock are done with their meals, and Brock is bidding Lucy farewell before he leaves. Lucy takes a moment to smile brightly for herself, happy that she's had this time with the guy that she likes. Suddenly, Holly feels a tap on the shoulder, and she turns around, and her eyes widen to see Barbara and Lucy's other sisters with their hands on their hips, glaring daggers at her.

"How dare you spy on Queen Lucy!" She rebukes.

"Oh no, I wasn't spying," Holly says in a panic. "I just uh… happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I didn't want to disturb Brock and Lucy."

"You liar!" A different sister hisses. "You have some nerve to spy on your opponent!"

"Look, I really didn't mean to bump into them," Holy protests. "I just got curious when I saw them."

"A likely story!" Barbara growls.

Suddenly, a rose projectile zoom past between Holly and Barbara. All four women jump in alarm before they turn to see Lucy standing a few feet away from them.

"Barabra, please, some people are still asleep," she says calmly before looking at Holly. "That being said, I agree with my sister for once. I do not appreciate you surveilling me when I'm with Brock."

Holly frowns, feeling guilty and gives Lucy as respectable bow.

"You're right. I'm sorry I did that. That was wrong of me," she says humbly.

Lucy's sisters don't look convinced with her apology, but Lucy herself gives the auburn-haired woman a small smile and a nod.

"Apology accepted," she says.

Holly raises her body and looks at Lucy appreciatively. She turns around and starts to leave until Lucy suddenly speaks again.

"Wait," Lucy says firmly, making Holly freeze in place. "Let me see your eyes."

"Uh, my eyes?" Holly asks.

"Yes, your eyes," Lucy says. "I want to see something."

Holly makes a befuddled face, wondering what in the world does her rival mean. Eventually, she silently agrees, and she turns around to face Lucy. The pike queen walks over to Holly until they are less than a foot apart and glares at Holly, making her uncomfortable. Lucy keeps on looking deep into Holly's eyes for several seconds until she looks down, closes her eyes and sighs.

"Just as I feared," she says with a soft frown on her face. "Your feelings for Brock are growing back, too, aren't they?"

Holly's eyes widen, shocked that Lucy has figured out what is going on just by simply looking at her eyes just like she did from afar. She frowns again, and her eyes go down before she nods.

"I see," she says. "I suppose it's neither your or my fault. Brock has been true to his word to do everything he can to make it up for both of us and, in doing so, has both of us equally happy despite what he did. The only thing we didn't count on was beginning to have our feelings reignited."

"Yeah, I guess so," Holly says.

Lucy nods and says, "Having said that, I can't bring myself to truly forgive him."

"Neither can I," Holly says. "I want to, but I can't."

"In that case, something has to be done," Lucy says. "I, at least, have to do something to get him back."

This time, Holly's eyes widen, and she looks up to face Lucy.

"What did you say?" She asks.

"You heard me," Lucy says bluntly. "I can't deny my feelings, and I want to be with him. So I'm asking you nicely to back away."

Holly looks at Lucy, dumbfounded by her forwardness. Her shock turns to anger, however, and she glares at Lucy menacingly.

"Excuse you, I want him back too!" She snaps. "I may have my problems with him, but I also want to work things out! I'm not going to just lie down and let you be with him!"

"Why not? Queen Lucy is the best choice!" One of Lucy's sisters says.

Holly turns to the other women and says, "I thought you didn't like Brock."

"Of course, we don't. We've been resenting him long before any of this happened," Barabra says. "But the way Queen Lucy talks about him after spending time with her makes it clear that he makes her happy. So whatever makes our queen happy makes us happy."

"Yeah, and Lucy is the better choice, no doubt!" another sister claims. "She's strong, speaks her mind, has powerful Pokemon, and she is a queen!"

"That's right," Barabra says. "What do you have against that? What makes you a better choice?"

"Because I want to be a better partner for him!" Holly shouts. "Even though he said I didn't need to get stronger, I want to be the perfect battle partner for him. That's why I worked hard to compete in this tournament; to get as far as I can to feel worthy of being with him!"

Lucy's sisters mockingly laugh at Holly. They put their hands on her knees and some point at her like school children scolding one of their classmates. Lucy, on the other hand, keeps a wooden face, but it's clear in her eyes that she has the same thought on her mind as her sisters.

"If it's a matter of being a better battle partner, then that still makes me the best choice," she states. "I am a member of the Battle Frontier. I am so strong with my Pokemon that only a few trainers like Ash and Timothy have beaten me out of so many who have tried. I've seen you in battle, and you wouldn't be able to beat either of them."

Holly grows angry and shouts, "I bet I can!"

Lucy's sisters laugh mockingly, and even Lucy herself smiles, amused with Holly's claim. But then, Barabra stops in mid-laughter and grins.

"Say, that's a good idea," she says.

The other sisters stop laughing and look at Barabra, confused. Even Lucy and Holly turn to Barabra, looking at her strangely.

"What is a good idea?" Lucy asks.

"Betting that she can beat Ash or Timothy," Barabra answers with a smug look.

"Are you serious?" One of the other sisters asks.

"Look, let's be honest with ourselves; Brock is too devoted to making both Queen Lucy and this woman happy to make a real choice of who he should solely pursue," Barabra says, turning to Lucy. "I mean, you told us that he doesn't know how to handle this situation partly because he's never really had any woman really care about him much less two, right Queen Lucy?"

Lucy thinks for a moment before she answers, "Yes, that is true."

"Then, if he won't man up and make a choice, then it's up to the women to make the choice for him," Barabra declares. "Since you two are judging who should be with him based on who's the strongest trainer, then let's make a wager: if Holly succeeds where Queen Lucy did not with beating either Ash or Timothy in battle, then she gets to be with Brock no matter what. But if she loses to either of them or goes against their friend Max at the semifinals and loses, so she doesn't get to face either of them, then Brock belongs to Queen Lucy and Queen Lucy alone."

The other sisters stare at Barbara, shocked until they think about it and all nod in agreement. Lucy raises her eyebrow at Barbara before she looks down and scratches her chin in thought. Then, with a small smile on her face, she turns to Holly.

"I think what Barbara is suggesting makes sense," she says. "Brock is stuck with going back and forth between the two of us, so it's up to us to fix the situation like the strong women he hails us as. If you are strong enough to beat either of the two trainers who have beaten me, I swear on the Battle Pike that I will back down. If not, you have to step aside and allow me to claim him then and there."

Holly stares at her rival, dumbfounded that she agrees to her sister's idea. A part of her wants to flat out say no and demand a better way to settle the matter, but the rest of her sees this as an opportunity to feel truly worthy of being with Brock forever. The thought of winning this bet would also mean getting the black-and-red-haired woman out of her way so that she might truly mend things with Brock together. The more she thinks about it, the more she feels that this would be the best way to prove her worth and be with the guy she likes.

"Done," she says. "I will take your wager."

"Excellent," Lucy says, extending her hand. "Let's shake on it."

With her eyes glaring daggers at Lucy, Holly firmly shakes her hand. The Pike Queen gives a small smile before she turns around with her back, completely facing Holly.

"Best of luck," she says bluntly before she walks away with her sisters following her.

Holly keeps glaring at her rival until she is out of sight. She takes a deep breath through her nose and shakes her head, feeling like she has a lot of energy that just zapped into her body. When she calms down, her determined face falls slightly, and she begins to wonder if she made the right decision.

A couple of hours later, Brock and Holly go out to lunch at an Italian-styled restaurant. They both order spaghetti with breadsticks, but when the food is delivered, only Brock starts eating. Holly plays with her food with a sad look on her face, and it isn't long before Brock notices it.

"Holly, are you okay?" Brock asks. "You better eat your food before it gets cold."

Holly snaps out of her train of thought and gives Brock a small, sweet smile.

"Thanks for being worried, Brock," she says sincerely before she lets out a big sigh.

Brock tilts his head and asks, "Is something bothering you?"

"I guess I have the Pokemon league wrapped in my mind too much recently," she half lies.

Brock gives her a small smile and says, "You have been doing great. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Once again, Holly gives Brock a sweet look before she decides to robotically eat her food. But even though she's finally eating, Brock can tell that her mind is far from food or spending time with him. After a while, the two of them finish their meals, and Brock moves his empty plate before leaning close to Holly.

"Holly?" he says.

"Hmmm?" Holly hums, looking away from him.

"There's been something that I want to tell you," he says. "This might not be the right place, but it's something very important and would mean the world to me if you say yes."

Holly turns her head to look at Brock, slightly curious.

"Oh?" she asks.

Brock takes a deep breath before taking both of Holly's hands and clasp them together. He looks deep into Holly's eyes, and she looks at him back, unsure of what he's going to say.

"Holly, I -"

"Holly, there you are!"

Brock groans, wishing he wasn't interrupted as Ash, Pikachu, May, and Max come inside the restaurant and jog over to Holly and Brock's table.

"We've been looking all over for you," May says.

"What is it, guys?" Holly asks.

"We need to get going, that's what," Max says like he's in a hurry. "We have to be at the registration center in five minutes."

Holly's eyes widen, and she looks at the clock hanging on the wall and panics.

"Oh my gosh, we gotta run!" She says, getting up from her seat and turning to Brock. "I'm so sorry."

"No, I get it. You better go," Brock says sadly. "You better find out who you're up against."

"Thanks, Brock," Holly says while giving Brock a quick hug before quickly exiting the restaurant.

When they go outside, Holly finds Serena, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers waiting for them. Together, they run to the registration center, where an attendant is waiting for them next to the tub of Magikarp.

"Glad to see you all made it," she says to Ash, Holly, Max, and Timothy. "Are you ready to find out who you are going to face in the semifinals?"

"Yes, we are," Timothy pants from all the running.

"Good," the attendant says before handing the 4 or them rods. "You all know what to do."

They all nod and walk over to the tub. But before Ash, Holly, and Timothy cast their rods, Max stops them.

"Wait, hold on!" He says.

They look at him, confused with Timothy asking, "What's the matter?"

Max hesitates before he gives the three other contestants an appreciative smile.

"I just want to say that as someone who became a trainer only recently and made it this far on my first Pokemon league that I'm thankful," he says. "It hasn't been easy, and I've had some challenges along the way with earning all of my badges, but no matter what happens, I'm glad we can make it this far together as friends."

Ash, Holly, and Timothy smile warmly. Everyone else in the group is also happy that Max said that, particularly May and Bonnie.

"I'm glad we can make it this far too, Max," Ash says.

"Pika," Pikachu says from Ash's shoulder.

"Me too," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu says.

"Me three," Holly says.

Max smiles brightly and nods at them. Without another word, the four remaining contests separate and cast their rods on different sides of the tub. They wait patiently for them to get a bite until Holly feels something tugging her line. With a sharp pull, she yanks out a Magikarp with a "B" and a 1 painted on the side. Shortly after that, Max feels a tug and pulls out a Magikarp that has an "A" and a "5" on its side. Holly secretly grins, finding out she is already getting her chance to prove herself by facing either Ash or Timothy. She watches the two of them in anticipation of everyone else in the group as the two rivals wait patiently. Finally, Ash feels a twitch coming from his line and immediately pulls out a Magikarp and smiles.

"A-5," he says before turning to Max. "Looks like you'll be battling me, Max,"

"Awesome!" Max says, excitedly. "I can't wait to finally face you, Ash. Let's have a battle that none of us will forget."

"You got it," Ash says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

The rest of the gang smiles and Holly joins them before she turns to Timothy, who takes out a Magikarp.

"B-1," he says before turning to Holly with a smile. "Let's give it our best, Holly."

"Believe me, I intend to," Holly says with a determined smirk.

Timothy nods before everyone turns to the attendant, who is typing on her keyboard.

"Timothy and Holly, you will be facing each other at 3 o'clock sharp," she says before turning to Max and Ash. "And after their battle, there will be a ten-minute break before you guys start yours."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says before turning to the other contestants. "Let's all give it our very best, just like Timothy said."

"Yeah!" Max, Holly, and Timothy cheer.

For the next hour and a half, the four remaining trainers in the tournament have been preparing for their battles in separate areas of the Indigo Plateau. Serena, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Iris, Axew, and Cilan watch Ash training while May and Bonnie are watching Max train, and Coovers watches Timothy train. But as for Holly, she trains alone with her Pokemon, which suits her just fine. As much as she loves the idea of Brock coming to watch her get ready for her battle with Timothy, she wants to stay focused on making sure her Pokemon are at their very best. The more she trains her Pokemon, the more her confidence to defeat Timothy grows.

Finally, it is time for her to head over to the Indigo stadium for her match. As she gets closer to the building, she can already see people in line to get inside the stadium. She walks over to the side entrance that leads her to her side of the battlefield, but as she walks toward it, she hears Brock calling out to her from behind.

"Holly!" He shouts.

Holly turns around and sees Brock running over to her as fast as she can. When he catches up with her, he pants heavily while putting his hands on his knees.

"Brock, what is it?" She asks.

Brock takes a moment before he catches his breath, stands up straight and looks at Holly.

"Look, there's something I want to tell you before you start your match," he says.

Holly looks at him and asks, "Is it about my match with Timothy?"

"Well, no," Brock replies. "It's about the important thing I wanted to talk about at the restaurant."

Holly frowns and says, "Then it will have to wait. I really need to focus on this battle right now."

"No, please wait," Brock begs. "I promise it's better that I tell you now."

"I'm sure it might be, but this is important too," Holly says seriously. "Whatever you have to say, I swear I'll let you tell me as soon as the battle is over. Just please be patient with me until then."

Brock looks at Holly hesitantly, clearly not wanting to delay what he has to say any longer. But after a moment, he sighs in defeat and gives her an understanding smile.

"Okay," he says. "We'll talk after the battle."

"Thank you," Holly says appreciatively.

Brock nods and smirks, saying, "You got this. Give it everything you've got."

Holly smirks back, pleased with the encouragement.

"I know I got this," she says. "You can count on me."

Before Holly can turn around, though, Brock steps forward and pulls her into a tight hug. Holly is taken aback at this, but then she smiles and closes her eyes as she tightly hugs him back. She wishes the embrace can go on forever, but she knows she needs to go win her match so she can hold him all the time. She slowly breaks the hug away and gives Brock a heartfelt look before she turns around and leaves. As she walks down the hall leading to the battlefield, she puts her hand on her necklace and runs her fingers against the rock and pearl. When she's only a couple of feet away from the end of the hall where she can already hear the crowd cheering, In anticipation, she takes a deep breath and smiles.

"For Brock," she whispers.

She enters the battlefield and waves her hands to greet the crowd. From the front stands, she can she Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Clemont, and Bonnie all cheering for her while Coovers is cheering for Timothy. She turns to the other side of the field to see the man with the "H.A.K." shirt and his Raichu. But then she glances at the other side of the stands and sees Lucy looking at her with her arms crossed with Barbara and her other sisters standing next to her. The auburn-haired woman glares at her opponent, and the pike queen just gives a wooden stare as if to imply that Holly is hardly worth her time. Holly grinds her teeth angrily at Lucy until the announcer speaks.

"_Welcome to the semifinals for the Indigo Plateau Conference_!" He shouts.

The crowd cheers in excitement before the announcer continues.

"_Without further ado, let us begin with our first match between Holly and Timothy!_" He shouts.

The crowd cheers again, and Holly and Timothy's eyes meet. The brown-haired man smirks and gives Holly a thumbs up as a way of wishing her luck, and she just smiles and gives him a thumbs-up back. The referee walks to the sidelines and raises both his flags.

"This will be a 6-on-6 battle between Timothy and Holly!" He declares. "The battle will be over when all six Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! Furthermore, if you recall a Pokémon, they will be out of the match! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready," Timothy replies.

"Oh, I am very ready," Holly answers.

"Then let the match begin!" The referee shouts.

As soon as the referee gives permission to begin the match, Holly snags a Pokeball from her belts and throws it into the air.

"Let's go, Beedrill!" She shouts.

Beedrill appears from its Pokeball, and Timothy smirks before turning to Electchu.

"What do you say, pal?" He queries. "I know I've been keeping you from participating because I want to save you for last, but would you like a piece this time?"

Electchu grins and says, "Rai! Rai, rai, rai Raichu!"

Timothy chuckles and says. "I bet you thought I'd never ask. Now get out there and show them what you can do."

"Rai!" Electchu shouts as it walks over to the battlefield with electricity coming out its cheeks.

"So he's starting off with Electchu, eh?" Holly says with a grin. "Alright, then. Beedrill, let's get things started with X-Scissor!"

Beedrill runs toward Electchu, getting ready to cross its arms in an "X" fashion.

"Dodge and use Electro Ball!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu jumped out of the just as Beedrill is about to strike before it hits its opponent with a ball of electricity.

"Okay then, use Pin Missile, followed by Poison Jab!" Holly instructs.

"Dodge again and use Iron Tail to block the Poison Jab!" Timothy responds.

Beedrill's stingers glow white and shoot multiple small needles. Electchu jumps away to dodge every single one of them and turns around just in time to see Beedrill chasing at it with its bottom stinger glowing pure and pointing toward it. The Raichu's tail turns into iron and blocks Beedrill's stinger before it jumps and smacks the poison bee in the face. Holly starts to grow uneasy until she gets an idea.

"Of course, why didn't I think it right away?" She says to herself. "Beedrill, let's show them our new trick up our sleeve with Outrage!"

Beedrill's body becomes surrounded in a red aura with its eyes glowing bright red. It charges at Electchu again on a rampage, but Timothy and Electchu are unmoved.

"Sorry, Holly, but as the bi-regional champion, Lance would tell you, we know how to deal with that attack," he says. "Electchu, block it repeatedly with Iron Tail!"

Electchu's tail turns into iron again, and it starts to block every ferocious slash or jab attempted by Beedrill. The process keeps going until Beerill stops attacking, and it stands in place, looking around confused.

"Oh, no!" Holly shouts worriedly.

"Oh, yes!" Timothy says with a grin. "Now, finish it with Thunder!"

Electchu builds up large amounts of electricity before it unleashes a giant bolt at Beedrill, which hits it hard. Beedrill stays standing for a moment before it falls down on the ground with swirls in its red eyes.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Electchu is the winner!" The referee shouts.

Holly frowns and returns Beedrill back inside its Pokeball. She thinks carefully before she gets an idea.

"Alright, let's take this up a notch!" she says before taking out another ball and throwing it. "Go, Wigglytuff!"

She throws the ball, and her balloon Pokemon comes out, trying to look tough in front of Electchu. Timothy frowns seriously and turns to his partner.

"Get ready, Electchu," he warns. "She's probably going to use the move I think she's going to use, so let's respond to it fast."

"Rai," Electchu responds while getting on all fours and positioning itself as if it's preparing for a race.

"Okay, Wigglytuff, let's not waste any time," Holly commands. "Use Sing!"

"Electchu, use Iron Tail to kick the dust at Wigglytuff, double time!" Timothy yells.

Electchu races toward its opponent with Iron Tail at the ready. Just as Wigglytuff is getting ready to sing, Electchu uses its tail to knock the dust off the floor, sending the dust flying toward Wigglytuff's eyes. The balloon Pokemon shuts its eyes and tries to get the dust out of its eyes with its little arms.

"Wigglytuff!" Holly cries out.

"Now smack it down with Iron Tail!" Timothy orders.

Holly grows worried, knowing that Wigglytuff is weak to steel attacks and shouts, "Wigglytuff, use Defense Curl now!"

Despite being distracted by the dust in its eyes, Wigglytuff trusts in its trainer and rolls itself into a ball, blocking Electchu's attack. Holly sighs in relief, but her moment is short-lived when she realizes that Wigglytuff can't stay in Defense Curl forever. But if it lets its guard down, Electchu will use Iron Tail to seriously hurt it, and Wigglytuff can't use Pound or Headbutt when it can't see. The more she thinks about it, the more she considers calling it back even though that will take it out of the match. She looks at Timothy and Electchu, and they clearly are watching in anticipation for Wigglytuff to come out its only means of protection.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Holly decides to put on a brave face and takes out Wigglytuff's Pokeball.

"Wigglytuff, return!" She calls out as her Pokemon goes back inside.

From the stands, she can see Brock and all of her friends looking sad that she did that. She then turns to Timothy, who just gives her a respectable smile as a way of saying she did the noble thing. Holly sighs, hating that she has already two Pokemon out of the match while her opponent is still using his first one. She considers using Toxicroak next, but she decides against it because she wants to save her partner for last if it ever comes to that. She knows that Pelipper and Farfetch'd are weak against electric attacks, so she needs to somehow take down Electchu before she is forced to use either of her bird-like Pokemon. With all of that in mind, it is clear to Holly who she should pick next.

"Probopass, let's do this!" She calls out while throwing another Pokeball.

Probopass comes out of its ball and looks ready to fight to the best of its ability. Timothy and Electchu stare at the compass Pokemon, closely silently deciding to keep their guard up.

"Probopass, use Magnet Bomb!" Holly commands.

Probopass' three small mini-noses glow orange and separate before they fly towards Electchu.

"Electchu, knock them back with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

The Raichu's tail turns into iron again and starts swatting away the mini-noses, but they keep heading towards them like magnets. Timothy and Electchu become uneasy as Electchu keeps trying to knock the noses back to no avail. Holly smirks, finally seeing things go in her favor before she gets another idea.

"Probopass, use Rock Slide!" She orders.

Probopass's body is surrounded in blue and takes out chunks of the ground with the pieces also outlined in blue. The pieces of ground then split apart and flies towards Electchu. The mouse Pokemon becomes so distracted from the small rocks hitting it in the face that it can't concentrate on the mini-noses. Before Electchu knows it, the three mini-noses get close enough to it that they glow orange and explode, sending it flying into the air and crashing into the ground. Timothy becomes concerned for his partner, giving Holly the chance to make the next move.

"Now use Earth Power!" she shouts.

Timothy's eyes widen, and he turns to his Raichu, shouting, "Electchu, look out!"

But as soon as he calls out to his friend, Probopass's body becomes outlined in gold, and glowing gold cracks emerge from the ground hitting Electchu. It squeals in pain before it is sent crashing back a couple of feet with several serious scratches on its body. Holly proudly shakes her fist into the air while Timothy looks at his friend worriedly.

"Are you okay?" he asks. "Do you think you can pull through?"

Electchu bites its tongue as it slowly stands back up. It glares menacingly at Probopass with electricity coming out of its cheeks again as if to try to intimidate its opponent. Holly, just smirks, thinking Electchu has no chance to stop her from finally taking it out.

"I think it's time for things to finally go in my favor," she declares. "Probopass, use Earth Power again!"

"Quick use Thunder before it can use that attack!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu stores up as much electricity as quickly as possible before it fires at Probopass. The large bolt of electricity hits Probopass, and it grunts loudly in pain as countless volts through its body.

"Now use Iron Tail multiple times on the double!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu charges at Probopass and starts smacking it repeatedly with its tail turns into hard metal. Probopass keeps its eyes shut as it struggles to fight the pain each time its opponent smacks it with its tail relentlessly. Once Electchu is done hitting it, Probopass is in a daze, struggling to stay conscious.

"Okay, I know it's slightly resistant to normal attacks, but I think we've weakened it enough to do this for good measure!" Timothy says. "Finish this with Hyper Beam!"

Electchu gathers orange energy that creates an orb in front of its mouth and. When it's gathered enough energy, it fires a beam from the ball. Probopass does nothing but stay in a daze as the beam hits it and sends it crashing into a wall next to Holly before it falls down, limp.

"Probopass is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Electchu wins!"

Holly stares at her falls, Pokemon devastated. She feels as if she had her one shot at defeating Electchu and moving on to Timothy's other Pokemon, and through the Raichu's willpower, it took it all away. Her face is crestfallen as she returns Probopass into its Pokeball. But as she thinks about what Pokemon to choose next, she glances at Electchu and notices that it's panting heavily and struggling to stay standing. It suddenly hits her that it needs to recharge from using so much energy from using Hyper Beam.

"_I need to be quick with calling out my next Pokemon,_" she thinks. "_I could use Toxicroak, but I still should use it for last because if Electchu takes it down too and then, I might as well be defenseless with Pelipper, and Farfetch'd. So I have to choose a Pokemon that can cause good amounts of damage while it's in a daze._"

With that, Lucy hastily throws another Pokeball, and Farfetch'd comes out with its stalk at the ready. Timothy frowns, knowing that Holly is taking advantage of Electchu feeling very low.

"Electchu, hold your ground!" He shouts. "Stay strong until you have your energy back!"

Electchu takes a deep breath and nods while struggling to stay standing.

"Farfetch'd, use Razor Leaf now!" Holly shouts.

Farfetch'd flings its stalk, sending a couple of sharp leaves that hit Electchu square on the chest.

"Now, use Peck!" Holly commands.

Farfetch'd runs toward Electchu and starts pecking Electchu on the head vigorously. Electchu clenches its teeth as it braces itself through every harsh peck.

"Now keep hitting it with Fury Swipes!" Holly shouts.

Timothy frowns and turns to Electchu, shouts, "Electchu hold on and use Iron Tail to block as soon as you're able to!"

Farfetch'd swats Electchu repeatedly on the face. The Raichu endures every single hit, but its body grows weaker. Holly grins as her wild duck Pokemon gives it everything it has, but as Farfetch'd is about to make one last swipe, its stalk is blocked by a tail made of iron. Holly and Farfetch'd look in shock before Electchu smacks the duck-like Pokemon in the face with a grin.

"No!" Holly shrieks.

"Nice job, Electchu," Timothy says in relief. "Now let Farfetch'd have it with Thunder!"

Without hesitation, Electchu stores up all the electricity it needs to hit Farfetch'd hard with Thunder. Once the attack is done, Farfetch'd groans with scratches all over its body before it tumbles to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Farfetch'd is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Electchu wins!"

The crowd cheers while Holly sighs sadly and returns Farfetch'd to its Pokeball. From the stands, she can see Brock, and of her friends growing worried for her, and on the other side, Lucy is smiling while her sisters are mockingly rooting for Holly's opponent like bratty little children. Holly clenches her teeth angrily and snatches another Pokeball from her belt.

"Forget it!" She yells. "Toxicroak, take that stupid mouse down!"

Toxicroak comes out its Pokeball and readies its stingers pointing at Electchu. The Raichu gives the toxic mouth Pokemon a menacing look, and Toxicroak just gives it a cruel grin.

"Alright, Electchu, let's get started with Iron Tail!" Timothy commands.

Without hesitation, Electchu turns its tail into iron and hits Toxicroak with it. But instead of being concerned, Holly just crosses her arms and smirks.

"You know something, Timothy? I'm glad that you went Iron Tail again," she says. "Toxicroak, Revenge!"

Toxicroak's body in orange aura and it unleashes a burst of orange energy. The energy hits Electchu, and it squeals in pain. Timothy grows worried while his partner barely stays standing.

"Alright, let's take it down!" Holly shouts. "Use Mud Bomb now!"

Toxicroak takes a big breath and fires a ball of brown mud. Before Electchu can react, the ball hits it, and it squeals in agony and is sent back a few feet before it crashes into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Electchu cannot continue! Toxicroak is the winner!" The referee announces.

"Augh! Finally!" Holly growls.

Timothy frowns and walks over to Electchu. He picks his Raichu, and the mouse Pokemon slowly open its eyes and turns to him.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu," it says quietly.

"Don't say that, pal. You did great," Timothy says with a kind smile. "Just get some rest, and I'll finish this. Okay?"

Electchu smiles and nods as Timothy picks it up and carries it to his spot on the field before putting it down. Holly, meanwhile, is relieved to have finally taken down Electchu. She looks at the stance to see Ash, Serena, Dawn, and everyone else cheering for her. But once again, Brock is cheering louder than anyone else. The auburn-haired woman smiles sweetly at the man she wants to be with and puts her hand on her necklace. Brock sees her hand on the necklace and gives her a heartfelt smile.

But on the other side of the stands, Holly sees Lucy and her sisters looking unimpressed by her accomplishment. From the way Lucy is looking at her rival with her arms crossed, Holly can tell that she's not worried about her chances of losing the wager. Holly's smile fades as she realized it took more than half of her party just to take out Timothy's first Pokemon. Her heart sinks just thinking about her odds, but then she looks down at her necklace. She holds up the rock, and pearl blended together and remembers Brock saying that her necklace is a promise that a part of him will always be with her. Her smile returns slightly before she kisses the necklace and turns to her Pokemon.

"Toxicroak, let's win this battle together!" She shouts.

"Croak," Toxicroak grunts.

Timothy turns to Holly and gives her a smile of respect. Holly returns the smile before her opponent takes out another Pokeball.

"Let's wrap this up, Shockwave!" Timothy shouts, throwing the ball.

The man's loyal Gardevoir gracefully appears on the battlefield and looks at Toxicroak with a blank stare. Toxicroak points its stingers at its opponent while Holly gets ready to make an order.

"Toxicroak, use Mud Bomb again!" She shouts.

Toxicroak fires another ball of mud from its mouth, but neither Timothy or Shockwave are concerned with the attack.

"Send it back with Psychic!" Timothy commands.

Shockwave's eyes glow blue, and the ball of mud freezes in midair, surrounded in the blue outline. Without moving a muscle, Shockwave sends the mud back to Toxicroak. The toxic mouth Pokemon groans in pain after getting hit by its own attack, but Holly refused to be fazed by it.

"Poison Jab, now!" She orders.

Toxicroak shakes off the mud on its body and charges at the Gardevoir with its stingers glowing purple.

"Stop it using Psychic again!" Timothy commands.

Shockwave's eyes glow blue again, and Toxicroak is lifted off the ground with a blue outline surrounding its body.

"Now, use Psyshock!" Timothy shouts.

Holly's heart sinks as Shockwave builds up a ball of purple aura before firing a large beam out of it. Toxicroak can do nothing but stand in midair trapped before getting hit so hard that it crashes into a wall and falls down to the ground inert.

"Toxicroak is unable to continue! Shockwave wins!" The referee declares.

The crowd cheers, but Holly's heart aches from seeing her best Pokemon get taken down so easily. With a heavy heart, she returns Toxicroak and takes out her last Pokeball. She takes a deep breath to calm herself down before her competitive glare comes back.

"This battle is not going to take him from me!" She claims. "Go, Pelipper!"

She throws the ball, and it opens to reveal Pelipper soaring through the air.

"Let's not waste any time, Pelipper! Use Hydro Pump!" Holly yells.

"Dodge and use Disarming Voice!" Timothy orders.

Shockwave moves away just in time to miss a large stream of water and releases purple hearts at its opponent with a loud shrieking sound. The hearts hit Pelipper, and it falls down, nearly hitting the ground before it regains control of the air.

"Use Water Pulse followed by Surf!" Holly shouts.

"Stop the Water Pulse with Psychic!" Timothy commands.

Pelipper creates a ball of water from its mouth and fires it at Shockwave. The embrace Pokemon uses Psychic to knock the Water Pulse back but sees Pelipper creating a giant wave of water heading towards it.

"Use Moonblast to take it down!" Timothy orders.

Holly smirks and shouts, "Get ready to use Wing Attack!"

Shockwave gathers moon energy and blast the wave of water down. Both the Gardevoir and its trainer seem satisfied until they hear Holly shout, "Now!" Before either of them knew it, Pelipper is charging toward them with its wings glowing white. It hits Shockwave in the gut with one wing and smacks it in the head with the other. Timothy's Pokemon gets down on one knee, in a slight daze from the damage it just took.

"Excellent, Pelipper!" Holly praises. "Now, use Hydro Pump again!"

Timothy frowns and commands, "Dodge it and use Psychic!"

Shockwave regains its focus just in time to move away from Hydro Pump's line of fire again. It then quickly looks Pelipper dead in the eyes, and its eyes start glowing blue again, capturing Pelipper in its psychic control.

"No! Not again!" Holly cries out.

"Sorry, Holly, but it's time I finish this," Timothy says. "Shockwave, use Psyshock!"

Holly pupils shrink as she can do nothing but stare as her Pelipper takes a hit from another beam of purple aura. She can hear her water bird Pokemon crying out in agony before it crashes into the ground. She slowly looks down and sees her poor Pelipper lying down on the ground with swirly eyes.

"Pelipper is unable to battle!" The referee announces. "Shockwave is the winner, and so victory goes to Timothy!"

The crowd cheers loudly while Brock, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan look at Holly sadly. Coovers cheers for his longtime friend, but even he glances at the auburn-haired woman, feeling sorry for her. Lucy closes her eyes and smiles happily and clasps her hands together, feeling a subtle sense of joy while her sisters cheer loudly.

As for Holly, she stands still like a statue. It takes a while before she slowly takes out Pelipper's Pokeball and returns it. Her mouth quivers, and her eyes water as she feels her heart breaking into a million pieces. She gets down on all fours and starts crying loudly, with tears falling down on her face.

Timothy notices her woman crying while spraying a super potion on Electchu. He sees the tears falling down, and her hands turned into fists as she wails loudly. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt looks at Shockwave, who is standing next to him and then at Electchu, who is slowly getting up, and he silently decides to walk over to Holly. With his two Pokemon following him, Timothy kneels down in front of Holly and puts his hand on her shoulder. She looks up with her eyes red and puffy, and Timothy gives her a compassionate smile.

"Hey, it's okay," he says comfortingly. "You gave it everything you have just like we said we would. You should be proud for making it all the way to the semifinals. It took me many tries before I got that far in any Pokemon league. To make it this far in your first league is truly incredible. You did well, Holly. You did really well."

Holly stares at Timothy in a state of disbelief. In her mind, she cannot believe he thinks the reason she's crying is because she is disqualified from the tournament. Whether he means well or not, she couldn't care less. With new tears in her eyes, she swats Timothy's hand away and turns her head away from him.

"Shut up!" She shouts. "I'm not crying about the battle! I'm crying because I lost him forever!"

Timothy blinks before he looks at Electchu and Shockwave, who are just as confused as he is.

"Holly, I don't understand," he says.

"Of course, you don't!" Holly screams bitterly. "You're just like Ash! It's all about the big battles and accomplishments with your Pokemon! Just train and battle day and night, not realizing what is more important than anything you could ever want as a trainer! I had what I needed, and you just took it away from me! You took away what people like Serena, and I need more than anything! You just...just…"

Holly can't bring herself to say any more with the tears still flowing in her eyes. Timothy tries to comprehend what she's saying, but he can't. Without another word, Holly takes her necklace, yanks it off her neck, and tosses it into the ground. Timothy and Electchu are shocked at the action before Holly gets up and runs down the hall, still crying. Timothy quickly picks up her necklace and, together with Electchu and Shockwave, starts running after her.

"Holly! Holly!" he shouts. "Holly, come back!"

But try as the three of them might, they just hear Holly's cries grow more and more faint. They keep running until they are at the exit and look around only to see no sign of her. Timothy keeps looking for her desperately until he sees Brock running towards him with Ash, Pikachu, Serena, May, Max, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan and Coovers following behind.

"Where's Holly? Where is she?" Brock demands.

"I don't know," Timothy answers. "I was trying to cheer her up for losing, but she just blew up on me and yanked off her necklace."

Brock's heart sinks as he snatches the necklace from Timothy's hand.

"She really did take it off," He says, hurt. "What is going on?"

"I think we can answer that."

Everyone turns to see Lucy and her sisters walking over to them. Lucy tries to keep the fact that she's happy from Brock by covering most of her face with her hair while Barbara steps forward.

"Since Brock was so focused on making both that woman and Queen Lucy happy, we decided to make a wager between the two of them," Barbara states.

"Wager? What wager?" Brock demands.

"Simple. Both Holly and Queen Lucy regained their feelings for you and started arguing with who should be with you based on their strength as Pokemon trainers," Another sister explains. "Since Ash and Timothy are one of the few trainers to ever defeat our queen, we decided to let who should be with you based on whether or not that woman could succeed where Queen Lucy could not."

Everyone stares at Lucy's sisters in disbelief. Lucy puts her hands behind her back, still trying to hide her smile with her hair.

"So you made a bet on who should be with Brock just on whether or not Holly could beat Ash or Timothy?!" Serena shouts.

Timothy turns to Brock, feeling the weight of his part in the bet hit him like a wall of bricks.

"Well, of course we did," Barbara states. "The guy they both like couldn't make up his mind, and so we decided to move things along."

Finally, Lucy looks up to Brock and smiles with a small blush on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that we acted this way, Brock," she says sincerely. "We just thought it was the best way to work things out. You said yourself that you didn't know how to handle what was going on between the three of us, so we thought we should help you with your burden."

Brock stands still as he processes what is explained to him. He looks down and runs his fingers through his hair while Lucy walks over to him with a kind smile.

"Don't you see, Brock? It had to be done," she claims. "After all, you couldn't decide how to -"

"But, I did decide!" Brock barks abruptly. "I've been trying to tell Holly what my decision is all day!"

Lucy steps back, shocked by Brock's outburst. All eyes turn to the tan-skinned man as he elaborates.

"Look, Lucy, I know you wanted to help, and I understand that you really want to be with me, but what you did was not for you to decide," he says. "I don't care about the strength of a person as a trainer. Never have. And as much as I've been spending an equal amount of time with you, I grew to learn that only one of you makes me truly happy."

Lucy's eyes widen, and she gasps softly. Her sisters look at each other, confused with what Brock said to their queen. Without another word, Brock just runs away, heading to the Pokemon Center. Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Clemont, Bonnie, Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, and Shockwave look at each other before they run after him. With Lucy and her sisters alone, the pike queen gets on her knees and struggles the urge to cry while her sisters are still puzzled with what just happened.

"I don't get it," Barbara says, turning to Lucy. "You won, didn't you?"

"No," Lucy replies with her voice cracking slightly. "I won the wager, but I didn't win his...his heart."

Brock bursts into the Pokemon Center with everyone else not too far behind. They all look for Holly in the lounge before they race up the stairs to the girl's bedroom. But as soon as they enter, all of Holly's stuff is gone. Brock's heart sinks as it becomes clear what is happening.

"No, no, no, no, no!" he screams as he runs past everyone standing by the entrance. "Don't tell me she did it again! Not again!"

"Again? What is he talking about?" Iris asks.

Ash, Serena, Dawn, May, Max, Timothy, and Coovers' eyes widen as they realize what is on Brock's mind.

"She left," Dawn answers softly. "She left him a second time."

Misty, Iris, Cilan, and the Pokemon look in surprise before everyone races to catch up with Brock. They run back upstairs, determined to catch up until they see him standing at the front desk. The Nurse Joy behind the desk gives him Holly's purple Crane's Bill flower, and Brock slowly takes it, crushed.

"She said not to follow her," Nurse Joy says to him. "She said she hopes you will be very happy with Lucy."

At this moment, Brock stares at both the flower and the necklace as his world comes crumbling down. His hands shake, and his mouth quivers as tears begin to emerge from his eyes. Ash and Cilan are quick to come to his sides before Brock's legs give in, and he gets down on his knees and starts crying. Serena stares at Brock, trying to fight the tears she has to see her two friends split apart. May and Max look at each other sadly with May putting her hand on her little brother's shoulder. Clemont and Bonnie look at Brock sympathetically, feeling unable to do anything for the man they've only known for a short while. Misty and Iris look away, unable to bear watching Brock weep. Coovers looks down on the ground sadly while Electchu and Shockwave look at each other with crestfallen faces. Finally, Timothy walks over to Brock, Ash, and Cilan with a look of guilt all over his face and kneels down behind them to pat Brock's back.

"I'm...I'm so sorry," he manages to say. "I wish there was something I could do to...I don't know, fix this."

Cilan turns to Timothy and says, "There's nothing you could have done, Timothy."

"He's right," Ash says while patting Brock's shoulder. "You had no way of knowing, and you only gave it your all like you, me, Max, and Holly agreed to."

"I know," Timothy says. "But that doesn't stop me feeling terrible for playing a part in this."

"It's...It's not your fault, Timothy," Brock manages to say through his tears. "It's not your fault or Holly's fault or Lucy's or anyone else's. It's me. This whole thing is my fault. All I wanted was to find that special someone in my life, and my selfishness drove away the one person who could be that for me. I've been chasing after women my whole life, and now I'm getting what I deserve for it."

The tan-skinned man's words don't make Timothy feel any better. Soon, Serena, Misty, Max, and Dawn walk over to comfort Brock. Iris, Axew, Coovers, Electchu, and Shockwave, just stay standing while pitying the brokenhearted man. As this goes on, however, Nurse Joy's phone rings, and she answers it.

"Yes, they're here. Yes, I'll tell them," she says before turning to Ash and Max. "Ash, Max, I'm sorry to disturb you, but the ten-minute break before your match is almost over. You two need to get back to the Indigo Stadium right away. "

Both trainers frown before Ash says, "But we can't just leave Brock like this."

But Brock shakes his head and slowly gets up to give Ash and Max his best brave face.

"It's okay, you guys," he says with a weak smile. "Please don't worry about me. Just go out there and give it everything you've got. I'll be cheering both of you on when I'm ready."

Ash and Max hesitate before they sadly nod.

"Okay, if that's what you want," Max says.

"I insist," Brock confirms with the best smile he can muster. "And I bet Holly probably would too."

"Alright, then that's what we're going to do," Ash says, giving his long-time friend a smirk.

Timothy and Coovers step in with the latter saying, "We'll stay here with Brock while you guys go."

"Thank you, Coovers," Misty says.

With that, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan all leave to head back to the stadium. After Timothy asks Nurse Joy to heal Electchu and Shockwave up, he and Coovers help Brock find a place to sit down while they try to comfort him to the best of their ability. But try as the two men might, they both know that what they do won't heal Brock's broken heart. Timothy sighs as he looks away while rubbing Brock's back and secretly thinks about what Holly said to him before she ran away in tears.


	69. Chapter 69

As the group heads back to the Indigo Stadium, they all struggle to focus on the match against Ash and Max because of what happened between Brock and Holly. Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, and Piplup remember Brock feeling sad when Holly left after they lost the Hearthome City Tag Team Battle tournament, but he was nowhere as devastated as he is now. Serena walks sadly, not only because Brock and Holly are apart, but because she feels like she lost a good friend whom she could relate to when it comes to having special feelings for someone. By the time they all reach the building, Max feels reluctant to go inside.

"I don't know if I can battle while feeling sorry for Brock," he confesses.

"I know how you feel," Misty says. "Even though I've been so angry at him for making promises to both Holly and Lucy, even I could tell how sincere he was to make it up to them. But I never would have thought he would lose his special someone before he could even confess his true feelings."

"Cilan and I haven't known him for very long, but I think we know him enough to pity him," Iris says.

"Axew," Axew agrees from Iris' hair.

"Yeah, same for us," Bonnie says, pointing at herself and Clemont.

Ash turns to his friends with a frown. Even though he still doesn't understand Brock and Holly's feelings, he knows that they care about each other a lot. He wishes there was something he could do to cheer Brock up, but it seems clear he can do nothing but give his longtime friend some time while Timothy and Coovers try their best to comfort him. He then turns to Serena, who is visibly down about what has happened and then to Max. He thinks hard for a moment until he decides to speak.

"Well, you know what?" he says. "I think we should give this battle our all in honor of Brock and Holly's memory."

"Huh?" everyone says.

"Think about it, guys," he says. "There's nothing we can do to bring Holly back or cheer Brock up, but I know both of them would want us all to stay happy and keep going. It's like Brock said, we need to give it everything we've got, and he knows Holly would want us to do the same. Besides, Holly, Timothy, Max, and I all promised to give everything we've got on our semifinal battles. Holly and Timothy kept up their end of that promise, so we need to smile on and do the same. So whether we're battling or cheering for each other, let's honor Brock and Holly by giving it our all until the very end. What do you say?"

For a minute, no one says anything. Then, Serena smiles and chuckles with her mouth closed.

"There you go again, Ash. Trying to cheer everyone up," she says.

Misty scoffs in amusement and says, "Well, I guess we shouldn't expect any less."

"Agreed," Clemont says with a smile.

"Well, if it's what Brock and Holly would have wanted, then I'll cheer for both of you," Dawn says to Ash and Max.

"Piplup," Pilpup says with a smile

"We'll cheer Ash on with a smile," Cilan says with Iris nodding.

"Cheer for Ash, all you like. I'm going to keep supporting my little brother out in the field," May states proudly.

Max hesitates before he smiles at Ash and says, "Well, I've wanted to have a full-on Pokemon battle with you long before I turned old enough to have my first Pokemon. This is my chance to do that, so I'm going to give it everything I've got."

"Awesome, that's what I want to hear," Ash says with a toothy grin.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cheerfully.

Serena smiles fondly at Ash, appreciative of his effort to cheer up the group. She gazes at the raven-haired boy, knowing that his positive attitude is one of the reasons why she wishes she can keep traveling with him. But everyone's moment is interrupted when an attendant runs toward them in a state of panic.

"Max! Ash! There you are!" he exclaims. "It's been more than ten minutes, and you need to get to the battlefield now!"

Ash and Max's eyes widen when they realize the situation and quickly turn to each other.

"See you soon on the battlefield?" Max asks.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Ash says with a smirk before the two of them shake hands.

As Max runs to the left side of the field with May following him, Bonnie glances at the young boy with glasses before she suddenly tugs Serena's coat.

"Hey, Serena, can I have my turn to sit next to you while cheering for Ash, please?" She asks.

"Sure, Bonnie," Serena immediately says with a smile.

"Huh? Why do you want your turn now, Bonnie?" Clemont asks, confused.

Bonnie looks away from her big brother, feeling slightly timid.

"I just want to cheer for both Ash and Max up close," she says.

Clemont looks at his sister oblivious to what is on her mind. After a moment, he smiles and says, "Okay then. Have fun."

"Thanks, big brother!" Bonnie calls out.

"Alright, let's get going, you two," Ash says.

"Right," Serena and Bonnie say as the three of them run toward the right of the stadium with Pikachu on Ash's back and the attendant following behind.

As they run down the call, the attendant informs the announcer through his walkie-talkie that the contestants are coming. Before they reach the end of the hall, however, Ash stops running, and everyone else stops, confused.

"What's the matter, Ash?" Bonnie asks.

"Yes, you need to get going now!" The attendant says in a state of panic.

Ash stays silent for a moment before he turns his hands into fists and turns to Serena and Bonnie with a soft smile.

"It just occurred to me," he says. "Not only am I going against Max, but if I win this, I will make it to the finals in a Pokemon league for the second time in a row."

Serena stares at Ash with her mouth slightly open before she gives the boy she cares about an encouraging smile.

"You're going to make it to the finals, Ash," she claims. "And this time, you're going to win."

"I know I will," Ash says confidently. "And I want you to be there to see it all, Serena."

Serena looks at Ash, confused again as he turns around and enters the stage. Bonnie grins at her honey blonde friend, amused.

"And once again, Ash leaves you with your cheeks turning red," she teases.

Serena snaps out of is and shakes away her blush before smirking at Bonnie.

"Are you sure you want to talk to me about blushing?" she asks. "Cause I get the feeling you were pretty bashful yourself a minute ago. Is there something you want to tell me about Max?"

Bonnie's eyes widen, and her pupils shrink as she looks in horror as if Serena had turned into the most frightening monster imaginable. Serena chuckles with her mouth closed before she walks to the end of the hall, and Bonnie shakes away her petrified state before following her. By the time the two are seated on the bench behind Ash with Bonnie taking out Dedenne to watch with her, the crowd is already cheering in excitement as Max is standing from the other side with May sitting on the bench behind him.

"_Welcome back, folks!_" the announcer shouts. "_It's time for the second semifinal battle of the Indigo League Conference_!"

The crowd cheers again. Ash, Serena, Bonnie, Max, and May can see Misty, Dawn, Piplup Iris, Axew, Cilan, and Clemont cheering at the front of the stands.

"_Who will be the winner in this match and move on to face Timothy from Pallet Town at the final round?!_" The announcer asks. "_Will it be second time competitor, Ash, who is also from Pallet Town, or will it be newcomer, Max from Petalburg City?! I'm on pins and needles, so let's find out now!_"

The crowd cheers a third time as the referee steps in on the sidelines and raises both of his flags.

"This is a full battle between Ash and Max!" he announces. "The battle will be over when all six Pokemon from either side are unable to continue. If anyone calls back their Pokemon, that Pokemon will be out of the match! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready!" Max replies.

"I am so ready!" Ash declares.

"Then battle begin!" the referee shouts.

Max takes out his first Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Go, Pinsir!"

"Pidgeot, I choose you!" Ash shouts, throwing his own Pokeball.

Pinsir and Pidgeot come out with Pidegot flying in the air and Pinsir glaring at its opponent while putting its pincers together to show that it's ready to crush the bird Pokemon.

"Hey, Ash! Let's have a battle none of use will forget no matter who wins!" Max calls out.

"Believe me, I plan to!" Ash says with a grin before pointing at Pinsir. "Pidgeot, use Double Edge!"

Pidgeot generates a greenish energy surrounding it and flies toward Pinsir, making Max smirk.

"Pinsir, wait for the right moment and use X-Scissor!" Max commands.

Pinsir nods, and its claws going light blue with a light blue 'X' like energy with a magenta outline appearing in front of its claws. The Pokemon waits until Pidgeot is close enough until it falls forward, slamming into the bird Pokemon.

"Now, use Stealth Rock while it's still close enough!" Max shouts.

Pinsir summons several glowing rocks that rise up and fly toward Pinsir's target. The rocks hit Pidgeot, and it cries in agony as it backs away from its opponent with some scratches on its body.

"Oh, no!" Ash says worriedly.

"Pidgeot got hit with Stealth Rock?" Bonnie says in alarm. "But that means Ash's Pokemon will take damage every time he switches them out."

"I know," Serena says, concerned. "I hope Ash can pull through with his Pokemon at a disadvantage like that."

Bonnie frowns before she looks at Max with a hit of a smile on her face.

"I gotta admit, while X-Scissor is not very effective against Pidgeot, it was a clever way to distract it before using Stealth Rock," she says.

"De, ne, ne, ne," Dedenne says.

"Hey, who's side are you on?" Serena rebukes.

"Hey, I said I'm rooting for both of them," Bonnie says. "I may have known Ash for a long time, but I have this feeling with Max. You of all people should understand that."

Serena glares at her friend with a disapproving pout.

"Okay, Pidgeot, let's fight back with Whirlwind!" Ash commands.

Pidgeot flaps its wings, and a strong gust of wind is created from them. Pinsir struggles to stand its ground before it loses its footing and falls down on its back.

"Now, use Quick Attack!" Ash shouts.

Pidgeot zooms toward Pinsir at great speed and slams into Pinsir. The stag beetle Pokemon cries out as it gets sent back a couple of feet before it stands up with a couple of scratches.

"Nice work, Ash!" Max compliments. "That was a good way to use Whirlwind and Quick Attack!"

"Yeah, and using X-Scissor at the right time so you could use Stealth Rock was really smart!" Ash admits. "Looks like you've really taken a lot of ideas from watching me battle!"

"I sure have, but I've come up with a few strategies of my own," Max states. "Pinsir, use Swagger!"

Pinsir crosses his arms and glares menacingly at Pidgeot while its body is surrounded and red aura. Pidgeot is briefly surrounded in a red glow before it looks around in complete confusion.

"Oh, no!" Ash exclaims.

"I don't understand," Serena says. "What just happened?"

Bonnie scratches her chin and says, "If I remember correctly from Clemont explaining a few Pokemon moves to me, Swagger is a move that makes the opponent stronger but at the price of making it completely confused."

Serena's eyes widen with this information.

"If that's true, then Pidgeot needs to snap out of it," she says before turning to Pidgeot and calling out, "Come on, Pidgeot! Pull yourself together! You can do it!"

Ash hears Serena calling out to Pidgeot and turns to his Pokemon.

"Serena's right, Pidgeot! Snap out of it!" He shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu calls out.

But Pidgeot is so confused that it flies in a goofy way. Before long, it crashes into the ground, and Max smirks, seeing his chance.

"Now, Pinsir, use Thrash!" He shouts.

Pinsir runs toward Pidgeot and starts beating it repeatedly. Pidgeot just looks around and flails helplessly like a Magikarp out of water as its opponent beats it senseless.

"Pidgeot, drive Pinsir back!" Ash cries out. "Use Whirlwind!"

Pidgeot barley hears Ash amidst the confusion and starts flapping its wings repeatedly. The actions create a whirlwind powerful enough to send Pinsir several feet away from the bird Pokemon. Ash sighs in relief until he sees Pidgeot struggling to get up with its mind still in a daze.

"Pinsir, use Thrash again!" Max shouts.

Pinsir stands up and charges at Pidgeot again.

"Pidgeot, use Hurricane!" Ash calls out.

Pidgeot just keeps standing in a silly manner as if it's lost its mind. Ash grinds his teeth and shouts at his Pokemon at the top of his lungs.

"Pidgeot, use Hurricane now!" He screams.

Once again, the raven-haired boy's words barely comes through to Pidgeot. It flaps its wings repeatedly until it creates a large tornado. Pinsir tries to stop charging and run away from the tornado, but the wind is so strong that it pulls the stag beetle Pokemon in and sends it spinning until it reaches the top of the tornado and is sent flying into the air until it crashes into the ground. The referee looks carefully at Pinsir until he sees that it has swirly eyes.

"Pinsir is unable to battle! Pidgeot wins!" He declares.

The crowd goes wild, and both Ash and Serena sigh in relief until the two of them and Pikachu and Bonnie realize that Pidgeot is still confused. The four of them grow uneasy with the bird Pokemon's state while Max returns Pinsir.

"You did great, Pinsir," Max says to Pinsir inside its Pokeball before taking out another one. "Go, Arcanine!"

Arcanine comes out of its Pokeball and roars loudly at the confused Pidgeot.

"Arcanine, use Bite!" Max commands.

"Pidgeot, fly up and dodge it!" Ash shouts.

But despite his cries, Pidgeot just walks around aimlessly while Arcanine runs to it and bites down on Pidgeot with its mouth. Pidgeot cries out and wails loudly, and Ash clenches his teeth.

"Pidgeot, use Hurricane again!" He shouts.

But Pidgeot just keeps flailing in confusion while its body is still in Arcanine"s mouth.

"Come on, Pidgeot!" Serena cries out desperately.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

The bird Pokemon just stays confused while it cries out in pain.

"Pidgeot, you can do this!" Ash shouts. "Use Hurricane now!"

At that moment, Pidgeot shakes its head and snaps out of confusion. It starts flapping its wings again, eventually creating another tornado. The tornado pulls Arcanine in, and its eyes widen as it finally lets go of Pidgeot, who flies away. Arcanine runs as fast as it can to avoid the tornado, but like Pinser, it's only a matter of time before it's causing inside and sent crashing into the ground. Pidgeot lets out a triumphant cry as Arcanine slowly gets up.

"Nice job, Pidgeot!" Ash calls out. "Now, use Quick Attack!"

"Block it with Protect, Arcanine!" Max shouts.

Arcanine standstill and a green force field appears all over his body. Pidgeot charges at Arcanine, but it slams into the force field and flies in a daze.

"Now, finish it with Heat Wave!" Max orders.

Arcanine opens its mouth, and a white flame is created inside it. It then releases a round, orange flame that directly hits Pidgeot and sends it crashing into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Pidgeot is unable to battle! Arcanine wins!" The referee shouts.

"Alright! Way to go, Max!" May cheers from her bench.

Serena frowns sadly while Bonnie and Dedenne quietly cheer so that their honey blonde friend won't notice. Ash returns Pidgeot and gives its Pokeball a fond look before he takes out another.

"Buizel, I choose you!" He shouts, throwing the ball.

Buizel comes out and is looking ready for battle, but then several spikey rocks appear from the ground and hits it, giving it a few scratches.

"That's right. Stealth Rock," Ash says before his look of unease turns into a smirk. "No problem! Buizel, use Aqua Jet!"

Buizel surrounds its body and shoots itself like a rocket toward Arcanine.

"Use Protect and then Bite!" Max instructs.

Once again, Arcanine creates a green forcefield, and Buizel runs into it. Arcanine quickly makes its force field disappear, and it bites down on Buizel hard with its mouth. Buizel squeals in pain before Ash gives it another order.

"Buizel, use Ice Punch multiple times to free yourself!" Ash shouts.

Buizel's fists turn light blue, and a stream of energy of the same color spins around them. It then starts hitting Arcanine multiple times on the muzzle, and despite the attack not being very effective against the fire type, the constant punches are enough to make it open its mouth, freeing Buizel.

"Now, use Water Gun!" Ash shouts.

Buizel quickly shoots a stream of water from its mouth and hits Arcanine. The canine-like Pokemon howls in plain, but it stands its ground.

"Arcanine, use Fire Blast!" Max shouts.

"Dodge and use Water Gun!" Ash shouts.

Arcanine uses Fire Blast, but Buizel jumps away and shoots another stream of water from its mouth.

"Use Protect!" Max orders.

Arcanine summons another force field just in time to block Buizel's attack. Ash looks at Arcanine, thinking of how he can hit it when it's using Protect.

"Alright, Arcanine, use Heat Wave again!" Max orders.

"Why is he using fire attacks when it's not very effective against a water Pokemon?" Bonnie asks.

"I guess it's because those are the only offensive moves he has besides Bite," Serena speculates. "And judging by how Heat Wave took out Pidgeot, it possibly will still pack a punch if Buizel gets hit."

Ash frowns, wanting to think of something better to do than just telling Buizel to dodge until it hits him.

"Buizel, use Sonic Boom now!" He shouts.

Arcanine opens its mouth, creating another white fire inside. But then Buizel's two tails glow white, and it flips around, sending a large white shockwave that hits Arcanine before it can release its attack.

"Now, use Aqua Jet!" Ash commands.

"Use Protect, Arcanine!" Max shouts.

Once again, Buizel surrounds itself in water and shoots itself like a rocket. Arcanine is so distracted from the Sonic Boom that it doesn't focus on what's happening on time to protect itself before Buizel hits it hard. Max's Pokemon howls in agony as it's sent several feet away and falls down to the ground on its side unconscious.

"Arcanine is unable to battle! Buizel wins!" the referee declares.

Serena and the crowd cheer while Bonnie and Dedenne only half cheer while at the same time feeling sorry for Max. The young boy with glasses frowns sadly as he returns Arcanine back into its Pokeball before turning to Ash.

"I see what you did!" he calls out. "You took advantage of Arcanine being disoriented after getting hit the same way it used Protect to disorient Pidgeot and Buizel, didn't you, Ash?!"

"Sure did," Ash says proudly.

"Well, that was a clever idea, but it'll take more than that to knock me down," Max claims while taking out another Pokeball. "Go, Rhydon!"

Rhydon comes out if it's Pokeball and stomps on the ground to try to intimidate Buizel. From the stands, Dawn looks at Rhydon, confused, and turns to Clemont.

"Why did he choose, Rhydon?" She questions. "Isn't It very weak against water type moves just like Arcanine?"

"Yes, it's very weak to water attacks since it's both a ground and rock type, but Buizel is also capable of being damaged by rock and ground attacks," Clemont points out. "I get the feeling that Max has a strategy to make sure Buizel takes damage more than his Rhydon."

"So that makes it possible for Buizel to lose to Rhydon if Max's plan works," Iris stands, understanding what Clemont is saying.

"Indeed," Cilan agrees. "Still a risky move, to say the very least."

"Well, we're just gonna have to watch and find out," Misty says.

Back in the battlefield, Ash smirks at Rhydon, thinking it's going to be an easy win.

"Alright, Buizel, use Aqua Jet!" he shouts.

Buizel shoots itself with its body surrounded by water again, but Max grins, figuring Ash would use that move first.

"Take it down with Rock Throw, Rhydon!" he orders.

With a mighty roar, Rhydon summons several large rocks out of thin air and throws them then at Buizel. The sea weasel Pokemon moves its body back and forth to dodge the rocks while still heading towards its opponent, but eventually, one rock hits it and sends it crashing to the ground.

"Now, use Earthquake!" Max shouts.

Rhydon stomps its feet, and the ground shakes, causing shockwaves heading toward Buizel. The shockwaves hit Buizel, and it shouts in pain while it's sent back a few feet.

"Buizel, are you okay?" Ash calla out.

Buizel slowly gets up with several more scratches all over its body. It takes a moment before it stands up on its hind legs and smirks, showing that it can still fight.

Max smirks back at Buizel and says, "Good to see Buizel's okay! I'd hate to have taken it down right away!"

"So do I!" Ash calls out. "It'll take a lot more than that to take down my Pokemon!"

"That's what I'm counting on!" Max says. "Rhydon, use Stone Edge!"

Rhydon stomps on the ground, and light blue pillars appear on the ground and head toward Buizel.

"Dodge it!" Ash commands.

"Ha! That was a mistake!" Max says with a grin. "Rhydon, Horn Drill!"

Buizel jumps away from the pillars heading toward it, but as soon as it has moved away, it sees Rhydon charging toward it with its horn spinning. Before Ash can react, Rhydon rams into Buizel with its horn, and the sea weasel Pokemon is once again sent back a couple of feet. Ash, Pikachu, and Serena are worried about Buizel until it once again slowly gets up on its back legs, still looking ready for more battling.

"Way to go, Buizel!" Ash cheers.

"Pika!" Pikachu calls out.

"Bui, Bui," Buizel replies, giving its trainer a smirk and a wink.

Max smiles before turning to Rhydon.

"Won't be long now, Rhydon!" He calls out. "Use Stone Edge followed by Horn Drill again!"

"Dodge it again, Buizel!" Ash shouts.

Blue pillars appear from the ground and head toward Buizel. It jumps away, but it soon sees Rhydon charging toward it with its horn spinning again.

"Now, use Water Gun!" Ash commands.

Buizel smirks and shoots a stream of water from its mouth. The attack hits Rhydon, causing it to stop charging and try to block the attack with its hands.

"Now, while using Water Gun, charge and use Ice Punch multiple times!" Ash instructs.

Buizel keeps shooting water at its opponent to keep it distracted while it walks over to it. As soon as it's close enough, Buizel stops using Water Gun and uses Ice Punch repeatedly. Rhydon grunts with every punch as its ground-and-rock-type body grow weaker.

"Rhydon, fight back!" Max shouts. "Take a step back and use Horn Drill!"

Rhydon opens its eyes and takes a step back right as Buizel is about to throw another punch, causing it to miss. The drill Pokemon then lowers its head and hits Buizel with its spinning horn. Buizel flies into the air and crashes into the ground with several serious scratches all over its body.

"Now, finish it with Earthquake!" Max shouts.

Ash grows worried and shouts to Buizel, "Quick! Get up and use Aqua Jet to dodge it!"

This time, Buizel is struggling to stay on all fours, much less stand up on its back legs. Rhydon lifts its foot to cause the ground to shake again, and Buizel grinds its teeth, determined to stop it. At the last second, water appears all over its body, and Buizel shoots itself in a straight line heading toward its opponent just as Rhydon stomped on the ground, causing it to shake.

"Rhydon, use Rock Throw to stop it, quick!" Max shouts.

Rhydon realizes that its opponent is heading toward it. The drill Pokemon quickly summons rocks again in an attempt to knock Buizel down again, but the sea weasel Pokemon dodges every single one of them. Finally, Buizel rams right into Rhydon, causing it to fall down, but as soon as Buizel steps back, one of the large rocks falls on top of it. The referee walks into the field to properly check to see both Pokemon unconscious.

"Both Rhydon and Buizel are unable to continue!" He announces, raising both of his flags. "It's a draw!"

The crowd goes wild, excited that it's a draw. Ash and Max return their Pokemon while Serena frowns sadly.

"Darn, Buizel was so close," she says before turning to Bonnie with a smug look. "Still, it took down two of your crush's Pokemon, so clearly, I made the right decision with have Ash choose Buizel."

Bonnie gives Serena a childish pout and says, "Don't get too cocky. Max could catch up with your crush."

Meanwhile, Max takes out another Pokeball and throws it shouting, "Gallade, let's go!"

The opens to reveal Gallade and Ash smirks while holding his own Pokeball.

"Scraggy, I choose you!" He shouts.

Scraggy comes out of its Pokeball, pulling up the loose skin that resembles trousers and glaring menacingly at Gallade. Its moment is quickly interrupted, however, when several glowing rocks appear from the ground and hit it, creating a couple of scratches on its body.

"Ah, so Ash choose Scraggy because it's a dark type," Dawn says with a smile.

"That sounds like a good advantage against Gallade," Misty says optimistically.

"Not exactly," Clemont says seriously. "You see, both Pokemon are fighting types on top of Gallade and Scraggy being a psychic and Dark-type, respectively. But while Gallade is resistant to fighting attacks, Scraggy is weak to fighting type moves because it's a dark type. So on top of already taking damage from Stealth Rock, it's just as much of a disadvantage as Gallade is with dark type moves."

"Actually, it's only Scraggy who is at a disadvantage," Iris says.

"What do you mean?" Dawn asks.

Cilan turns to the ground and says, "If I recall correctly, the moves Scraggy knows are Leer, Headbutt, High Jump Kick, and Focus Blast. So half of its moves are fighting types, and the other half are normal type."

"What?!" Misty explains before she sighs and facepalms. "That Ash. Doesn't always think things through."

"Yeah, what a kid," Iris agrees.

But Axew looks at Scraggy worriedly and jumps out of Iris' hair and lands on the railings shouting, "Axew, Axew, Axew!"

Dawn, Misty, and Clermont look at the little Pokemon confused before turning to Iris.

"What's up with Axew?" Dawn asks.

"Oh, Axew and Scraggy became good friends around the time Cilan and I were traveling with Ash," Iris explains. "It clearly is rooting for Scraggy, hoping it will beat Gallade.

"I hope so because this is a concerning disadvantage," Clemont says before smiling. "But then again, Ash doesn't always rely on typing."

Back in the battlefield, Max and Ash smirk at each other before Max makes the first move.

"Go, Gallade, Brick Break!" He commands.

Gallade's right arm turns white, and it charges at Scraggy. Ash waits for the right moment before he makes his move.

"Dodge and use Leer!" He shouts.

Scraggy jumps out of the way right before Gallade punches at it. Then Scraggy glares at Gallade with an intimidating look on its face. Gallade is startled and backs away as a blue glow briefly appears on its body.

"Alright, Scraggy, use Headbutt!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it using Teleport!" Max shouts.

Scraggy pounces at Gallade head first, but before it could hit, Gallade's body turns white, and it disappears out of thin air. Scraggy lands on the ground and looks around for its opponent only to see Gallade reappear on the other side of the field.

"Augh, it still knows Teleport," Ash grumbles.

"Oh, it's worse than that, Ash," Max says with a snug look. "Gallade, use Teleport multiple times, followed by Brick Break!"

With a grin, Gallade teleports to various spots all over the field. Scraggy looks around in panic, trying to find its opponent until Gallade appears right behind it.

"Scraggy, look out!" Ash calls out.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts.

Scraggy turns around only to see Gallade's glowing hand punch it in the face. The little shedding Pokemon screams as it's sent crashing into a wall.

"Scraggy!" Ash yells.

Scraggy groans weakly and lies on the ground with many scratches and bruises on its body. But despite the pain that it's in, its stubborn side refuses to stay down. It slowly gets up, pulls its trousers-like skin, and looks at Gallade with a determined face. Max smiles at Scraggy's conviction, glad it's not down yet and turns to Gallade.

"Gallade, finish it with Close Combat!" He shouts.

"Dodge it and use Leer again, followed by Headbutt!" Ash commands.

Gallade charges at Scraggy with its fists ready to clobber the smaller, Pokemon, but Scraggy moves away at the last second and gives another intimidating glare before ramming Gallade with its head. Gallade takes a few steps back.

"Alright, now use Focus Blast!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge using Teleport and then use Close Combat!" Max orders.

Scraggy puts its hands together and creates a light blue orb of energy in between them before it jumps high into the air and raises its hands above its head. The orb grows larger before it throws it at Gallade only to see the blade Pokemon disappear. Scraggy looks for its opponent, but Gallade quickly appears behind, and with its eyes glowing red, starts punching it violently. The fierce beating goes on for a while before Gallade finishes it with a hard kick, sending Scraggy zooming toward another wall. The shedding Pokemon crashes into the wall, and it falls down unconscious.

"Scraggy is unable to continue! Gallade wins!" The referee declares.

Ash frowns and returns Scraggy into its Pokeball. Pikachu and Serena look at him sadly while Bonnie quietly cheers with Dedenne again. Max smiles from his side of the field while May loudly cheers for her brother again. Back in the stands, Misty, Clemont, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, and Cilan reluctantly frown while Axew lowers its head sadly.

"I was hoping Scraggy would win," Dawn says.

"I don't see how it could," Cilan says honestly. "With it having no dark type moves and Gallade constantly using Teleport, it was just a matter of time."

"But that doesn't mean it didn't do anything against Gallade, right?" Iris questions. "I mean, Scraggy did use Leer twice."

"That's true," Clemont says. "I think Ash was trying to use Leer enough times so that Headbutt or any of its fighting moves could be more effective than they originally would have been. Obviously, it didn't work for Scraggy completely, but maybe Gallade losing that much of its defense would be a good advantage for Ash's next Pokemon. Either way, I hope things work out somehow."

Misty frowns and looks down at Ash worriedly. The focused look on his face as he thinks about his next Pokemon reminds her of the times she spent together with him before she realized she gained feelings for him. She smiles slightly, thinking about those days until she glances at Serena. The honey blonde girl looks at the raven-haired boy worriedly while she once again has her hand on her precious, blue ribbon. Misty frowns, knowing that Serena still clenching on to her feelings for the same boy while doing her best to cheer for him. Misty sighs sadly, clearly wishing things could have been a little different between her and Ash.

"So do I, Clemont," she says quietly. "More than anything."


	70. Chapter 70

Things have barely improved at the Pokemon Center. Timothy and Coovers have stayed by Brock's side, patting his shoulder or rubbing his back, but the most they've managed to do is help Brock eventually stop crying. The tan-skinned man just stays seated with his head down. With his arms cradling Holly's flower and necklace, he sniffles quietly. Nurse Joy offered a box of tissues when she came to give Timothy Electchu and Shockwave back, and Brock quietly thanked her and wiped away the tears that went all the way down to his chin while Timothy returns Shockwave. Coovers looks at Timothy and Electchu for a moment before turning to Brock and asking a question that he thinks he knows the answer to.

"How you holding up, buddy?" He asks.

Brock sniffs before he answers, "Not great. I feel a little better after letting it all out, but still not great."

"Yeah, I bet," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu says quietly

The three of them are silent for a moment before Timothy hesitates before his curiosity gets the better of him.

"So...you were going to choose to pursue only her?" He asks.

Brock nods, not looking at him.

"How long ago did you make that decision?" Timothy asks.

"A couple of days," Brock answers.

"You mean you waited a couple of days to tell her that?" Coovers asks, surprised.

"I wasn't sure that she was going to say yes," Brock explains. "I mean, I hurt her so bad, and I was working on getting back into her good graces again that I was scared to tell her. I didn't decide to take that chance until today."

"Wow, that's rough," Timothy says.

"You're telling me," Brock says. "I would have told her already if Ash and Max and the others didn't barge in during our lunch date or if I convinced her to let me tell her before her battle with you as opposed to her telling me to wait just because she wants to stay focused on the match. Heck, if I somehow found out that her feelings for me were coming back beforehand as opposed to Lucy telling me after the match, I definitely would have told her sooner."

Timothy shakes his head and says, "There's no way that you could have known, Brock."

Electchu nods in agreement.

"But there had to be," Brock protests. "Maybe I could have bumped into the two of them during the time they were making the bet and come clean with how I really feel about her and tell Lucy that -"

"Uh, Brock, ixnay on the ucylay," Coovers interrupts, looking at something past his friends with a nervous chuckle.

Brock, Electchu, and Timothy look at Coovers in confusion before they turn to where Coovers is looking. Brock's heart sinks when he sees Lucy and her sisters at a distance, giving back the card key to their room to Nurse Joy. As they turn around to leave, Lucy glances at the three men and Raichu and stops walking, and her eyes immediately met Brock's. Her sisters turn to see where she's looking and angrily glare at Brock, looking ready to beat him to kingdom come. As the tan-skinned man and the Pike Queen stare each other, Brock gives her an apologetic look, and Lucy just stares at him with tears slowly appearing in her eyes. No words need to be said before Lucy turns her head and exits the building with her sisters following her. Once the women are gone, Timothy and Coovers take a deep breath before turning to Brock.

"That was pretty awkward," Coovers says bluntly.

"I'll say," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu mumbles.

Brock lowers his head, still depressed.

"You know what the saddest thing is?" He asks. "My feelings for Holly where right there in front of me."

Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other, confused before Timothy asks, "How do you mean?"

Brock lifts his head and stares at the wall before he answers.

"Lucy's a great woman and everything, but even when I was chasing other women after the Hearthome City Tag Team Tournament, I always wished I could see Holly again. I even talked a lot about her to Serena when we were in Celadon City. And even though I agreed to be together with Lucy after this tournament and was really excited about it, all my thoughts about it just disappeared the moment I saw Holly again at Neon City. On top of that, I've never been so happy during the times we've had since whether it was helping her train or go touring together or having her meet my family or when I gave her her necklace."

Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers nod in understanding as Brock stares at the necklace in his hand.

"Maybe if Lucy was upfront with me about her feelings all the way back when Ash was partaking in the Battle Frontier before I ever met Holly, things could have been different. I imagine Lucy and I could have been happy together even though her sisters hate me. But she didn't, and I eventually met Holly. They both like me for me, but even when I was taking turns spending time with both of them, I knew I was happier with Holly."

"I don't doubt it," Coovers says. "If we're being honest, I was kind of jealous of seeing you and Holly together."

"I know," Brock says, turning to Coovers. "And I hope you succeed where I have not in finding the one and not lose her, Coovers. I really do."

Coovers gives Brock an appreciative smile before the three men and Raichu stay silent again. Suddenly, Brock wipes the tears from his eyes one last time before he forces a smile and stands up.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," he announces.

"Ready for what?" Timothy asks as he and Coovers stand up.

But instead of answering Brock turns to Nurse Joy, who is standing at the front desk and asks, "Nurse Joy, is the second semifinal battle still going on?"

"Ugh, yes, it had last time I checked," she answers. "Last I looked on my computer both sides have three Pokemon left."

"Perfect," Brock says before turning to his friends. "Let's go watch Ash and Max's battle."

The two other men and Electchu look at each other concerned before Coovers asks, "Are you sure?"

"I am," Brock says confidently. "I may be still brokenhearted, but that shouldn't stop me from supporting my friends. Besides, I want to find out who I'm going to cheer for against you at the finals, Timothy. Er, no offense."

It takes a moment before Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu smile supportively.

"None taken," Timothy says. "And I think Holly would have wanted you to be there for Ash and Max. Just know that I'm rooting for Ash so that we can have our battle at the league like we promised."

Brock chuckles and says, "Duly noted."

The two of them chuckle together, and Coovers and Electchu smile before the former steps in.

"Then what are we waiting for?" He asks. "Let's go watch the battle before Ash or Max already beats the other."

"Right!" Brock and Timothy say at the same time.

"Raichu!" Electchu exclaims.

Back at the Indigo stadium, Ash is still thinking about Pokemon to use next against Gallade. Serena and all of his friends at the stands grow concerned as he's been thinking for a couple of minutes now. Even Max, May, and Bonnie are uneasy with him taking an unusual amount of time to choose his next Pokemon.

"Ash, you must choose your next Pokemon or be disqualified from the match!" The referee calls out.

"I know, I know!" Ash calls out back.

With the referee putting pressure on Ash, he tries to think quicker over who to choose. Eventually, he shuts his eyes and grinds his teeth before he spontaneously makes his decision.

"Typhlosion, I choose you!" He shouts.

Typhlosion comes out of its Pokeball with a mighty roar. It looks at Gallade menacingly while flames erupt from it's back. Glowing rocks appear from the ground and hit it, but it stands its ground despite it being slightly hurt.

"A Typhlosion, huh? Cool," Max says, fascinated before turning to his Pokemon. "Gallade, use Disarming Voice!"

"Dodge it with Flame Wheel!" Ash shouts.

Gallade sends several pinks hearts toward Typhlosion, but the volcano Pokemon moves away from them and charges at Gallade with its body surrounded in flames. It rams into Gallade, and the blade Pokemon falls down with its body covered in burns.

"Now, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouts.

"Gallade, move away with Teleport!" Max calls out.

Gallade whimpers as it fights through the pain and quickly disappears just in time to avoid Typhlosion's attack. As Max sighs in relief, May looks concerned for her brother's Pokemon.

"But Flame Wheel shouldn't be that effective," she protests.

"Yes, it should," Max contradicts. "I hate to admit it, but even though it didn't use any dark type attacks, Ash knew what he was doing when using Scraggy. By having it use Leer twice, it really affected Gallade's defenses to a serious degree. So I need to be careful and use Teleport as much as I can to avoid Gallade getting hit by any more of Typhlosion's attacks."

May stares at her brother before she turns back to watching the battlefield.

"Alright, Typhlosion, use Flamethrower again!" Ash orders.

"Dodge using Teleport again, followed by Brick Break!" Max shouts.

Typhlosion releases another Flamethrower at its opponent, but Gallade disappears before the stream of fire was halfway towards it. Gallade reappears right behind Typhlosion, and karate chops it in the back. The volcano Pokemon howls and gets down on all fours.

"Now, use Close Combat!" Max orders.

"Dodge it using Flame Wheel!" Ash shouts.

Gallade prepares to punch its opponent furiously, but Typhlosion jumps away, and it spins around in the air before with its body engulfed in flames.

"Gallade, use Teleport, and use Close Combat again!" Max orders.

"Dodge it while still using Flame Wheel!" Ash shouts.

Gallade disappears and reappears in front of where Typhlosion is going, but its opponent moves away before it can attack. It then moves to another spot to attack only for Typhlosion to dodge again. The volcano Pokemon keeps dodging Gallade's attacks while still spinning like a wheel in flames.

"I wonder how much longer this is going to last," Bonnie comments.

"Who knows?" Serena says. "At this rate, they might both run out of energy before Gallade can hit Typhlosion."

Ash's eyes widen, having overheard the two girls and turns to Serena with a smile.

"Serena, that's it!" He exclaims.

"Huh? What's it, Ash?" Serena asks.

But instead of answering, Ash turns to the battlefield and calls out, "Typhlosion, keep dodging until you see an opening to attack, then use Flame Wheel to hit Gallade!"

Typhlosion lets out a grunt to let its trainer know that it acknowledges his command and keeps on dodging. Gallade keeps trying to get the upper hand by appearing right in front of Typhlosion, but its opponent takes a sharp turn to avoid its fists. Max keeps watching the process until he notices that Gallade is taking longer to teleport. It takes a moment before he realizes that it's getting tired from constantly using the same move.

"Gallade, stop using Teleport!" He calls out.

Gallade disappears and reappears at a different location one last time before it eventually stops and breathes heavily. Ash and Pikachu smirk confidently when they know that they have the advantage. As the raven-haired boy instructed, Typhlosion heads toward Gallade with Flame Wheel and rams right into it. Gallade screams in agony asset falls into the ground with more burns around his body.

"Now, finish it with Eruption!" Ash commands.

Typhlosion grins as it lowers its head, and a geyser of red and orange flames appear from its back. It releases the red and orange flame from its mouth, and it hits Gallade mercilessly. Max watches in shock as Typlosion eventually stops the attack to see his friend unconscious.

"Gallade is unable to battle! Typhlosion wins!" the referee announces.

Ash and Pikachu cheer with the audience while May, Max, and Bonnie frown again. The boy with glasses returns his Pokemon back into its Pokeball and gives the ball a fond look.

"You were fantastic, Gallade. Thank you," Max says before turning to Ash. "I guess you figured I relied too much on Teleport that it would eventually tire Gallade, huh?"

"Sure did," Ash says with a smirk. "And I wouldn't have realized it if it wasn't for Serena giving me the idea."

Serena is taken aback at Ash, stating how she's behind his idea, and she smiles with a small blush on her cheeks. Bonnie smirks teasingly, and Ash gives her a toothy grin, not noticing Serena's blush before turning back to Max.

"You had a good way to use Teleport, but you should learn not to completely rely on it, Max!" He says. "Sometimes relying on just one move isn't the best idea."

Max smiles and takes out a Pokeball saying, "Sounds like there's a couple of things I still need to learn about Pokemon battling on my own. But that won't stop me from losing to you. Let's go, Kabutops!"

He throws his Pokeball and Kabutops comes out, swinging its blades to show that it's ready for battle. Bonnie grins mischievously at the sight of the shellfish Pokemon, making Serena suspicious.

"What's so amusing?" she asks.

"Oh nothing," Bonnie lies. "It's just that Max told me a couple of days ago that Kabutops is a rock and water type which fire attacks are not very effective against. So since most of Typhlosion's moves are fire-type, it won't be long before Kabutops takes it down."

"De ne ne," Dedenne chuckles, with the same vexatious grin as Bonnie's.

Serena pouts, annoyed with Bonnie having switched sides.

"I'm starting to like you better when you were teasing me for admiring Ash so much," she grumbles.

"Oh, I'm sure you are, Serena," Bonnie says in a singing voice. "Doesn't change the fact that Typhlosion is in trouble, though."

Serena glares at her young friend and says, "You know what? I can't wait to see that grin wiped from your face when Ash beats Max."

"We'll see, Serena," Bonnie says, unfazed. "We'll see."

"De,ne ne," Dedenne says.

Back in the battlefield, Max smirks, having the same train of thought as Bonnie.

"Alright, Kabutops, let's get started with Aqua Jet!" he commands.

"Dodge it and use Eruption again!" Ash shouts.

Kabutops surround itself in water and shoots itself like a rocket. Typlosion moves away and fires another red and orange flame at its opponent. The fire attack hits Kabutops, but it barely has any burns in its body.

"Ash, have you forgotten that fire attacks don't work on Kabutops?" Max calls out.

"Oh, I know it is," Ash says. "But it's also not immune to fire attacks, so I can still do some damage."

Max raises an eyebrow become he chuckles at his old friend.

"That's just like you, Ash! You just keep on going!" he says. "Kabutops, use Rock Throw!"

"Dodge it using Flame Wheel!" Ash shouts

Kabutops summon large, silver rocks out of thin air and throws them at Typhlosion. The volcano Pokemon once against dodges its opponent's attack using Flame Wheel before charging at Kabutops with its attack.

"I don't think so, Ash," Max says with a grin. "Kabutops, use Dig!"

Kabutops jumps into the air and digs a hole underground, dodging Typhlosion's attack. Typhlosion stops and looks around for its opponent before Kabutops emerges from the ground and hits it. Ash's Pokemon shouts in pain before it falls to the ground back first.

"Now, use Aqua Jet!" Max orders.

"Dodge it with Aerial Ace!" Ash shouts.

It takes a moment before Typhlosion opens its eyes to see its opponent charging at it with water surrounding its body again. It quickly stands back up with the flames on its back, igniting again before it jumps and flies into the air. Kabutops misses its opponent and stays still with water no longer surrounding its body just in time for Typhlosion to charge at it with white streaks all over its body. The shellfish Pokemon turns to see its opponent right before Typhlosion slams at it. Kabutops is hardly affected by Aerial Ace either, but it takes a little more damage than Eruption.

"Hmmm. I think you should have started with Aerial Ace, Ash," Max suggests. "It's still not very effective, but it is a little more effective than your fire attacks."

Ash chuckles nervously and scratches the back of his head.

"Honestly, I sort of forgot that Typlosion knows Aerial Ace until now," he admits.

Max and May stare at Ash, dumbfounded. Pikachu sighs, embarrassed for its partner while Serena facepalms and Bonnie grins again.

"Typical Ash again," Max says, shaking his head. "Kabutops, use Rock Throw again multiple times!"

"Dodge it with Aerial Ace!" Ash orders.

Typhlosion just in the air and starts flying again while Kabutops throws more silver rocks at it. Typhlosion keeps dodging the attacks again and again, before it flies toward Kabutops, ready to strike again. But as it comes close to hitting the shellfish Pokemon, one rock hits it in the back, and it falls to the ground.

"Oh, no! Typhlosion!" Ash shouts.

Max smirks and says, "That's it for this Pokemon! Use Aqua Jet again!"

Once again, Kaputops surrounds itself in water and shoots itself like a rocket. Typhlosion is too weak to move before the shellfish Pokemon rams into it, sending it crashing into the ground with swirly eyes.

"Typhlosion is out of the match!" The referee announces. "Kalutops wins!"

The crowd cheers again, and Max shakes his fist into the air while May, Bonnie, and Dedenne cheer for him. Ash sighs and puts Typhlosion back into its Pokeball before he takes out another one.

"Okay, let's see Kabutops take out this Pokemon!" He shouts. "Go. Sceptile!"

He throws the ball and Sceptile comes out before glowing rocks come out again and hit Ash's Pokemon. Sceptile grunts in pain, but it shakes it off, being stronger than Ash's previous Pokemon. Max becomes uneasy, and Bonnie gulps nervously, which catches Serena's attention before she smirks teasingly like an older sibling making fun of her younger sister.

"Is there something about Pokemon types concerning Sceptile that you want to share, too, Bonnie?" She queries.

"N-n-n-no," Bonnie whimpers.

Serena raises her eyebrow and scratches her chin, pretending to be thinking about what could be on the little girl's mind.

"Hmmm, let's see," Serena says. "I know that water Pokemon are weak against grass, but what about rock Pokemon? Could they be weak against grass too?"

Bonnie lets out a little squeak, making the honey blonde girl snicker.

"I get the feeling that the answer is yes," she says. "So if both types are weak to grass, that means grass type attacks are four times as effective against Kabutops. My oh my, whatever will Max do?"

Bonnie pouts bitterly and says, "You're really mean today."

"Yeah? Well, you started it," Serena says in a matter-of-factly tone before sticking out her tongue.

Meanwhile, Max thinks carefully about how to proceed with his Pokemon at such a disadvantage. Ash smirks confidently at his young friend before Max bites the bullet.

"Kaputops, use Rock Throw!" He shouts.

Kaputops summons more silver rocks and sends then toward Sceptile, but Ash just grins at the move.

"Sceptile, cut them down with Leaf Blade!" He commands.

The four leaves on Sceptile's wrists glow light green and firm into two leaves. It then jumps into the air and starts cutting the rocks into pieces as if they were made out of paper. Before it lands on the ground, however, Max makes another call.

"Now, use Slash!"

As soon as Sceptile's feet touch the ground, it finds Kaputops charging at it before it strikes with its blades. The forest Pokemon cries out before it jumps away to avoid another Slash

"Kabutops, use Dig!" Max orders.

Once again, the shellfish Pokemon makes a hole and digs underground. Sceptile wonders where it is until Ash calls out to it.

"Sceptile, don't worry!" He shouts. "Just close your eyes and wait for the right moment before dodging using Quick Attack!"

Sceptile nods at Ash and closes its eyes, waiting patiently. It takes a moment until it feels the ground underneath it shake, and it immediately opens its eyes and with inhuman speed, moves away from where Kaputops is emerging. The shellfish Pokemon pops out of the ground only to find its target not there before Sceptile quickly moves and hits it.

"Now, use Leaf Blade!" Ash shouts.

"Counter with Slash!" Max shouts.

Two blades appear on Sceptile's wrists, and it starts clashing blades with its opponent. The two of them keep it until Ash gets an idea.

"Sceptile, dodge Kaputops' next attacks before you strike!" He instructs.

Sceptile acknowledges Ash's command and ducks while Kabutops is swinging one of its blades. Sceptile takes the opportunity to use the blades on its wrists to do an uppercut against its opponent, making Kabutops take a couple of steps back, feeling the harsh sting of the grass-type attack on its chin.

"Don't let up! Use Leaf Storm!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it, Kabutops!" Max cries out desperately.

But the rock-and-water-type Pokemon is too disoriented to move away while the seeds on Sceptile's back glow white, and it releases a barrage of light green glowing leaves surrounded a green aura around its tail. The leaves surround Kabutops, leaving it encircled in a tornado of leaves before slamming into the ground right in front of Max lying on the ground limp.

"Kabutops is unable to battle! Sceptile wins! The referee shouts.

"Yeah! Go, Ash!" Serena cheers.

The crowd cheers, including Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, and Clemont. Max, May, and Bonnie frown as the boy with glasses returns his Pokemon.

"Alright, so Ash needs to take down one more Pokemon, and he wins," Cilan says.

"I can't believe he's that close," Iris says.

"Axew!" Axew shouts.

"But how strong is Max's last Pokemon?" Misty asks, concerned.

"Don't know. But we do know that it's also a Sceptile," Dawn answers.

"Really?" Misty says, surprised.

"Yeah, he started his journey choosing a Treecko just like Ash," Dawn explains. "So, this battle will be very interesting."

"Piplup," Piplup says.

"I agree," says a voice behind them.

The five teenagers and Axew and Piplup turn around to see Brock walking towards then with Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers walking behind him. The tan-skinned man gives them a friendly smile as he sits down next to Misty.

"Brock, are you okay?" Misty asks.

"I'm kind of better," Brock answers. "At least enough that I can keep my emotions in check so that I can root for my friends like Holly would have wanted."

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing somewhat better," Dawn says before leaning forward to look at Timothy and Coovers. "And thanks for helping him through his grief, you guys."

"No thanks are necessary, Dawn," Timothy says kindly. "The way I see it, it's the very least I can do after playing a part in what happened."

"And I'm all for being there for a guy looking for romance just like me," Coovers says before turning to the field. "Anyway, Max has only one Pokemon left?"

"That's right. And according to Dawn, it's going to be a Sceptile too," Iris answers. "Ash's Sceptile has already taken some damage with Stealth Rock from Pinser and Slash from Kabutops."

"Yes, and the way things are looking, this match will probably be a matter of who hits the other the most," Clemont says.

Brock nods and crosses his arms staring at the stadium.

"Maybe, but Sceptile also have an ability called Overgrow that makes their grass attacks stronger when their health is low, so that might play a factor into who wins," he says. "Even so, it might be a matter of not only who takes the most hits but who has the most powerful moves and perhaps also the most experience."

Misty and Dawn smile at Brock, happy to see him analyzing a Pokemon battle again. Meanwhile, Max tries to keep a fearless face while taking out his last Pokeball.

"It's up to the two of us now," he whispers to it before throwing the ball, shouting, "Go, Sceptile!"

The ball opens, and Max's partner comes out, ready for action. It soon notices Ash's Sceptile, and the two of them stare at each other menacingly, eager to prove which one is superior. Ash keeps a confident face as he looks at Max.

"Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!" Max shouts.

"Dodge it!" Ash commands.

Max's Sceptile fires multiple golden seeds surrounded in a light green aura. Ash's Sceptile just smirks before moving away from the line of fire.

"Now, use Leaf Blade!" Ash shouts.

"You use Leaf Blade too!" Max shouts.

The blades appear on both wrists of the two forest Pokemon charge at each other. Just like with Ash's Sceptile against Kabutops, the two of them constantly clash their blades against each other with neither Pokemon leave their gaze at the other as they fight. Max and Ash stare at their Pokemon, eager to get the upper hand.

"Sceptile, push Max's Sceptile back! Force it into a wall!" Ash shouts.

Ash's Sceptile puts more force into its attacks, causing Max's Sceptile to slowly retreat while still blocking its opponent's attack. Max grinds his teeth, realizing that Ash's Sceptile is stronger than his until he gets an idea.

"Sceptile, move away, and then strike with Fury Cutter!" He instructs.

Max's forest Pokemon moves away on the side, causing Ash's to almost lose its balance from swinging at air. The blades on Max's Sceptile's wrist glow white, and it strikes its opponent, causing Ash's Sceptile to let out a painful cry. Before Max's Sceptile could strike again, Ash's Sceptile moves away just in time.

"Whoa. Ash's Sceptile was lucky to move away the way it did," Cilan says.

"It sure did," Brock agrees. "The power of Fury Cutter grows stronger every time it hits its target and only reverts to its normal amount of damage if it misses its attack."

"And since grass-type Pokemon are weak against bug type attacks like Fury Cutter, Sceptile probably took enough damage just from getting hit once," Clemont finishes.

"Well, I hope Ash can figure something out," Timothy says before turning to Misty, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, and Clemont. "Does Ash's Sceptile know any moves that aren't grass attacks?"

"Just one and it's Quick Attack," Brock answers. "The only moves it knows apart from that is Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm, and Solar Beam."

Timothy and Coovers frown skeptically with this information.

"If that's the case, then Ash better be very careful," Coovers says.

"No kidding," Brock says. "Especially since Max was traveling with May and me during our journeys through the Hoenn region and the Battle Frontier. Throughout those journeys, Max witnessed Ash catching Treecko and seeing it evolve into a Grovyle and then a Sceptile."

"So that means he probably knows all of the moves that Ash's Sceptile has, giving him even more of an advantage apart from his Sceptile knowing Fury Cutter," Timothy says.

"Exactly," Brock says, seriously.

Back in the battlefield, Max smirks, seeing Ash grow uneasy after learning that his Pokemon knows a powerful bug-type move.

"Okay, Sceptile, use Fury Cutter again!" He commands.

Max's Sceptile charges again, but Ash is ready for them this time.

"Stop it with Leaf Storm!" he shouts.

Once again, Ash's Sceptile creates a tornado of leaves that encircle its opponent and sends it slamming into the ground.

"Now, while it's distracted, use Leave Blade!" Ash commands.

Ash's Sceptile charges at Max's Sceptile without hesitation. The four leaves on its wrist turn merge into two green blades before it wallops the other forest Pokemon with both of them. It starts furiously pounding on Max's Sceptile repeatedly, giving it several serious scratches all over its body.

"Sceptile, move away by using Quick Attack!" Max commands.

Just as instructed, Max's Sceptile moves away before Ash's Scpeticle can strike again and runs away with incredible speed.

"Go after it using Quick Attack too!" Ash orders.

Ash's Sceptile starts following Max's with the same incredible speed. The two of them zig and zag all over the battlefield with Max's Sceptile, trying to get Ash's Sceptile off its tail.

"Sceptile, study your opponent's running pattern, and then change course to ram into it!" Ash instructs.

The raven-haired boy's Sceptile does as it is told, keeping a close eye on the way its opponent moves to try to lose it. Once it learns enough, it stops pursuing it and uses Quick Attack to run into the direction Max's Sceptile is going to run next. The young boy with glasses' Sceptile makes a turn only to see its opponent running straight after it. The two of them crash into each other and fall down, disoriented from running into each other at a great speed.

"Sceptile, get up as soon as you can, and use Leaf Blade!" Max shouts.

"Sceptile, use Quick Attack to dodge and quickly flank it!" Ash commands.

Max's Pokemon comes up first and charges with blades already formed on its wrists. But while it's attacking, Ash's Pokemon comes to as well and uses Quick Attack to move away. Before Max can tell his Sceptile to go after it with the same move, Ash's Sceptile rams right into it from the side.

"Now use Leaf Storm while it's down!" Ash commands.

His Sceptile creates a third tornado of leaves, and they once again encircle its opponent and send it crashing into the ground.

"Now, use Leaf Blade again!" Ash shouts.

"Oh no, you don't!" Max shouts determinedly. "Sceptile, fight back with Fury Cutter!"

Ash's Sceptile charges with Leaf Blade again, but its opponent quickly comes to and stands up with glowing, white blades appearing on its wrists. The two of them clash blades together again and start another duel with the weapons on each of their wrists. But before Ash or Max could come up with another idea to overpower the other, the latter's Pokemon suddenly overpowers the other and starts vigorously pounding its opponent with its bug type attack.

"Sceptile!" Ash cries out.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"That's it, Sceptile! Keep at it!" Max orders.

"Way to go, Sceptile!" May cheers for her younger brother.

"Yeah, that's the way to do it!" Bonnie calls out!

"Hey, whose side are you on!" Ash rebukes.

"Believe me, I've been asking myself that the whole battle," Serena grumbles. "But enough of that, Ash. You got to do something fast!"

Ash realizes that the honey blonde girl is right and turns his head back to the battlefield. His Sceptile grows weaker and weaker as the other Sceptile's bug type attack grows stronger with every hit. Serena's heart sinks with every hit, and she grabs her ribbon as fear overtakes her. Back in the stands, Brock, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers are worried as well.

"What is Ash going to do?" Iris asks.

"I don't know, but whatever he does, he better do something fast," Cilan says.

"Frankly, I'm surprised that Max's Sceptile hasn't taken down Ash's by now," Coovers says. "Ash must have trained it to become really strong if it's lasting this long."

"Well, he better not push his luck," Timothy says before calling out to the field. "Come on, Ash! Do something! Don't forget our promise!"

"But wait, Ash still has Pikachu left," Dawn points out.

"That's right. Worst-case scenario, Pikachu can finish the job, right?" Misty asks. "I mean Ash's Sceptile has done a number on Max's Sceptile already."

"Maybe so, but Ash shouldn't press his luck with Pikachu," Brock says. "Grass Pokemon like Sceptile are resistant to electric attacks, which is what most of Pikachu's moves are. Maybe Pikachu will win since it's Ash's best Pokemon, but he should avoid taking that chance."

Back in the battlefield, Ash's hands turn into balls of fists, and he grinds his teeth. Pikachu and Serena look at him sadly, unsure that he will think of something in time. But then he notices a green aura surrounding his Pokemon as it tries to catch his breath. Ash's eyes widen, realizing that his friend's health is so low that its grass attacks have increased. He thinks about how to carefully make the next move until he notices Max's partner running towards Sceptile and he gasps in shock.

"Sceptile, quick, use Leaf Blade to defend and use Leaf Storm quick!" he yells.

With barely any stamina left, Ash's Sceptile creates green blades again and blocks both of its foe's blades. Max's Sceptile tries to overpower it again, but before it can, Ash's creates another Leaf Storm, and the tornado sends it back, slamming it into the ground a few feet away.

"Close call, Ash!" Max admits. "But it looks like your Sceptile is so weak that all it takes is another hit from any of my Scepile's attacks to bring it down."

"That's why it won't get the chance!" Ash claims. "Sceptile, use Leaf Storm multiple times! Drive that Sceptile away!"

Sceptile takes a deep breath and summon another tornado that slams the other into the ground. Before Max's Pokemon can get up, another tornado encircles it and slams it into the ground. The process repeats itself constantly, making Max worried.

"Sceptile, quick! Use Bullet Seed!" He shouts.

His forest Pokemon slams into the ground again and tries to open its mouth only for it to be encircled by another tornado full of leaves and bangs it into the ground, disorienting it again. Back in the stands, Dawn realizes what is happening.

"Look, Max's Sceptile is growing weak," she says, pointing at it.

"Hey, you're right," Cilan says in realization.

"It appears that Ash is using Leaf Storm to keep Max's Sceptile incapacitated," Clemont says, adjusting his glasses.

"Not only that, but it's keeping it opponent at a distance so that it can't use its melee attacks like Leaf Blade and especially Fury Cutter," Brock analyzes. "Plus, Leaf Storm does more damage now that Overgrow is in effect."

Ash smirks confidently as he watches Max's Pokemon take more damage with every slam. But suddenly, the Lead Storm stops, and Ash looks in confusion until he sees his Pokemon panting heavily.

"I guess you're out or energy for another Leaf Storm, aren't you, Sceptile? " Ash says.

"Scep...tile," Sceptile replies with a nod.

Ash hums in thought and glances at Max's Pokemon to see it struggling to stay up but is also starting to glow in a green aura. He considers using Quick Attack or Leaf Blade, but decides against it since Max's Pokemon can fight back with the same move if it gets up. He ultimately chooses the next ranged attack his Pokemon has and makes the risky decision.

"Sceptile, let's finish this with Solar Beam!" He shouts.

Ash's Sceptile takes a deep breath and gathers sunlight with its tail. Max looks at what is happening and grins.

"Big mistake, Ash!" He says. "Sceptile, Quick Attack now!"

But instead of charging, Max's Pokemon struggles to get up. The boy's pupils shrink as he realizes that his Sceptile might not move away in time.

"Come on, Sceptile, hurry up!" He pleads. "You can do it!"

"Come on, Sceptile!" May says with her hands clasped together in a praying position.

Serena keeps her hand on her treasured ribbon as she watches Ash's Pokemon gather energy from the sun. Ash and Pikachu stare at their friend, with the former trying to stay confident that Sceptile's attack will be ready in time. Finally, Sceptile's tail grows white, and Ash immediately makes the call.

"Now! Fire Solar Beam!" He yells.

"Sceptile, move away quick!" Max shouts desperately.

Max's Sceptile grinds its teeth and fights through the pain and slowly gets up. But despite its efforts, Ash's Sceptile fires a white beam, and it hits it foe so hard that it crashes into a wall. Max's heart sinks as the dust clears, and his Pokemon plummets to the ground on its front with swirly eyes.

"Max's Sceptile is unable to battle!" The referee declares. "Ash's Sceptile is the winner. Thus the victory goes to Ash!"

The crowd roars in applause along with Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, Brock, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, and Cilan, all standing up and cheering for Ash. Max, meanwhile, looks at the ground sadly and takes out Sceptile's Pokeball and returns it. May quickly rushes to his side while Bonnie looks at him sadly from a distance. Serena, on the other hand, stands up and happily cheers with joy while Ash and Pikachu rush to his Sceptile's side.

"Great job, Sceptile!" Ash cheers.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts.

"Sceptile," Sceptile says before it groans softly and gets down on one knee.

Ash realizes that his forest Pokemon is barely staying conscious and takes out its Pokeball.

"Take a good rest, buddy," he says before the grass-type Pokemon goes back inside its container.

Over at the stands, Misty, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan all sigh in relief while Brock, Timothy, and Coovers smile approvingly.

"I can't believe it," Misty says with a happy smile, and her hands clasped together. "I get to see Ash make it to the final round of a Pokemon league. If this is a dream, please don't pinch me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Dawn says assuringly.

"Piplup," Piplup says with a nod.

"Me neither," Iris says. "To tell you all the truth, I don't entirely believe it happened even though I saw him win with my own two eyes."

"Axew," Axew agrees.

"Well, believe it," Timothy says. "And now Ash and I will face each other a third time at the final round."

"Raichu!" Electchu

"That's right," Coovers says before something enters his mind. "Though I have to admit, it seems like even if Max's Sceptile won, it would be too weak to take down Pikachu."

Brock frowns and says, "Maybe, but I think the fight between their Sceptile was somewhat more important in its own way."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asks.

"You see, Max looks up to Ash, and it's clear that he chose Treecko as his starter Pokemon because Ash caught a Treecko whenfew were traveling through Hoenn," Brock explains. "I think it was important to Max to not only beat Ash but attempt to surpass his Sceptile with his own with a duel between the two. His strategy was great, but Ash triumphed in the end. So, I think it hurts Max not only because he lost but because his Sceptile didn't win against Ash's despite coming very close."

"When you put it that way, it's really sad that he lost," Iris says sympathetically.

Misty nods and notices Max glumly leaving the field with May following behind with her hand on his shoulder. One the other side, she sees Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Bonnie running towards the two siblings from their side of the field.

"Looks like Ash wants to talk to Max," she analyzes. "Why don't we join them?"

"That's a good idea," Brock says with a warm smile.

"As long as Max's defeat isn't a part of another bet, I'm in," Timothy says before realizing that Brock is right next to him. "Er, sorry."

Brock chuckles lightly and with a sad sigh, says, "That's okay. Let's just go see our friends."

Everyone else nods in agreement before they make their way downstairs.

"Hey, Max, May, wait up!" Ash calls out.

The two siblings stop walking down the hall and turn to see Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Bonnie running towards them. Max forces a smile on his face as he and May face them.

"Hey, Ash. What's up?" He asks.

"I just want to say that was a great battle out there," Ash says with a warm smile. "You and your Pokemon give it everything you got. I'm proud of you."

Max put up a brave face and tries to smile more widely as he speaks.

"T-t-thank you, Ash," he says with his voice cracking. "That means a lot coming from you."

Almost as soon as he finishes his last sentence, the young boy begins to cry. May immediately kneels down and hugs her brother like a mother comforting her child. Bonnie walks over to him and sadly pats him on the back with Dedenne standing on her shoulder. Ash smiles at his young friend while Serena stands next to him and gives Max a kind smile.

While Max is crying, Brock, Misty, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Clemont, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu emerge from the other side of the hall. They all give Max sad smiles, understanding what he's going through. Timothy decides to walk over and kneel down before Max, catching his attention.

"The first defeat in a Pokemon League is usually the hardest," he says. "I still remember how hard it was to not even make it past the preliminaries despite how hard I've worked to make my Pokemon so strong. Sometimes I wonder what might have been if things had not interfered with Electchu and Poliwrath's desire to battle. But in the end, I just had to keep going and learn from it. You may have lost today, but you've done great for your first time. So just keep going, okay?"

Max sniffles before he gives a sad smile.

"Okay," he says. "I'll keep going until I'm strong enough to beat Ash."

"There you go," Timothy says with a smile before standing up and turning to Ash with a competitive smirk. "Speaking of which, looks like our long-awaited battle is going to be at the final round."

Ash smirks back and says, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"That makes two of us," Timothy says as they shake hands.

Everyone smiles at the two of them until Serena notices Brock.

"Oh, Brock. How are you feeling?" She asks.

"Oh yeah," Ash realizes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, are you doing?" Bonnie asks.

Brock gives them a sad smile and says, "I'm still heartbroken, but I'm hoping to keep having a positive attitude for you guys."

"That's what I like to hear," Ash says encouragingly.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says.

The others nod in agreement before Timothy clears his throat.

"Well, it looks like Electchu, Coovers, and I better get going," he announces. "I should start training for the big match tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says. "See you out there."

Timothy nods before he and his companions leave. The rest of the gang stay silent before Serena turns to Ash.

"So does this mean you're going to train too, Ash?" She asks.

"You bet," Ash smirks. "As soon as my Pokemon are healed up, and I switch a couple of them, I'm going to work hard to be ready for my match."

"I'm glad to hear," Serena says cheerfully. "Meanwhile, I think I'll make some cookies and Pokepuffs for dessert tonight."

"Yay! Can I help too?!" Bonnie exclaims.

"Yeah, count me in," Dawn says, raising her hand.

"Sure, the more, the merrier," Serena says.

Thus, the three girls walk together out of the hall and exit the building. Ash smirks, secretly glad that Serena is not going to watch him train and turns to Clemont.

"Hey, Clemont, I need your help with something," He says.

"Huh? On what, Ash?" Clemont asks.

"Would you be able to make a couple of inventions for helping me train?" Ash asks.

Clemont is surprised for a second before he says, "Sure. What do you have in mind."

"Oh, a couple of things," Ash answers with a cunning grin.


	71. Chapter 71

Arceus and Mewtwo haven't left Giovanni's side for days. With the Gieldanstone strapped inside his suit and Mewtwo wearing his headband, the leader of Team Rocket has been staying in his office where Mewtwo and Persian stand next to him, and Arceus can be seen from his window. He has Matori bring him his meals, and he sleeps on the couch next to his desk that Persian usually lies on. Whatever the case, he has never left his office with the two most powerful Pokemon close to him. He just keeps them close like a little child possessive of his favorite toys. Persian, meanwhile, lies next to its master, bored and eager for something to happen besides seeing Giovanni do nothing but sit in his chair and look at the legendary Pokemon with a demonic grin.

As he sits there quietly, a knock is heard on the door.

"Enter," Giovanni says without looking.

The door opens, and Matori enters the room.

"Sir," she greets plainly.

"How close is the machine to being ready?" Giovanni asks with his eyes fixed on Arceus inside.

"Dr. Zager says won't won't be much longer, sir," Matori answers. "Also, I have summoned Jessie, James, and Meowth here."

Giovanni smiles and finally turns his chair around to face Matori.

"Good. Send them in," he says.

"Yes, sir," Matori replies.

The assistant leaves, and before long, Jessie, James, and Meowth enter. The trio grow uneasy at the sight of Mewtwo floating next to their leader like a mindless zombie and Arceus' head frozen like a statue outside. They gulp before they hide their feelings and salute their leader.

"Sir!" They say.

"At ease," Giovanni says plainly. "You are probably wondering why I've summoned you."

"Yes, sir, we are," James admits.

Giovanni nods and says, "I confess this is unusual, but I have a strange feeling that the current information I have is in some way important. Therefore, I feel I must ask a simple question to the three of you."

"Yes?" The trio asks.

Giovanni takes a deep breath and asks, "How powerful is this Ash Ketchum?"

Jessie, James, and Meowth blink a couple of times before they look at each other, unsure of whether or not their leader just asked the question.

"Well?" Giovanni asks, impatiently.

"Uh...well, powerful enough that he and his friends have stopped every plan we've had with stealing Pokemon," Jessie admits. "Ultimately, if the twerp and his companions didn't keep finding ways to get stronger and smarter, we would have given hundreds of Pokemon by now."

"So you say," Giovanni says unimpressed. "But then again, you three have been known to be clumsy at best on certain missions before."

"But we've had been successful when da twerp ain't around," Meowth protests. "I mean, we were pretty successful during our part in the operation in the Unova League with Dr. Zager, and things were going great until we took the twerp with us along with Meloetta."

Giovanni thinks carefully and bluntly says, "This is true. Continue."

The trio thinks about what else to say until James decides to speak.

"Well, like we said before, his Pikachu is very powerful," he says. "It is even responsible for not only so many of our plans getting foiled but several other Team Rocket operations. Including ones at the S.S. Anne and one of Butch and Cassidy's schemes at Sable City."

"Hmmm, that is a little impressive," Giovanni admits. "We had a couple hundred of our members partaking in that scheme."

"Indeed," James says. "And we've discussed what Agent Basker knows about him, and everything he says about the twerp taking down the other organizations is accurate."

"I see," Giovanni says.

The trio look at each other before Jessie speaks again.

"Excuse me, boss, but may I ask what has caught your interest in him?" She asks.

Giovanni stays silent for a moment before he says, "Might as well. It seems like whether by luck or a twisted sense of fate, this boy does seem to cause trouble against any kind of evil scheme that exists in the world. Most of them are none of our concern, but if he has somehow played a part in defeating all of our rival organizations on top of stopping some of our operations, then it's possible - however unlikely, that this mere boy could somehow interfere with our operation with Arceus."

"So does that mean ya want to do something to make sure that he doesn't?" Meowth asks.

"Precisely," Giovanni answers. "On top of that, it appears that he might be stronger as a trainer than he was when I dealt with him and his Pikachu in Unova. He nearly won the Pokemon league in Kalos, and I've been checking on my computer occasionally on the Indigo League. Apparently, he has made it to the finals and will be going against Timothy Durbin. Whether or not he beats Durbin in battle is of no concern to me. Nevertheless, if things with the machine and other pieces of my plan work exactly as I expect, then at the Indigo Plateau I shall publicly make my declaration that Team Rocket will control all Pokemon in the world and in the process kidnap this boy so that he will do nothing to stop us. And when the whole world bows to us, we will dispose of him."

Jessie, James, and Meowth grow uneasy with what their leader has explained to them. Even though they've bullied, or attempt to steal from or even almost take Ash's life on occasion, they feel worried about the boy. Their feelings may be coming from the few times that they have worked together with Ash and his friends or even secretly rooted for him at the Kalos League even though he's the enemy. Whatever the case, none of them feel any cold sense of excitement or joy at what Giovanni has planned. Regardless, they all know that if they don't show their support to hide the way they feel, they will be in trouble. With forced grins on their faces, they make their reply.

"What a brilliant idea, Boss," Jessie praises.

"I'm so excited to see what you do with that twerp," James lies.

"You don't know what it means to us to see him finally get what's coming to him," Meowth whimpers with fake tears in his eyes.

Giovanni smirks in amusement.

"I'm glad to hear it," he says. "Oh, and by the way, I've transferred a particular sum of money in your bank account. It probably won't mean a thing once the world is ours, but until then, consider it a special bonus for all that you've done to finally accomplish our goal."

The trio's eyes widen, immediately intrigued by how much Giovanni might have given them. They almost scream excitedly for joy, but they keep it together at the last second to stay calm and professional.

"Thank you, sir!" they say.

Giovanni nods and is about to dismiss them until he hears a knock on the door.

"Enter," he says bluntly.

The door open and Matori, Dr. Zager, and Agent Basker.

"Sir!" The latter two say.

"Ah, Doctor, Agent," Giovanni greets with a grin. "I take it you have some good news?"

"Er, mostly, sir," Agent Basker replies.

Giovanni frowns and raises his eyebrow, asking, "Mostly?"

Dr. Zager steps in and says, "Firstly, the machine is finally complete with the brainwashed slaves 009 provided for us. We recently tested it on another one of those fire Pokemon we have in our possession, and it works just as flawlessly as before."

Giovanni smirks before his moment of subtle joy is instantly wiped out of his face.

"Then how do you only have 'mostly' good news?" He questions.

Dr. Zager and Agent Baskar look at each other hesitantly before the former answers.

"I'm afraid, sir, that there are some oversight in how the control all the Pokemon in the world through Arceus," he says.

Giovanni's frown deepens before asking, "What do you mean?"

"Basically, controlling every single Pokemon is not as possible as we predicted even with our original machine," Dr. Zager explains. "Arceus has connections to all eighteen types, but it can't change into all of them at once. It would simply only control all the Pokemon of whatever type it changes into."

"Unacceptable!" Giovanni barks, standing up. "If it's a matter of gaining all of the types, then I'll just have Arceus take the seventeen elemental plates out of its body and use it on the machine with my Pokemon!"

"That might work, sir, but that would mean adjusting the machine to work so that it would use the elemental plates that way," Agent Basker says calmly. "And that's time we do not have given that the end of the Indigo League is basically the deadline. Frankly, sir, it could take years to make the appropriate adjustments. "

Giovanni lets out an angry roar and slams his fist onto his desk, infuriated with what he's hearing. The angry shout makes Persian nervously step away from its master. Jessie, James, and Meowth step back and whimper in fear like the cowards they are while Matori, Dr. Zager, and Agent Basker stay calm. Mewtwo keeps floating next to the leader of Team Rocket while Arceus remains standing outside like a statue. Giovanni pants heavily, staring at the floor while his fists are still on his desk.

But suddenly, a thought clicks in his mind. Slowly, he digs deeper into that thought until he starts quietly chuckling. Matori, Dr. Zager, Agent Basker, and the trio look at him, confused until their leader stands up straight, adjusts his tie, and turns to Dr. Zager.

"Doctor, would the machine need to be off to make said adjustments?" Giovanni asks.

Dr. Zager and Agent Basker look at each other before the former asks, "Sir, are you talking about making the appropriate changes while the machine is on with Arceus in it?"

"I am," Giovanni says plainly.

Dr. Zager hesitates before he thinks carefully against and says, "I suppose we can figure out how to work around it provided that you use the Gieldanstone to order Arceus to take the elemental plates out of its body."

"Excellent," Giovanni says.

"But wait, wouldn't that actually kill Arceus?" Jessie asks.

"Yeah, it does depend on those plates to sur -" Meowth begins before Giovanni turns to them.

"Silence!" He hisses loudly, making the trio whimper in fear again. "I have the Gieldanstone, and therefore, Arceus will never perish unless I command it to! Do you understand?"

"Y-y-y-yes, sir!" Jessie, James, and Meowth squeal.

"Good!" Giovanni says before turning to Dr. Zager and Agent Basker again. "Anyway, I have the perfect plan to work around your demeaning oversight. We know that the machine can only control one Pokemon type depending on which elemental plate it uses, but the rest of the world doesn't."

Matori tilts her head and asks, "What are you thinking, sir?"

"It's simple," Giovanni says, walking over to Matori with his hands behind his back. "On the day I make my public declaration after the Indigo League, we will turn on the machine, put Arceus in it, and then all the Pokemon in the world of whatever type I command Arceus to be will be in our control. I will then say that the world has one month to submit to the will of Team Rocket or witness our machine controlling all of their Pokemon."

"But sir, if that happens, every Pokemon trainer in the world will band together and fight to regain their Pokemon," Matori points out.

"I'm counting on it," Giovanni answers. "Which is why I will have Mewtwo create another devastating storm that will cut off the regions from each other. They won't be able to communicate with one another or travel to one region to another in any way. Everyone in the Kanto and Johto region will likely band together but will fail because we have an army of countless Pokemon of a certain type from all over the world. When the fighting is done, the people of the Kanto and Johto regions will watch us take away all of their Pokemon and force them to submit to us. From there, we will use Mewtwo's powers to be able to travel from region to region, conquering each and every one of them until we have all the Pokemon in the world, and every person will bow down before Team Rocket."

Agent Basker scratches his chin and thinks about his leader's idea before he speaks.

"That sounds like a good idea, boss, but if that's how we're going to carry out your plan, then you need to pick what Pokemon type you want Arceus to be very carefully," he says.

Giovanni grins at his cyborg minion and says, "Oh, I'm way ahead of you, Basker. The Pokemon type I will have Arceus be and thus will have complete control of all Pokemon who are that type will be psychic."

"Oh? And why control all of the psychic Pokemon in the world in particular?" Dr. Zager questions.

"Plenty of reasons," Giovanni answers. "For one, it would mean controlling a good amount of legendary and mythical Pokemon, including the lake guardians, Azlef, Mesprit, and Uxie, the legendary Sinnoh Pokemon, Cresselia, Celebi, Deoxys, Victini, - we would even succeed where my foolish mother did not with obtaining Mew itself. For another, there's a mythical Pokemon in the Kalos region called Hoopa that is a psychic and ghost type and can warp space. Thus we can use its power to transport all of the psychic Pokemon from all over the world to us. We would not be able to do that with any other types, leastways not as proficiently with something like Hoopa. We could do the same thing through Hoopa with ghost type Pokemon, but psychic Pokemon are more strategically effective. They have better capabilities of using their powers of telekinesis for effective purposes in battle like Psychic and Psywave to blow people and Pokemon away. That's not even considering how their other psychic attacks like Psybeam and Psyshock are very destructive. Plus, many psychic Pokemon are dual types, so we would also have the power of more than just psychic depending on the Pokemon. Therefore, if the people of Kanto and Johto try to take us down in battle - and they will, they will be no match against us with both our combat unit and all the psychic Pokemon in the entire world."

The six minions in the room think about their leader's plan, and it takes a couple of minutes until all but Jessie comes to an agreement.

"That's a good plan, boss," Meowth says.

"Indeed," Dr. Zager says with a small nod.

"I couldn't imagine a better plan," Agent Basker praises.

Jessie, meanwhile, thinks carefully before speaking.

"Pardon me, sir, but aren't you forgetting the disadvantages to psychic types? Like how there are some Pokemon that they are not very effective against?" she queries.

James and Meowth turn to their comrade in shock before they take a moment to think about it.

"Now that you mention it, there are a few," James says. "While the Pokemon you will capture will not have to worry about going against other psychic Pokemon, they are very weak against bug, dark, and ghost type Pokemon."

"Yeah, and that's not considerin' how psychic attacks are completely ineffective against dark type Pokemon," Meowth points out.

Matori frowns and bluntly says, "For once, I agree with these three idiots. Psychic Pokemon do have those specific disadvantages."

Jessie, James, and Meowth restrain themselves from yelling at Matori for calling them idiots. Giovanni, however, continues smirking.

"That's very true," he says. "However, that's what makes the Kanto and Johto regions the perfect places to conquer first. There are no dark type Pokemon native in the Kanto region, and there are only a few dark Pokemon in the Johto region: namely Umbreon, Murkrow, Sneasel, Houndour, Houndoom, and Tyranitaur. Even if the people of Kanto and Johto gather all of the dark Pokemon they have for their pitiful fight against us, their numbers would mean nothing compared to the countless psychic Pokemon we will have. And as I said, we would also control psychic Pokemon that are dual types, so not all of our mighty new Pokemon will be helpless against dark type Pokemon. Thus, they may very well take down some of our psychic Pokemon, but dark as well as bug and ghost type Pokemon can only do so much before they all run out of energy, and they will ultimately be overpowered.."

Once again, everyone else thinks about it before Agent Basker nods.

"That's brilliant, sir," he says, grinning. "Plus, when you consider how particularly powerful Mewtwo is by itself, we're practically invincible."

Giovanni frowns and walks over to Mewtwo so that he's standing between it and all six of his minions.

"No. Mewtwo will play no part in the battlefield," he says in a possessive tone. "It and Mew will stay with me at all times. Understood?"

"Uh, yes, sir," Agent Basker says, confused.

"But what about the psychic-type Pokemon we already have?" Jessie asks nervously. "I do have my Wobbuffet as my partner and -"

"Partner?" Giovanni growls. "Don't insult me, Jessie. We aren't trainers who attach ourselves to whatever Pokemon we have. We are Team Rocket. All Pokemon in our possession - including your Wobbuffet are nothing more than tools to serve our cause. It makes little difference if the Pokemon that members like you have will be under our control through Arceus. I don't ever want to hear you show any sort of emotional concern for your worthless Wobbuffet or any other creature again. Is that clear?"

Jessie fights the urge to scream or show any other concern for Wobbuffet. James and Meowth want to say something to help their friend, but they remain silent out of fear.

"Yes...sir," Jessie says reluctantly.

Giovanni nods before his frown turns into another greedy smirk before he speaks again.

"Now that the machine is complete, Mewtwo can begin the next phase of my plan," he says.

"What do you mean?" Dr. Zager asks.

Giovanni turns to Matori and says, "Have every single member pack their things and exit the building immediately."

"Sir?" Matori asks, taken aback.

"You heard me," Giovanni says. "It is time for Team Rocket to move to our new headquarters. One appropriate for the many Pokemon that will soon be in our possession and with the grounds necessary for the coming battle. Now go, all of you. I must give Mewtwo its instructions."

Everyone else in the room, excluding Persian and Mewtwo, stare at the head of their organization in confusion before they silently decide to obey him. They exit the room, leaving Giovanni alone with his Persian and the brainwashed genetic Pokemon. The cruel man smirks again as he walks over to Mewtwo.

"Listen closely, Mewtwo," he commands. "There's some things I need you to do."

After roughly an hour or so, all the hundreds of members of Team Rocket, including the trio, Matori, Dr. Zager, Agent Baskar, and the brainwashed International Police, are standing outside in the headquarters grounds next to the recreated machine with all of their possessions. They all mutter among themselves on what in the world their leader is up to. Some of them come to Matori and ask the secretary, and she constantly tells them that she is as clueless as they are. Jessie, James, and Meowth stand in the middle of the crowd with barely any possessions of their own apart from James' bottle cap collection. The three of them look around to see how befuddled the other members of the organization are.

"What do you suppose da boss is planning?" Meowth asks.

"It's obvious that it has something to do with Mewtwo," James says.

"Yes, but even the sky's the limit for what the boss has planned to do given Mewtwo's incredible power," Jessie points out.

James and Meowth nods in agreement. Then Meowth bites his lip hesitantly before speaking to his comrades.

"By the way, fellers, are we in agreement that we should still be concerned about Arceus?" He queries.

Jessie and James immediately turn to the scratch cat Pokemon and nod.

"I was already worried about what the boss was doing to Arceus before with the Gieldanstone," Jessie says. "But what he plans to do with its elemental plates is unsettling."

"I second that," James says. "I can't say I know everything about Arceus, but I know how much it relies on those plates to stay alive. I fear the boss might be taking things too far with his determination to obtain the world."

"Yeah, but that's the way da boss has always been," Meowth says. "He has always viewed Pokemon has just tools. A means to an end."

"But we know that that it's beyond that, don't we?" James asks. "I mean in the last four years we've been following the twerp and his friends, we've been creating bonds with our Pokemon in the past, haven't we?"

"We sure have," Jessie confirms. "Arkbok, Wheezing, Mimey, Wobbuffet, Inkay, Dustox, Carnivine, Cactuture, and of course, you, Meowth."

Meowth smiles fondly at Jessie before his face turns serious again.

"So, what do we do?" He asks.

"I don't think there's anything we can do," James says seriously. "After all, we are a part of Team Rocket. Capturing Pokemon for the boss has always been our goal. And even if we try to resist, we'll just end up upsetting the boss and get in trouble. I mean, look at the other members all around us. What would we accomplish before all Pokemon are under Team Rocket's control."

Meowth's eyes widen, and he whimpers in fear.

"Hang on, doesn't that mean I'm eventually going to be brainwashed too?" He asks.

Jessie and James's eyes widen in realization.

"That won't happen. We won't let it," James claims.

"How can you be sure?" Meowth whines.

James and Jessie's voices die in their throats, unsure of how to give a comforting answer to their friend. But before either of them can try, Matori calls out to all the other members.

"Attention, everyone, all rise for our leader!" She shouts.

Immediately, everyone stands up and turns in the direction of where Matori is standing behind Arceus. Coming outside of the front entrance is Giovanni, Persian, and Mewtwo. The leader of Team Rocket walks over to Matori's side with his hands behind his back and a prideful smile on his face. Everyone waits patiently for a few seconds before Giovanni clears his throat.

"Loyal members of Team Rocket, tomorrow is the beginning of our eternal reign of the entire world!" He shouts. "Thanks to our new slaves, our mighty machine to use with my mythical Pokemon has been rebuilt within a blink of an eye! It has already been tested, and it works just as perfectly as before! We are once again close to achieving our goal except now, I have the Gieldanstone, and with it, the Pokemon many blindly believe to be a deity, Arceus itself!"

The members of Team Rocket roar in cheerful pride, and even the brainwashed police let out empty cheers under the command of Dr. Zagar.

"But first, this headquarters has served its purpose, and we must relocate for the inevitable battle to come," Giovanni says. "This is why you have been ordered to take all of your possessions out of the building. We are moving to a much more grand location, one that will display our superiority!"

The members of Team Rocket look confused again while Giovanni turns to Mewtwo.

"You have your orders, Mewtwo. Carry them out," he commands.

"_As...you...command...master,_" Mewtwo replies dully.

Mewtwo's eyes glow blue, and it flies high above all the people, Pokemon, and the machine. It then raises its hands, and a large blue beam of energy comes down from the sky and consumes it and several people above him on the ground. Everyone screams in fear except for the brainwashed police, Arceus, and Giovanni, who watches with a grin. The beam quickly expands, consuming the remaining members, the police, the machine, Persian, and Arceus in a matter of seconds before anyone can try to run away from it. When the beam disappears, nothing is left but an empty building.

Somewhere on the border between the Kanto and Johto regions, there is a large, flat green pasture right next to the sea. The pasture goes on for miles on end, and no person or Pokemon comes near it. But as the subtle wind blows on the grass and flowers standing next to the crashing waves, A blue beam loudly crashes on the center of the field and quickly expands until it suddenly disappears with all the members of Team Rocket, the brainwashed police, the large machine, Persian, Meowth, Mewtwo, and Arceus all standing on the pasture. All of Giovanni's followers look around, surprised that they weren't obliterated and wondering where they are. Mewtwo floats down and softly lands next to Giovanni, who keeps his confident grin.

"_Shall...I...begin...the...next...phase...master?_" Mewtwo asks.

"Post haste," Giovanni replies bluntly.

Mewtwo nods and flies above the sea. Matori watches it fly until it is beyond her line of sight before turning to Giovanni.

"Sir, what could you possibly be planning in the middle of nowhere?" she questions.

Giovanni turns to his assistant and smirks.

"Look around you, Matori," he says. "Flat ground as far as the eye can see. A perfect amount of space for all of the psychic Pokemon once they are rightfully in our control. This is also the perfect location to prepare for the beginning of the war between everyone on Earth who will dare defy us."

It takes a moment before Matori sees the logic in the location before she asks, "But what about Mewtwo? Where did you send it too?"

Giovanni's smirk grows before he asks, "Remember when we purchased New Island years ago?"

Matori looks at him even more confused and says, "Yeah, why?"

Almost as soon as the words leave her mouth, another large, blue beam appears from the sky and crashes into the sea a mile away from the land. All the Team Rocket members yell in alarm as the beam expands and then disappears as quickly as it appeared to reveal a large island in its place with Mewtwo floating high above it.

"You ordered Mewtwo to have the entire island moved all the way over here?!" Matori exclaims in disbelief.

"Oh, I ordered it to do more than that," Giovanni says proudly. "Watch."

The assistant obeys to see Mewtwo still in the air and, with its eyes glowing again, waves its right arm. A white glow appears on the island's surface and a large substance appears from the ground, covering most of the island. The substance grows rapidly, changing shape as it climbs higher into the air. Finally, the large, glowing substance stops growing at over a hundred and twenty stories tall, and it slowly takes shape until it stops glowing to reveal an enormous tower with a red "R" on it so large that it can be plainly seen for miles. Persian and the members of Team Rocket stare at the tower in awe until they see a wide, linear substance coming out from the edge of the island. The substance expands toward the mainland until it touches it, and the glow disappears to reveal a wide bridge connecting to the island. The large machine is then surrounded by a blue aura and is lifted up into the air and is sent floating toward the island. The machine is placed in front of the tower and fuses into the glowing surface until the white glow disappears to reveal the machine fused into the earth. All the members of Team Rocket are completely stunned while the brainwashed police show no emotion in their mindless state. Mewtwo flies back to Giovanni and lands in front of him before bowing its head.

"_Are...you...pleased...master?_" It asks slowly.

"I certainly am," Giovanni answers before he reaches under his shirt, touches the Gieldanstone and turns to Arceus. "Arceus, stand next to the machine at once. You will stay there until I give the order to step onto it where we will use it on you."

"_By your will, master,_" Arceus says plainly before it flies into the air and gently lands on the left side of the machine.

Giovanni grins as he walks over to the front of the bridge and turns to his minions and brainwashed police with a proud look.

"Members of Team Rocket, slaves, I bid you all welcome to your new home!" He announces loudly. "With its incredible ability to create as Jessie, James, and Meowth testified, I have ordered Mewtwo to build a mighty tower as our new headquarters! Inside are your new quarters along with a new, laboratory for the science division, training rooms for the combat team, and many floors of empty space where we will slowly but surely fill with every Pokemon we liberate throughout the regions! This mighty structure will be a landmark that the entire world will behold as it bows to our will! Come tomorrow at the end of the Pokemon League at Indigo Plateau, I will arrive there with Mewtwo and announce our claim to the world! When I do, Dr. Zager will turn on the machine, and Arceus will get on it at my command with its body turned into a psychic type body! Thus, we will control all the psychic Pokemon in the world, and when they come here, we will have a massive army that no one on Earth has ever seen! Our enemies will no doubt band together and try to stop us, but with the might of our combat unit and all the psychic Pokemon in the world, their attempts will only lead to their own defeat and to have their Pokemon taken from them, increasing our numbers! The Kanto and Johto regions will submit to us, and then we will conquer the Hoenn region, then the Sinnoh, then the Unova region, then the next region, then the next, on and on and on, until every Pokemon is ours and everyone bows to the will of Team Rocket forever!"

It takes a moment to process everything their leader is saying before the entire organization roars in rapturous joy. Even Jessie, James, and Meowth join in just to hide their concerns. Giovanni's grin grows as he points at the bridge.

"Now, to your new quarters at once!" He commands. "And have the slaves taken to the new laboratory to assist the science department; however, they wish!"

Without hesitation, all the hundreds of Team Rocket members grab their things and race to the bridge. Even the trio join in to still keep their worries a secret while also being curious about their new rooms. Giovanni backs away to watch all of his minions run to their new headquarters with excitement. With Dr. Zager and Agent Basker crossing the bridge last with their science team, Looker and the other brainwashed police following them, only Giovanni, Matori, Persian, and Mewtwo remain.

Matori clears her throat and approaches her boss saying, "I hope you had Mewtwo build enough elevators for a building of this size, sir."

"Naturally," Giovanni says, watching his people enter the new building. "Even I am not as cruel as to not have something like that for my magnificent tower. Besides, I have a large chamber all to myself at the very top to show that I am high above the rest."

"Of course, sir. Now one will ever doubt that," Matori says.

"Good," Giovanni says plainly. "Now to your new quarters, Matori. We have work to do before our big day."

"Yes, sir," Matori says before she briefly bows her head to him and starts crossing the bridge.

With the diabolical man alone to admire his new home with Persian and Mewtwo behind him, the cat-like Pokemon walks over to him and sits next to him.

"Meeeoooowww," Persian says.

Giovanni looks at his Pokemon and softly pets it, much to Persian's pleasure.

"At long last, my pet, the world will soon be mine," Giovanni says before he chuckles lightly. "I can only imagine the look on my stubborn mother's face right now. I almost wish she is still here to witness what I have done for the glory of my organization. Soon the world will be mine at last, and nothing in the world; no champions, no ridiculous band of trainers, not even some pathetic teenager with a Pikachu will stop me."


	72. Chapter 72

By the time Ash's Pokemon are healed up, and he makes the switches with Professor Oak that he planned to do, Clemont is half done with creating the inventions Ash requested. So, Ash finds an open area to begin basic training until his friend competes his inventions. The two of them find a place further from the Pokemon Center where they can work on Ash's plan in secret. With the inventions Clemont created, Ash gives Primeape and Pikachu special training for the big day. Clemont doesn't understand the purpose of what Ash and his Pokemon are doing with his inventions, but upon Ash's request, he decides to trust his raven-haired friend and agree to keep it a secret from everyone else.

Unfortunately, like many of Clemont's inventions, it was only a matter of time before Clemont's inventions start to malfunction and eventually blow up. Clemont is devastated that his newest inventions are destroyed, and Ash is bummed that his Pokemon can't continue their special training.

Regardless, Ash decides to keep a positive attitude, believing that Primeape and Pikachu are ready to do what he has planned for his match against Timothy. So after cheering up Clemont, the raven-haired boy continues training with all six of his Pokemon until they are worn out from training. Luckily, by the time the two trainers come back to the Pokemon Center to put Ash's Pokemon in Nurse Joy's care, the rest of the group have started eating dinner. Ash doesn't hesitate to start gorging himself with food much to everyone else's expectations. After everyone was done, Serena gives everyone the cookies she made with Bonnie and Dawn.

But while she keeps a smile on her face as she serve the treats to her friends, a part of her is still feeling down about what happens after the league. As happy as she is that Ash has made it to the finals once again, the fact that the league will be over in less than a day fills her heart with dread. Even though she plans to express how she feels about Ash before going their separate ways, she still wishes she can stay by his side. Ash is once again the only person who notices the sadness in her eyes and tries to cheer her up by praising her constantly for the sweets she made. But despite his caring efforts, his compliments only do so much to make the honey blonde girl happy while still feeling sad. Knowing this, Ash comes back to the conclusion that the only way he makes her truly happy is by winning the league.

But as he thinks about it, an idea comes into his mind. He starts to consider what Alain said about cheering Mairin up by winning the Kalos League, and it occurs to Ash that as touching as Alain's efforts were, he never implied that he told Mairin that he won the league for her specifically. The more he thinks about it, the more he realizes that he can't just win the league as his best attempt to make Serena truly happy with her unaware. Serena herself has to know that he's doing it all for her; that he wants to cheer her up and express his gratitude for everything she has done to give him the most heartening support he's ever had from any of his friends. In the end, he knows exactly what he has to do to really make an impact on what his friend is going to witness during his battle against Timothy.

The next day, Ash picks up his Pokemon and does some additional training to refresh everything he has planned against his rival. After a couple of hours, everyone starts making their way to Indigo Stadium to make sure Ash is there before the battle begins promptly at noon.

"I can't wait to watch the final battle!" Bonnie says cheerfully.

"De ne ne," Dedenne says.

"Neither can I," Max agrees.

"To tell you the truth, I feel both excited and nervous," Iris says. "Ash has grown to be so strong since our journey in Unova, but Timothy's pretty powerful too."

"Indeed, but that's what's going to make this battle so exciting," Cilan says. "Two strong trainers giving everything they've got is a real treat to enjoy."

"Yeah, but I hope things go better for Ash," Dawn says, concerned. "He's lost two battles against Timothy, and I really hope it won't be a repeat of those battles.

"Me too," May agrees.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

Misty turns to Ash, worried, and says, "Ash, I really hope you have a strategy for your final battle."

Ash turns to Misty and gives her a toothy grin.

"Don't you worry, Misty," he reassures. "I've seen most of his Pokemon in battle enough times that I have a good idea of what I need to do. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says cheerfully on Ash's shoulder.

Misty gives Ash a small smile, hoping the guy she cares for is right. Before long, the entire group makes it to the stadium, and Ash turns to all of his friends. They give him supportive smiles before Serena asks him a question.

"So, who are you going to choose to cheer for you from behind with me?" she asks.

Ash thinks about it for a moment before he smiles.

"Well, since the three of us have stuck together nearly throughout the whole journey, I think it's fitting that Brock should be cheering with you," he says, turning to Brock. "What do you say, Brock?"

Despite still feeling down for losing Holly, Brock gives his friend a sincere smile and says, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ash smiles, and the two of them nod at each other. The rest of them smile before Clemont clears his throat.

"Well, we better get going," he says. "We want to get good seats for this big match."

"I agree," Misty says with everyone else nodding.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Cilan asks before turning to Ash. "Ash, I wish you the best of luck."

"So do I," May says,

"Me too," Dawn says.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"We all do," Misty says with a soft smile.

"Thank you guys," Ash says, giving everyone a thumbs up before they all head out, leaving Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Brock alone.

"Well, we better get going too," Brock suggests.

"Actually, you two go on ahead," Ash says.

"Huh? What for?" Serena asks.

"I want to have a little talk with my Pokemon before we go in," Ash explains.

Brock and Serena smile before they turn around and go inside. Ash waits until they are far enough before he takes out five Pokeballs.

"Come out, everyone!" he shouts, throwing them all into the air.

The balls open to reveal Garchomp, Pidgeot, Primeape, Gigalith, and Charizard, with all of them looking intently at Ash. Pikachu stays on Ash's shoulder while the raven-haired boy clears his throat.

"Okay, everyone, this is it. The moment we've been waiting for is finally here," he announces.

All of the Pokemon cheer happily with Charizard, in particular, letting out a stream of fire in the air.

"So I only have two things to say to you," Ash says. "First, let's finally win a Pokemon league together as a team, and finally, let's also give it all we got to cheer up Serena in the process. Understood?"

All six of his Pokemon nod.

"Good," Ash says, satisfied. "Now, let's win a Pokemon League!"

All of the Pokemon cheer again before he returns, Garchomp, Pidgeot, Primeape, Gigalith, and Charizard to their Pokeballs. After putting the Pokeballs back on his belt, he turns to Pikachu with a happy grin.

"We're going to win this time, buddy. I can feel it," he says confidently. "Let's give it everything we've got. No holding back."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaims in agreement.

With that, Ash goes inside and starts walking down the hall leading to the battlefield.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers are walking to the other entrance that leads to the battlefield. They stop walking right before they enter, and Coovers suddenly headlocks Timothy and gives him a noogie.

"This is it, buddy," he says excitedly. "You're going to win this and then face Kanto's Elite Four, beat Lance again, and then you'll be one step closer to achieving your ultimate goal."

Timothy frees himself from Coovers' grasp and collects himself before responding.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Coovers," he says. "First thing is first. I gotta battle Ash."

"Aw, that's no problem. You've beaten him twice," Coovers says confidently.

"That's true, but I should still focus on that before even daydream about the Elite Four and Lance."

Coovers raises an eyebrow and asks, "Where's the prideful Timothy I know?"

Timothy smirks before he says, "Let's just say, I've been overconfident during the final round of a league enough times to know how devastating it is to lose a battle you think you're going to win no problem. I can be prideful to my heart's content when I'm against lesser trainers or when supposedly strong opponents aren't as difficult as most of the Frontier Brains, but I can't afford to be overconfident when it's the most important battle of a Pokemon league. Besides, Ash has taken advantage of my arrogant side once already when his Boldore defeated Blitzwing. I don't want to give him the chance to use my weakness against me like that again. The fact that his Sceptile defeated Gengar without using my arrogance against me leaves room for caution too. Right, Electchu?"

"Raichu," Electchu answers, nodding.

"Hmmm, that's true," Coovers says. "Plus, for all of his lack of victories against you, I've seen that kid enough times in battle to say that he's a cunning trainer if nothing else."

"He certainly is that," Timothy agrees. "And that's all the more reason to be careful if I want to make sure that boy doesn't get in the way of taking one step closer to my dream."

Coovers and Electchu nod in agreement. After a moment of silence, Coovers clears his throat.

"Anyway, let's get inside. Victory awaits," he says.

Timothy hesitates for a moment and says, "You know what? You go on ahead. I think I want to have a talk with my team first."

Coovers is surprised for a moment before he gives his friend a toothy grin and a thumbs up. The black-haired man from Unova runs ahead inside while Timothy takes out his other five Pokeballs and tosses them into the air. The balls open, and Gengar, Blitzwing, Odyssey, Shockwave, and Poliwrath appear.

"This is it, guys," Timothy begins. "All we need to do is win one more battle, and we win another league."

All of the Pokemon, including Electchu, express this excitement loudly.

"But like I just said to Coovers, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Timothy advises. "If we want to get closer to our goal, we need to earn it plain and simple. No mistakes, no redos. We either finally win the Indigo League, or we try again another time. Understand?"

His Pokemon nod without hesitation. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt nods in approval before he frowns slightly.

"I know I said this already when we won the Johto League, but I really wish Grandma Judy could still be around to see this if we win," he says softly. "It really is a shame that she never got to see me win at least one Pokemon league before she passed away,"

The Pokemon look at their trainer sadly, feeling the same way. After a moment, Timothy shakes off the grief on his face and smirks at his team.

"She did, however, often say she's proud of me no matter what," he says. "But what the heck? I say we believe she's with us in spirit and make her even more proud anyway. Who's with me?"

The Pokemon cheer in agreement with Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Shockwave, shaking their fists in the air while Blitzwing spreading its wings and lets out a loud caw and Genger laughing maniacally in excitement. Timothy nods in approval before returning most of his team and turning to Electchu.

"Let's do this, Electchu," he says.

"Rai," Electchu says, nodding again.

Ash slowly walks down the hall with Pikachu still on his shoulder. He stops when he's a few feet away from entering the field, closes his eyes, and takes a deep breath. His mind goes to everything he's gone through just to feel ready to compete in the league again and what he's been through to get this far. With his hands turning into balls of fists, he smirks before he opens his eyes and runs to the field.

The crowd is already cheering as Ash and Pikachu enter their side of the field while Timothy and Electchu enter from their side. Brock and Serena sit on the bench behind Ash and Pikachu with smiles on their faces while Coovers sits behind Timothy and Electchu with a confident grin. Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan cheer from the front row once again as the announcer speaks.

"_Welcome, folks, to the moment we've all been waiting for!_" he exclaims. "_It's time for the final match between Ash Ketchum and Timothy Durbin from Pallet Town! Will the winner of this year's Johto League claim another grand victory, or will it be the underdog's time to shine?! There's only one way to find out, so let's get ready for a great battle!_"

The crowd roars while the referee steps in from the sidelines.

"This will be a full battle between Ash and Timothy!" he declares. "The battle will be over when all Pokemon from either side cannot continue! Furthermore, if you call back your Pokemon, they will be out of the match! Are the contestants ready?"

"Ready!" Timothy responds.

But instead of saying "ready," Ash replies, "Actually, I want to say something first if that's okay."

The cheering stops, and everyone looks at Ash, confused. The referee is befuddled with Ash's unusual response before he awkwardly gestures Ash to go ahead.

"What is he doing?" May asks quietly from the stands.

"I don't know," Max responds quietly.

With all of the attention on Ash, the raven-haired boy smiles and clears his throat.

"I want to say that I'm happy to make it this far," he begins. "The first time I lost a Pokemon league in this very stadium was one of the most devastating moments of my life. Since then, I've worked harder and almost won the Kalos League. But when my opponent, Timothy, challenged me to face him here in the Indigo League, I accepted but felt uneasy about competing in a league a second time until I was encouraged to travel through the region again and show how much I've grown. The truth is I would never have gone this far if it wasn't for the one person who has been encouraging my Pokemon and me through my journey: Serena!"

Serena's eyes widen, and her pupils shrink in shock. Her entire face heats up, turning beet red as all eyes are suddenly on her. She lets out a high-pitched squeak as she stares at Ash, who just smiles at her.

"Whether in Kalos or here in Kanto, Serena has always been there to support me however she can," Ash continues. "And because of that, I've overcome many challenges that I've had to face since the day we saw each other for the first time in years. I've been doing my best to return the favor by supporting her own dream, whether it's with Pokemon showcases or Pokemon contests, but I know my encouragement doesn't hold a candle to the way she's been there for me."

Serena covers her face with her hat, completely embarrassed. She wishes Ash would just stop what he's doing and start the battle just to keep everyone's eyes off her.

"And do you know something else? I think she has the most heartwarming smile I've ever seen," Ash declares.

At that moment, Serena stops being embarrassed and stares at Ash in a daze while removing her hat from her face.

"The thing is, it's been a while since she smiled the way I've seen her smile before," Ash continues. "I've been trying to figure out what could be keeping her from being the happy Serena I know but to no avail, and I miss that about her."

At this point, Serena doesn't care that everyone is looking at her. She stares at Ash, feeling touched with what he's saying.

"So since she's been so devoted to cheering me on, I believe the best way to show my appreciation is to not only aim to win the Indigo League for myself and my Pokemon but for her," Ash explains before he points at Serena. "So win or lose, this battle's for you, Serena!"

Serena is still blushing hard, but her mind is too focused on Ash's kind words to care. She doesn't know where all of this is coming from or why, but she is mesmerized by the way Ash publicly praises her without hesitation. Brock crosses his arms and smirks at his honey blonde friend while Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers look at each other dumbfounded. Up on the stands, Bonnie is keeping herself from squealing for joy while Clemont, Iris, Axew, Cilan, May, and Max are flabbergasted, and Dawn looks at Serena with a smug look.

But out of all of them, Misty cannot believe what Ash has done. Even if it wasn't a confession of any special feelings, deep inside, it feels like it might as well have been for someone like him. Her heart breaks by the way Ash gives Serena a toothy grin while it's clear in Serena's eyes that his declaration touched her heart. To her, it feels like Ash has given her rival a sense of hope that he never once gave to her. It takes all of her strength to control her feelings so no one can suspect a thing.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Serena puts her hat back on and smiles at Ash.

"Okay, then. If you really feel that way, then give me and everyone else a battle we will never forget," she says.

Ash nods and says, "I will. That's a promise. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cheerfully.

On the other side of the field, Timothy looks at the way Serena is smiling at Ash as he turns back to face his opponent. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt is dumbfounded with what exactly happened between her, and the boy she deeply cares for that would suddenly make Ash say all of those things. He decides to shake it off while the referee clears his throat.

"Alright, now are both contestants ready?" he asks.

"I'm ready!" Timothy replies.

"You bet I'm ready!" Ash shouts proudly.

"Then let the battle begin!" the referee shouts.

"Finally," Timothy says quietly before he takes out a Pokeball. "Gengar, let's go!"

"Garchomp, I choose you!" Ash shouts.

The two Pokemon come out ready for battle. Ash gives Serena a quick glance to make sure she's smiling on before making the first call.

"Let's not waste any time, Garchomp!" He shouts. "Use Dragon Rush!"

"Dodge by flattening yourself," Timothy orders. "Then use Shadow Ball and Lick right behind it!"

Garchomp's appendages glow blue, and it releases energy shaped like a dragon covering its body before charging at Gengar. But Gengar grins mischievously and flattens its body, phasing through the ground underneath Garchomp. The mach Pokemon passes its opponent and stops to look around just as Gengar emerges from the ground and prepares a Shadow Ball.

"Garchomp, look out!" Ash shouts.

But the warning comes too late. Gengar throws the Shadow Ball, and it hits Garchomp from behind. As soon as Garchomp falls down upon impact, Gengar extends its tongue and licks its opponent. The mischievous Pokemon watches with a grin as Grachomp get up and faces Gengar with a glare until yellow sparks appear all over its body, and it gets down on one knee.

"Oh, no!" Ash exclaims.

"Garchomp's been paralyzed!" Brock shouts.

"Yes! Nice work, Gengar. We got it on the first try!" Timothy cheers. "Now, let's keep it up with Dark Pulse while it's distracted!"

Gengar grins and fires a beam of purple circles from its hands back hits Garchomp making it howl in agony.

"Okay, now, let's use Sucker Punch!" Tonight commands.

"Stop it by using Dragon Rush again quick!" Ash shouts.

Dark energy flows all over Gengar's fist, and it charges at Garchomp, but the dragon-and-ground-type Pokemon quickly recovers from the previous attacks and charges at Gengar again with the blue energy shaped like a dragon surrounding his body. Garchomp rams into Gengar and sends the ghost-and-poison-type Pokemon flying before it crashes to the ground several feet away.

"Now, use Dragon Rush once more!" Ash shouts.

"Gengar, flatten yourself again!" Timothy commands.

It takes a moment before Gengar comes to and sees it charging at it with Dragon Rush again. It quickly flattens its body and phased into the ground again, causing Garchomp to miss again.

"Quick, don't give it a chance to attack!" Ash commands. "Use Dig!"

Timothy grins as Garchomp prepares to use Dig. But suddenly, yellow sparks appear all over its body again, and it gets on one knee.

Timothy sighs in relief and orders, "Gengar, use Sucker Punch!"

Gengar appears from the ground right underneath Garchomp and uppercuts it with Sucker Punch, making Garchomp take a couple of steps back.

"Now use Shadow Ball, followed by Dark Pulse on the double!" Timothy orders.

Gengar quickly throws a black and purple ball at Garchomp, immediately followed by a beam of purple circles. Both attacks hit Garchomp, and it pants heavily with scratches all over its body.

"Yeah, that's the way to do it," Timothy says, turning to Electchu. "And the best part is it would not have mattered since Gengar knows Levitate. Looks like Ash doesn't know Dig won't work."

"Raichu," Electchu agrees.

Ash grinds his teeth, frustrated that Garchomp is taking more damage than Gengar.

"Darn, I hoped Garchomp's paralysis wouldn't get in the way," he says before turning to Pikachu with an optimistic smile. "But judging by the way Timothy was acting when I told Garchomp to use Dig, he thinks we don't know about Gengar's ability to levitate thanks to Holly's battle with Agatha. Let's keep it that way while we still have a chance to take him and Gengar by surprise."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a smile.

Ash nods to his partner before he faces the field and commands, "Alright, Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!"

Garchomp lifts its head and fires a large orb in the air. The orb explodes, and countless orbs fall toward the field.

"Gengar, destroy those meteorites with Dark Pulse!" Timothy orders.

Gengar looks up and uses Dark Pulse to destroy all the orbs coming down toward it

Ash smiles as he sees his chance.

"Now, use Dig!" He shouts.

Timothy and Gengar are so focused on the orbs that they don't hear Ash's command or notice Garchomp digging underground. Coovers, however, sees the mach Pokemon digging.

"Timothy!" He shouts

"What?!" Timothy asks.

"Garchomp is underground!" Coovers exclaims.

Timothy turns back the field to see a hole in the ground. He smirks, still thinking thinking he has an advantage against his young rival.

"Gengar, levitate!" He shouts.

"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Ash shouts.

Before Gengar can levitate, Garchomp comes out of the ground right behind it and rams with its Dragon-type attack against Gengar. The shadow Pokemon screams as it is sent rolling to the other side of the field. It moans in agony while lying on it's back with scratches all over its body. Timothy grows worried for his Pokemon before Gengar slowly gets up and glares at its opponent.

"Alright, use Dig again!" Ash commands.

Garchomp prepares to use Dig again until yellow sparks appear on its body and gets down on one knee.

"Not again," Serena says.

Timothy sighs in relief and commands, "Gengar, use Dark Pulse and keep using it until Garchomp is down!"

Gengar grins again as it creates another beam of purple circles out of its hands. The beam hits Garchomp and Ash's Pokemon groans in pain as the beam keeps coming out of Gengar's hands, making the mach Pokemon grow weaker by the second. Ash grinds his teeth and glares at what is happening until he gets another idea.

"Garchomp, fight through the pain, and use Draco Meteor again!" He barks.

Garchomp's eyes snap open, and it stands tall despite the Dark Pulse still constantly hitting it, and it fires another orb. Once again, the orb breaks into thousands of tiny orbs, and Timothy notices them. He frowns, knowing that Ash's using the attack to drive Gengar away from constantly using Dark Pulse against his Pokemon, but he sees no other choice what to do whatever he can to keep Gengar from getting hit again.

"Gengar, dodge the orbs!" He commands.

Gengar stops using Dark Pulse and starts dancing around the field like a little child to avoid the orbs that explode as soon as they reach the ground. The shadow Pokemon keeps this up until one orb lands right behind it and knocks it off its feet and falling down on its front in pain

"Now, use Dragon Rush!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge it quick!" Timothy yells.

Once again, Garchomp charges at Gengar with its body covered in blue energy shaped like a dragon. Before Gengar can completely stand up, Ash's Pokemon rams right into it, and it is sent rolling several feet away.

"Now, Dig!" Ash commands.

Timothy mentally prays that Garchomp's paralysis would prevent it from using the ground type move again, but unfortunately, the mach Pokemon digs another hole in the ground.

"Gengar, levitate as high into the air as you can!" Timothy instructs.

Ash grins, knowing that his rival is falling into his trap.

"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!" he shouts.

Timothy looks at Ash in confusion while Gengar levitates high into the air. Suddenly, Garchomp emerges from the ground below with a ball of orange energy in front of its mouth and fires it at its opponent. Timothy and Gengar fail to realize what is happening until the ball hits the shadow Pokemon from under it, sending it higher into the air before it slams into the ground with a loud thud.

"Alright!" Ash says excitedly. "Now, let's finish this with Dragon Rush!"

"Gengar, get up and move away!" Timothy cries out.

But he calls out to his Pokemon in vain. Gengar slowly gets up before Garchomp rams into it, sending Gargar zooming through the air. The shadow Pokemon screams before it crashes into a wall and falls to the ground with swirly eyes.

"Gengar is unable to battle! Garchomp wins!" The referee declares.

The crowd cheers with all of Ash's friends expressing their excitement. Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu frown sadly before Timothy returns Gengar to its Pokeball.

"Alright! Ash is one Pokemon ahead!" Serena cheers.

"He sure is," Brock says with a smirk before he frowns in concern. "But I worry about how long Garchomp can keep up."

Serena stops cheering and turns to Brock, confused before turning to Garchomp. Sure enough, the mach Pokemon already has many scratches all over its body, and sparks are still appearing over its body on occasion. Ash and Pikachu see the state that their friend is in too and wish Ash can switch it out for another Pokemon. On the other side of the field, Timothy takes a deep breath and puts Gengar's defeat in the back of his mind before taking out another Pokeball.

"Let's go, Blitzwing!" He shouts, throwing the ball.

His Braviary appears out of its Pokeball and lets out a loud caw at Garchomp. Ash forces a smirk on his face despite how weak his Pokemon is before he makes his next call.

"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!" He shouts.

"I don't think so!" Timothy says determinedly. "Blitzwing, stop it with Brave Bird!"

Blitzwing flies straight toward Garchomp with red fire surrounding its body. The fire turns blue, and it slams into Garchomp before it could fire another orb out of its mouth, taking a little damage in the process. Garchomp falls down on its back and stays down for a moment before it eventually gets up.

"Now, use Brave Bird again!" Timothy commands.

Blitzwing slams into Garchomp again from behind, taking another small amount of damage. Ash grinds his teeth again as his Pokemon barely manages to stand up.

"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor now!" Ash shouts.

"Blitzwing, fly up until you're above where the orb will explode and then use Brave Bird one more time!" Timothy shouts.

Garchomp collects all the energy that it can to fire another orb in the air, but Blitzwing flies up high enough that it's above the orb when it breaks into smaller orbs. Once all the small orbs land on the ground and explode, Blitzwing surrounds itself in fire again and flies down toward its opponent - slamming Garchomp into the ground one last time, knocking it out.

"Garchomp is unable to battle! Blitzwing wins!" The referee announces.

The crowd cheers again, and Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers smile, glad that Ash's first Pokemon is down. The gang is silent while Brock and Serena frown from the bench behind Ash. The raven-haired boy returns Garchomp back into its Pokeball and gives the ball a sad smile.

"You were great, Garchomp. Thanks," he says before putting away and taking out another Pokeball. "Pidgeot, I choose you!"

He throws the ball, and it opens to reveal Pidgeot coming out and flying in the air.

"Wow, Pidgeot against Blitzwing," Serena says. "This should be an interesting match up even with Blitzwing taking some damage from using Brave Bird."

"Mmm-hmmm," Brock agrees.

"Blitzwing, use Crush Claw!" Timothy commands.

"Dodge it using Quick Attack!" Ash shouts.

Blitzwing flies toward Pidgeot at great speed with its claws glowing white, but Pidgeot barely avoids the attack with Quick Attack before hitting its opponent from under it. Blitzwing grunts in pain, but stays in the air, barely hurt at all.

"Blitzwing, use Aerial Ace!" Timothy shouts.

"Pidgeot, use Double-Edge!"

Pidgeot surrounds self in and greenish energy and flies toward Blitzwing. The Valiant Pokemon, on the other hand, flies toward its opponent before flapping its wings once and charging at it with great speed. The two Pokemon collide, but because of its superior speed, Blitzwing's attack overcomes Pidgeot. Pidgeot cries in pain as it starts to fall to the ground before quickly coming to and regaining altitude.

"Alright, let's make this harder for them," Timothy says determinedly. "Blitzwing, use Brave Bird!"

Ash frowns at the sound of Timothy ordering his Pokemon to use Brave Bird against Pidgeot. He mentally hopes his special training with one of Clemont's inventions.

"Pidgeot, use Hurricane!" He shouts.

Blitzwing charges with blue fire surrounding its body again, but Pidgeot's wings glow blue, and it flaps them to create a powerful gust of wind. The fierce wind flies up to the sky, and Blitzwing flies into it before it could adjust its course. It tries to zoom through the tornado with its speed, but the wind is more powerful. The Braviary is sent spinning around the wind until it crashes into the ground with a hard thud.

"Blitzwing!" Timothy cries out worriedly.

Ash smirks, glad Timothy missed most of his battle with Max and so didn't know that Pidgeot knows Hurricane.

"Don't hold back, Pidgeot!" Ash orders. "Use Quick Attack followed by Double-Edge!"

Pidgeot flies toward Blitzwing at great speed and rams into it. Before the valiant Pokemon can recover, greenish energy surrounds Pidgeot again, and it slams at Blitzwing.

"Now, use Double-Edge multiple times!" Ash shouts.

Pidgeot rams into Blitzwing repeatedly, still giving its opponent no chance to recover while taking some damage in the process. Timothy frowns, thinking carefully to stop Pidgeot quickly.

"Blitzwing, spread your wings while using Steel Wing now!" He yells.

Blitzwing is still struggling to react to Pidgeot's constant attacks, but it hears its trainer cleary enough that it spreads its wings, and they glow white. Pidgeot charges at its opponent again, only to run into one of Blitzwing's wings of metal and backs away in a daze giving Blitzwing a chance to recover.

"Now knock it back using Steel Wing again!" Timothy orders

Blitzwing's wings continue to glow white, and it flies toward Ash's Pokemon. Pidgeot is still in a daze when Blitzwing flies toward it and hits it with both wings. The bird Pokemon howls again and it crashes into the ground. Pidgeot gets up and flies up in the air to face Blitzwing before Ash makes his next move.

"Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!" He shouts.

"Blitzwing, wait for the right move and then dodge and use Steel Wing!" Timothy instructs.

Pidgeot flies quickly toward Timothy's Pokemon, but the Braviary waits patiently until its opponent is close enough. At the last minute, Blitzwing moves away from Pidgeot, and hits it again with Steel Wing, sending it high into the air.

"Now it's our turn," Timothy says with a grin. "Use Aerial Ace followed by Crush Claw!"

Blitzwing charges at Pidgeot and rams into it fiercely. As soon as it does, its claws glow white, and it crushes its claws down on Pidgeot's body. Pidgeot screams in torment before Blitzwing lets go, and it falls into the ground and plummets with a loud crash.

"Pidgeot!" Ash shouts.

The dust clears, and Pidgeot is groaning before it slowly gets up and flies up into the air again.

"Pidgeot, I need you to stay strong!" Ash shouts. "We're close to beating Blitzwing! Just hang on, okay?!"

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot replies with a nod.

Timothy keeps on grinning, also having the same idea with how close his Pokemon is to taking down Ash's.

"Blitzwing, use Steel Wing again!" he commands.

"Dodge it using Quick Attack and then use Hurricane quick!" Ash orders.

Blitzwing charges at Pidgeot, but the bird Pokemon barely dodges Blitzwing's attack and creates another power gust of wind. With Blitzwing so close to where Pidgeot creates the powerful gust, it is immediately sucked in and sent spinning around and is sent flying into the air and crashing into the ground.

"Now, finish it with Double-Edge!" Ash shouts.

With green energy surrounding its body once more, Pidgeot charges at its opponent once again. Before Timothy can say anything to Blitzwing, the bird Pokemon rams into the valiant Pokemon and sends it rolling a few feet away before it lies down on its back unconscious.

"Blitzwing is unable to battle, Pidgeot wins!" The referee declares.

The crowd cheers as Timothy frowns sadly and returns Blitzwing back into its Pokeball. The group shouts in joy up on the stands, and Serena stands up, cheering for Ash and Pidgeot.

"Alright!" She cheers loudly. "That's two of Timothy's Pokemon down!"

"Yeah, but Pidgeot's probably not going to last much longer, leastways not after taking so much damage from using Double-Edge so much," Brock says seriously. "So far it's taken everything Ash's Pokemon has to defeat any of Timothy's. I'm worried about how much his luck is going to hold out at this point."

Serena frowns, feeling discouraged. Timothy, meanwhile, takes out another Pokeball and throws it eagerly.

"Odyssey, let's do this!" He shouts.

Timothy's faithful Lucario comes out of its container and takes a fighting stance, ready to battle. Ash keeps a confident smirk as he makes the next call.

"Pidgeot, use Quick Attack!" He shouts.

"Knock it back with Extreme speed!" Timothy commands.

Pidgeot and Odyssey charge at each other with inhuman speed. The two Pokemon ram at each other, and Odyssey knocks Pidgeot back with its greater speed. The bird Pokemon tumbles to the ground once again and tries to get up.

"Now, use Aura Sphere!" Timothy shouts.

Odyssey smirks as he creates a blue ball of energy between its hands before firing it at Pidgeot. The attack slams into Ash's Pokemon, and it makes a final cry before it lays down on it's back with swirly eyes.

"Pidgeot is unable to continue! Odyssey wins!" The referee declares.

Ash and his friends frown as he returns Pidgeot. He gives the Pokeball a sad smile before taking out another one.

"Primeape, I choose you!" He shouts, throwing the Pokeball.

Primeape comes out of its Pokeball and immediately sees Odyssey. The vein in the pig monkey Pokemon's forehead grows as it bangs its fists together to try to intimidate is rival. Just like before, though, Odyssey just gives Ash's Pokemon a smug look, amused that Primeape is still eager to beat it. Back in the stands, Clemont frowns and says, "I hope all the training Ash used for my first invention pays off."

Everyone overhears him, and Bonnie asks, "What do you mean?"

Clemont whimpers, realizing he was speaking out loud and sputters, "I-I-I-I can't say yet."

Bonnie pouts childishly while Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, and Cilan look at him in confusion before turning back to look at the field.

Back in the field, Timothy smiles as he turns to Ash.

"Primeape really has it bad for getting payback, huh?!" He calls out.

"Yup, and we're ready for both of you this time!" Ash claims.

"Let's find out," Timothy says before turning to Odyssey. "Use Extreme Speed, followed by Strength!"

Odyssey surrounds itself with white aura and charges at Primeape. Before Ash has an opportunity to make a call, Odyssey rams into Primeape and with its body suddenly surrounded by red aura and tosses its opponent into the air. Primeape crashes the ground before it quickly gets up, acting as if Odyssey's attacks didn't do a thing at all.

"Now, use Aura Sphere!" Timothy shouts.

"Primeape, get ready to cut it down with Karate Chop!" Ash orders.

Odyssey creates another ball of energy and throws it at its opponent. Primeape raises its hand and waits for Ash to make the call when the Aura Sphere is close enough.

"Now!" Ash shouts

Primeape karate chops right as the Aura Sphere is about to hit it. The pig monkey Pokemon's hand cuts the ball in half like a knife against a soft piece of fruit. The two halves of the ball fly past opposite sides of Primeape and crash into the wall exploding. Timothy, Electchu, Coovers, and Odyssey stare with their mouths open until the man in the "H.A.K." shirt smirks at Ash.

"Impressive!" he calls out plainly.

"Thanks, but we're just getting started!" Ash claims.

"So are we!" Timothy counters. "Odyssey, use Bone Rush!"

Ash's smirk turns into a grin and shouts, "Primeape, use Thrash like we practiced!"

The two Pokemon charge at each other, and Primeape starts punching and kicking at Odyssey ferociously. The aura Pokemon blocks all of Primeape's attacks easily with its bone made of energy. Back in the stands, Clemont stares at the two Pokemon looking very focused. The others notice what he's doing and look at him curiously.

"What is it, Clemont?" May asks. "Does this have to do with an invention you made for Ash?"

"It looks that way," Clemont answers, thinking it's okay to tell the secret. "He asked me to make a robot that was holding some kind of duel weapon like the way Odyssey uses its Bone Rush. The way Ash was training Primeape, he specifically instructed Primeape to attack the center of the dual weapon. I asked him why and he just said it's a surprise."

The rest of the group looks at him curiously before they turn back to the battle. They look closely to see that some of Primeape's punches and kicks are aimed right at the center of Odyssey's bone. Neither Odyssey or Timothy notice, but Ash is smirking, confident with where this is going.

"Odyssey, batter up and then use Strength!" Timothy instructs.

"Primeape, use Karate Chop to block, then use Thrust again!" Ash instructs back.

Odyssey holds its bone like a bat and swings it at Primeape, but Ash's Pokemon does a karate chop upward to block the attack. The pig monkey Pokemon then starts to punch and kick at its opponent again, and the Lucario is forced to hold its bone like a dual weapon to protect itself. Unknown to Odyssey or Timothy, Ash is smirking again, and Primeape is grinning excitedly under its whitish, shaggy fur. It goes back to punching on the center of the bone, taking advantage that its rival is on the defensive. With Primeape constantly attacking, cracks begin to appear in the middle of the bone. The pig monkey Pokemon keeps hitting the bone again and again until finally, the bone breaks in two and falls out of Odyssey's hands. The Lucario stares at its broken bone in shock before its train of thought is interrupted by Primeape successfully punch and kick it, still using Thrash.

"Finally!" Ash exclaims.

"What?!" Timothy shouts.

"Wow, so that's what your invention was for," Bonnie says from the stands.

"Looks like it," Clemont agrees.

Serena and Brock look surprised as Ash's Pokemon beats its opponent.

"What happened?" Serena asks.

"Primeape broke Odyssey's bone in half," Brock answers. "But how?"

Ash and Pikachu smirk before the raven-haired boy shouts, "Primeape, use Mega Kick!"

Primeape jumps into the air and kicks Odyssey, sending it back several feet. Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers stare at their friend in shock with scratches all over its body while Brock calls out to Ash.

"Ash, how did you know to do that?" he asks.

"Simple," Ash answers. "The last time Primeape and Odyssey faced each other, I noticed Odyssey's bone taking some damage. So with Clemont's help with one of his inventions, I trained Primeape to get stronger so that it could eventually break the bone and catch Timothy and Odyssey off guard."

Serena and Brock blink, processing the information before they smile.

"That's just like you, Ash. Always thinking of creative ways to overcome that situation," Brock says.

"Yeah, you are a really amazing person, Ash," Serena says.

Suddenly, the honey blonde girl's eyes widen, and she blushes again, realizing what she just said. Ash smiles, happy for the compliment before turning back to the field just in time to see Odyssey getting up. The Lucario glares at Primeape, angry that it found a weakness in one of its moves while the pig monkey Pokemon bumps its fists again, showing that it's ready for more. Timothy also glares at Primeape, realizing that it's not going to be as easy to beat as before. His hands turn into balls of fists, and he makes the next call.

"Odyssey, use Aura Sphere followed by Extreme Speed!" he commands.

"Primeape, use Karate Chop to cut that Aura Sphere again, then quickly dodge Odyssey!" Ash instructs.

Odyssey creates another ball of energy and fires it at Primeape. The pig monkey Pokemon cuts the blue ball in half, but before it can dodge, Odyssey is already there, ramming it. Primeape rolls over on the ground a couple of times before slowly gets up.

"Okay, Odyssey, now use Strength while it's getting up," Timothy commands.

Odyssey charges at Primeape with its body surrounded in red aura and gets ready to toss its opponent.

"Primeape, dodge, and use Karate Chop!" Ash shouts.

Primeape turns to Odyssey and realizes what is happening just in time to move away. Odyssey stops running and turns to face Primeape only for the latter to karate chop it on its side, making Timothy's heart sink.

"Now, use Thrash again!" Ash shouts.

Without hesitation, Primeape starts violently punch and kicking Odyssey again. It isn't long before the aura Pokemon is on one knee and panting heavily while Primeape is ecstatic to see its rival finally so frail.

"Now end this with Seismic Toss!" Ash shouts.

"Odyssey, get out of there with Extreme Speed, quick!" Timothy yells.

But try as Odyssey might, it's body doesn't have the energy to move away. Primeape grabs Odyssey's leg, and the pig monkey Pokemon jumps up and throws it to the ground. The Lucario lies on the ground unconscious, and Primeape steps on it with one foot while beating its chest.

"Prrrriiiiiiimmmmeeee!" It roars.

"Odyssey is out of the match!" The referee declares. "Primeape wins!"

The crowd cheers again with Brock and Serena standing up to cheer.

"Alright, Primeape!" Brock shouts.

"Way to go!" Serena cheers.

"Nice job, Primeape!" Ash praises. "And this is why you're the champion!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheers.

"Primeape!" Primeape shouts as it turns to face Ash with a pleased grin under its whitish fur.

Timothy sighs heavily as he sadly returns Odyssey to its Pokeball. Electchu and Coovers look at their friend concerned, knowing that half of his Pokemon is already beaten.

"What are you going to do?" Coovers asks worriedly.

Timothy turns his hands into balls of fists again, and he glares at the blissful Primeape.

"The first thing I'm going to do is even things out again," he answers. "And I know just the way to put that monkey in its place."

He takes out another Pokeball and immediately throws it shouting, "Shockwave, let's go!"

The ball opens to reveal Shockwave gracefully entering the field. Primeape turns to its new opponent and bangs its fists together, showing that it's ready for more.

"Okay, Primeape, let's start things up with Thrash!" Ash shouts.

Primeape runs toward Shockwave, all too eager to take down another opponent, but on the other side of the field, Timothy is smirking again.

"Shockwave, I only have one thing to say!" He calls out. "That Primeape took down Odyssey."

The Gardevoir turns to its trainer with a look of disbelief before it turns into a look of fury. Without another word needed to be said, Shockwave turns to Primeape with its eyes glowing blue and lifts it up into the air. The embrace Pokemon then waves its arm back and forth, causing Primeape to ram right into a wall from one side to the other repeatedly. Ash and his friend are shocked by Shockwave is being relentless without Timothy saying an order. Even Coovers is dumbfounded as he turns to Timothy and Electchu, who are smirking mischievously.

"What's with Shockwave throwing a fit like that?!" He exclaims.

"Oh, let's just say having two of your Pokemon having a close bond like Odyssey and Shockwave does has its perks," Timothy replies plainly. "I.e., neither one likes it if someone beats the other in battle."

"Raichu," Electchu agrees with a nod.

Shockwave then stops throwing Primeape like a ragdoll and drops it on the ground. Ash is stunned at what had just happened before he shakes his head.

"Primeape, use Karate Chop!" He shouts.

Primeape charges at Shockwave, but before it even comes close, Shockwave releases a beam of pink-purple hearts at its opponent. The hearts hit Primeape, and it cries out in agony as Shockwave keeps using the attack. Eventually, the fairy attack becomes too much for Primeape's body that it gets down on one knee, struggling to keep it together. Shockwave then creates an orb of pink energy in front of its hands.

"Primeape, watch out!" Ash cries out. "It's going to use Moonblast!"

But try as Primeape might, it can barely move a muscle. Shockwave fires a beam from its orb of energy, and its opponent can do nothing but watch. The orb hits the pig monkey Pokemon and explodes on contact, creating a large explosion. Ash watches in horror as the spot where his Pokemon was is covered in smoke.

"Primeape, no!"


	73. Chapter 73

Everyone watches intently as the spot where Primeape was is still covered in black smoke. Ash mentally prays that his Pokemon is okay, but deep down, he fears the worst has happened. Finally, the smoke clears, and Primeape is seen laying down on it's back with swirly eyes.

"Primeape out of the match! Shockwave wins!" The referee announces.

The crowd cheers with Ash's close friends are once again, bummed that his Pokemon fainted.

"Just as I was afraid of," Brock days seriously. "Once again, Ash takes down one of Timothy's Pokemon only to be beaten by another soon after."

"But both sides have three Pokemon left, so Ash could still win," Serena says optimistically. "Defeating half of Timothy's team is a massive improvement from the last three times they've battled. Even Primeape beating Odyssey when Odyssey kept winning with ease has to mean something."

"True. Ash definitely has been working hard with his Pokemon, and his idea against Odyssey really paid off," Brock admits. "Having said that, Shockwave is not going to be an easy opponent to beat."

Serena frowns and puts her hand on her ribbon again, knowing that Brock is right. Meanwhile, Ash thinks about what Pokemon to choose next before he goes with his gut and takes out another Pokeball.

"Gigalith, I choose you!" He shouts, throwing it.

The ball opens, and the compressed Pokemon comes out with a roar.

"Gigalith, eh? This should be an interesting battle," Timothy says. "Shockwave, use Psychic!"

Once again, Shockwave's eyes glow blue, and Gigalith is lifted up in the air with its body surrounded in a blue outline. Before Ash can make a call, Gigalith is sent crashing into a wall with it groaning a little upon impact.

"Now use Disarming Voice!" Timothy commands.

"Counter with Rock Blast!" Ash shouts.

The gems on Gigalith's body glow orange, and the three crystalline on its head glows silver. Then several silver waves come out of its middle crystalline right as Shockwave is releasing Disarming Voice. The silver waves destroy the pink hearts coming out of Shockwave's mouth, and the last wave hits the Gardevoir. Shockwave grunts upon impact, but after a few seconds, it shakes it off as if nothing happened.

"Alright, Gigalith, use Flash Cannon!" Ash commands.

Timothy frowns, knowing the steel-type move is very effective against his Pokemon and shouts, "Counter it with Moonblast!"

Shockwave creates another pink orb of energy while Gigalith's body becomes outlined with white energy and gathers in front of its mouth, creating a light blue orb energy. The Pokemon fire their respective attacks, and they collide, causing an explosion that covers the field in black smoke. Ash waits for the smoke to clear, but Timothy knows exactly what to do next.

"Now, use Psyshock!" He shouts.

Ash's eyes widen, and he shouts, "Dodge it."

But Gigalith is so confused with what is happening through the smoke that it doesn't know where to move. The next thing it knows, a blob of psychic power heads toward it and hits it. Gigalith roars upon impact, and the smoke finally clears with some scratches on its body.

"Now, use Psychic again!" Timothy orders.

"Use Sandstorm now!" Ash shouts.

Gigalith quickly jumps in the air, glowing several different colors before it slams into the ground creating a storm of sand. The move makes Shockwave hesitate as it can't see the Pokemon it's supposed to use Psychic on.

"Now, use Flash Cannon!" Ash commands.

Once again, Gigalith surrounds itself in white energy that gathers in front of its mouth. The compressed Pokemon fires the attack and hits an unsuspecting Gardevoir. The Sandstorm clears away to reveal scratches on Shockwave's body, too, making Ash and Pikachu smirk. Timothy frowns while Shockwave stands up straight and cracks its neck to show that it's still able to fight.

"Alright, use Rock Blast again!" Ash commands.

"Use Psychic to stop the attack and knock them back," Timothy orders.

Gigalith fires several silver waves at Shockwave, but the latter's eyes glow blue, and the silver waves stop in front of it with a blue outline surrounding them. Shockwave sends them back, and they hit Gigalith, making it groan again.

"Now, use Psychic on Gigalith again!" Timothy shouts.

Shockwave lifts Gigalith off the ground and sends it crashing on another wall.

"Come on, Gigalith, you can do it!" Ash calls out encouragingly. "Use Flash Cannon!"

"Dodge and use Moonblast!" Timothy shouts.

Gigalith gets up and gathers energy to fire another Flash Cannon. Unfortunately, Shockwave evades the attack and fires another Moonblast that successfully hits its target. Gigalith lets out a louder groan, feeling its body growing weak.

"Let's finish it off, Shockwave!" Timothy commands. "Use Psyshock!"

"Gigalith, watch out!" Ash shouts.

Shockwave creates a blob of psychic energy and hurls it at its opponent. Gigalith only has a moment to see what is happening until the attack hits it, making it roar in agony before it falls down on its side with swirly eyes.

"Gigalith is unable to battle!" The referee shouts. "Shockwave is the winner!"

Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Axew, and Cilan all frown sadly while the crowd cheers. Coovers and Electchu join the cheering while Timothy huffs.

"Finally, I take the lead," he mutters under his breath. "Took long enough."

Ash returns Gigalith back into its Pokeball and looks at it with a sad smile before taking out another one and throws it.

"Charizard, I choose you!" He shouts.

The mighty flame Pokemon emerges from its container and lets out a menacing roar while letting out fire in the air with its mouth. Timothy and Shockwave look at their new opponent carefully, silently deciding to be cautious.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash shouts.

"Counter with Moonblast!" Timothy shouts back.

The two Pokemon fire their respective attacks, and the attacks collide and explode, covering the battlefield in smoke again. Ash frowns at this, knowing that Timothy will take advantage of the smoke again unless he does something.

"Charizard, fly up in the air and use Slash!" He orders.

Charizard flies up until it's above the smoke. It flies to where Shockwave is, ready to charge with its claws. Timothy frowns, knowing what Ash is up to and turns to his Pokemon.

"Shockwave, close your eyes and wait until you hear Charizard coming very close to you and then stop it with Psychic!" He instructs.

Shockwave calmly closes its eyes as instructed and waits for the right moment. It hears Charizard's wings flapping closer and closer, ready to strike at it. Before the flame Pokemon gets close enough, Shockwave immediately opens its eyes, and they glow blue right in the nick of time to stop Charizard. When the smoke clears, Charizard is seen hanging in the air with its body surrounded in a blue outline. Timothy smirks, getting ready to make open command when Ash speaks quickly.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower followed by Slash and Wing Attack!" He commands.

Instantly, Charizard releases a stream of fire that hits Shockwave. The Gardevoir releases its opponent from its telekinetic grip, allowing Charizard to slash at it and then hit it in the stomach with its glowing wing. Shockwave gets down on one knee with the wind knocked out of it while Charizard grins.

"Now, use Flamethrower again!" Ash shouts.

"Shockwave, push it away with Psychic now!" Timothy shouts.

Charizard takes a deep breath to use Flamethrower again, but Shockwave recovers just in time to use Psychic on Charizard and send it flying back to the other side of the field and crashing into a wall.

"Now, use Psyshock!" Timothy shouts.

"Dodge it!" Ash shouts back.

Shockwave releases another blog of psychic energy, but Charizard recovers just in time to fly away before it gets hit by Psyshock.

"Now, use Flamethrower again!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Disarming Voice!" Timothy commands.

Charizard fires another Flamethrower at its opponent, but Shockwave moves back and starts releasing several pink hearts at Charizard.

"Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu," Electchu says.

"I know fairy type is not very effective against a fire type," Timothy replies to his partner. "But Disarming Voice is the only ranged move that Shockwave can use long enough to eventually knock Charizard down."

Charizard keeps flying in all directions to avoid the pink hearts Shockwave keeps firing at it. Eventually, though, one of the hearts hits Charizard, and it starts to plummet toward the ground.

"Charizard, hang in there!" Ash calls out. "Spread your wings and use Flamethrower again!"

Charizard opens its eyes, and it spreads its wings just in time to regain altitude. Timothy and Shockwave only have a moment to react once again before Charizard hits the latter hard with Flamethrower.

"Now use Slash, Wing Attack, and Flamethrower in that order!" Ash orders.

"Shockwave, stop it using Psychic quick!" Timothy shouts.

But the embrace Pokemon is so distracted from its injuries that it doesn't defend itself in time before Charizard strikes it with Slash, hits it in the gut again with its glowing wing, and mercilessly fires a powerful stream of fire at it. By the time the flame Pokemon is done, Shockwave keeps standing only for a couple of seconds before it falls down on it's back, limp.

"Shockwave is unable to battle! Charizard wins!" The referee declares.

"Alright!" Ash shouts, shaking his fist in the air. "Way to go, Charizard!"

Charizard smirks before it roars and fires another stream of fire in the air triumphantly. Ash's companions cheer again while Electchu and Coovers look at Timothy worriedly as he returns his fourth Pokemon.

"And now it's even again," Coovers states.

"Obviously," Timothy grumbles before smirking as he takes out his fifth Pokeball. "Fortunately, I know just what to do to take the lead again. "Go, Poliwrath!"

The man in the "H.A.K." shirt throws the ball, and Poliwrath comes out, cracking its knuckles in front of Charizard.

"Raichu!" Electchu cheers, supporting its longtime friend.

Charizard huffs, looking unimpressed with its new opponent. Poliwrath glares at it, looking ready to put the winged lizard in its place.

"Okay, Charizard, let's start it up with Flamethrower!" Ash shouts.

"Poliwrath, counter with Hydro Pump!" Timothy shouts back!

The Pokemon fire their respective attacks, and they collide, covering the battlefield in steam.

"Now, use Hydro Pump dead ahead!" Timothy commands.

"We're not falling for that again!" Ash claims. "Charizard, fly up and then use Slash!"

Charizard flies up in the air again, dodging Poliwrath's Hydro Pump. Then it flies toward its opponent with its claws glowing white.

"We're not falling for that either!" Timothy shouts. "Poliwrath, close your eyes and wait for the right moment to use Hydro Pump again!"

Just like before with Shockwave, Poliwrath closes its eyes and waits patiently in the steam. Then its eyes snap open just in time to see Charizard flying towards it with its claws ready. The tadpole Pokemon releases another powerful stream of water, and it hits its target, making Charizard howl as it crashes onto the ground.

"Now, use Surf!" Timothy shouts.

Ash grinds his teeth, still not seeing anything through the steam. Luckily, the steam clears just in time to see Charizard on the ground and Poliwrath riding a giant wave of water heading towards his Pokemon.

"Charizard, fly towards Poliwrath and use Slash, quick!" He shouts.

Charizard gets up and flies toward its opponent again. This time, it successfully slashes at its opponent, knocking Poliwrath off of its wave and falling down to the ground on its back.

"Now use Flamethrower, Slash, Wing Attack, and Dragon Tail in that order!" Ash instructs.

With Poliwrath still on the ground, Charizard lets out a stream of fire on it, strikes it with Slash, and its wings glow white before hitting it with both of them.

"Poliwrath, dodge the Dragon Tail and use Dynamic Punch!" Timothy shouts.

Charizard prepares to spin with its tail glowing light blue, but it's all the time Poliwrath needs to move away and start punching the flame Pokemon repeatedly.

"Timothy, aren't flying type Pokemon like Charizard resistant to fighting attacks?" Coovers asks.

"That's right, but it still does damage while keeping Charizard at bay," Timothy points out. "Besides, Ash clearly has the same idea if he's telling Charizard to use Flamethrower on Poliwrath."

Poliwrath continues beating its opponent violently until it throws one more powerful punch that knocks Charizard back a few feet and falling down on it back.

"Now, let's take it out with Surf!" Timothy yells.

Ash's eyes widen as Poliwrath creates another giant wave of water and rides it toward his Pokemon. With the tadpole Pokemon coming so close Charizard, he knows that Charizard can't get up in the air and time and so it makes a call and act desperation.

"Charizard, get up and use Flamethrower, quick! Give it everything you've got!" He yells.

Charizard gets up as fast as it can and fires the biggest stream of fire that it can possibly muster. The attack hits Poliwrath dead center and grunts upon impact, but it stays in balance to use its attack against its fire-type opponent. Charizard keeps using Flamethrower before the wave of water crashes into it, and Poliwrath loses its balance and rolls over on the ground before lying down on his back. The tadpole Pokemon stays conscious for a couple of seconds as it tries to get up before it falls down, limp. Ash smiles until he looks over and sees Charizard unconscious with swirly eyes.

"Both Pokemon are out of the match!" The referee announces. "It's a draw!"

The crowd cheers louder than before, with both sides down to one Pokemon left. But for Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers, the tension is rising beyond words. Ash and Timothy stare at each other for a few seconds before they turn to their respective partners.

"It's all down to you, pal," Timothy says. "Let's finish this!"

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts as it walks into the field with sparks coming out of its cheeks.

"Pikachu, let's do it, buddy!" Ash shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yells, jumping into the field.

"Now it's all down to Pikachu and Electchu," Dawn says worriedly.

"Yeah, and I hope the other invention Ash asked me to make will make sense here," Clemont says concerned.

"What do you mean?" Misty asks.

"He wouldn't tell me what it's for either," Clemont answers. "So we're just gonna have to find out here, I guess."

Serena puts her hand on her ribbon once more with a nervous look on her face. Brock keeps his arms crossed and looks at the field, uneasy. Coovers look at Timothy nervously while the raven-haired boy and the man in the "H.A.K." shirt glare at each other. Both mouse Pokemon stare at each other as well while they wait for their respective partners to make the first call. Ash's hands turn into balls of fists before he makes his move.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" He shouts.

Pikachu charges at inhuman speed, determined to slam into its friend.

"Electchu, wait for the right moment to hit Pikachu with Iron Tail," Timothy commands.

Electchu moves its left foot back, turns its electric-shaped tail into iron, and waits for its opponent to come like a baseball player waiting to swing. At the right moment, it swings its tail, hitting Pikachu right in the face and sending it tumbling across the field.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Timothy shouts.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball too!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu gets up in time to see Electchu throwing a ball of electricity at it with its tail. The smaller mouse Pokemon quickly creates and throws its own Electro Ball, and the two balls collide and cause an explosion.

"Now, use Quick Attack again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu charges at its opponent again at great speed, and this time rams right into the Raichu.

"Use Iron Tail again!" Timothy shouts.

"You too, Pikachu!" Ash shouts back.

Electchu recovers and swings at Pikachu with its tail made of iron. Pikachu does the same with its tail, and the two tails collide with each other. The two mouse Pokemon then start clashing tails repeatedly like swords, eager to overcome the other. The process continues until Electchu delivers a more powerful swing and knocks Pikachu back, sending it rolling a few feet again.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu summons another Electro Ball and flings it at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, knock it back with Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Once again, Pikachu gets up and turns its tail into iron again to knock the Electro Ball back to its opponent.

"Knock it back with Iron Tail too!" Timothy commands.

Electchu swats the ball back with its Iron Tail. Then Pikachu swats it with its tail only for Electchu to knock it back again. Once again, the mouse Pokemon keep swatting the ball back and forth as if they are playing a game of tennis. Both of their trainers watch what is happening carefully until Timothy gets an idea.

"Electchu, knock the Electro Ball back so that it lands just a few inches away from Pikachu!" He instructs.

Electchu raises an eyebrow, curious about what its partner has in mind. With Pikachu swatting the ball back to it, the Raichu alters the way it hits the ball with its tail, sending it toward the front of Pikachu. The Electro Ball crashes close to Pikachu, and it explodes upon impact, sending Pikachu back. Ash's eyes widen as he realizes Timothy just used the same tactic he used on their last match.

"Now, use Thunder!" Timothy commands.

Electchu stores up a large amount of electricity and unleashes it at its opponent. The large bolt of electricity hits Pikachu hard, and it squeals in pain.

"Pikachu!" Ash screams.

Once Electchu is done using Thunder, Pikachu is found struggling to get up with its body covered in scratches. Serena keeps her hand on her ribbon while the boy she admires calls out to his partner.

"Come on, Pikachu, you can do it!" He encourages. "Get up, quick!"

"Come on, Pikachu!" Brock shouts.

"You've got to get up!" Serena shouts.

Pikachu clenches its teeth as it orders its body to fight through the pain. It slowly gets up on all fours before it pushes itself up to stand on its back legs and smirks at Electchu.

"Pika!" It shouts.

"Alright!" Ash cheers before turning to Timothy. "It's gonna take more than that to take us down this time, Timothy!"

Timothy chuckles with his mouth closed.

"I doubt it," he mutters before shouting, "Electchu, use Thunder again!"

"Stop it with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Electchu and Pikachu fire their attacks, and they collide, causing an explosion again.

"Now, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, and it hits Electchu. The Raichu is found to have a couple of scratches in its body, but it just grins like nothing happened.

"Electchu, use Electro Ball!" Timothy commands.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball as well, followed by Quick Attack!" Ash orders.

Electchu and Pikachu throw Electro Balls at each other, and they collide, causing an explosion again. Pikachu uses the smoke once more to race toward Timothy's partner and slam right into it.

"Now, use Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu uses its most powerful move again, and Electchu grunts in pain despite the move still taking little effect.

"Hit Pikachu with Iron Tail!" Timothy shouts.

Electchu spins around with its metal tail, knocking Pikachu back a couple of feet again.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack again!" Ash shouts.

Timothy smirks and commands: "Electchu, knock Pikachu down with Iron Tail!"

Pikachu charges at Eletchu again but is met with another Iron Tail to the face. It rolls around the ground and lies on its front, groaning in pain.

"Pikachu!" Ash cries out.

"Sorry, Ash, but it's time to wrap this up!" Timothy calls out. "Eletchu, use Hyper Beam!"

Ash's pupils shrink before turning to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, quick!" he barks. "Dodge with Quick Attack!"

Pikachu struggles to fight through the pain while Timothy's partner is gathering orange energy in front of its mouth. Ash has a determined look while Timothy, and Coovers smile excitedly

"Come on, Pikachu, you can do it!" Ash shouts. "You gotta move faster, buddy!"

"Go, Pikachu!" Brock shouts

"Keep going, Pikachu!" Serena yells.

Back in the stands, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Bonnie, Clemont, Iris, Axew, and Cilan are shouting words of encouragement to the little mouse Pokemon as loud as they can.

"You gotta get up faster, Pikachu!" Ash explains.

Pikachu clenches its teeth as it slowly pushes itself up.

"Faster!" Ash commands. "Faster! Faster! Faster! FASTER!"

Pikachu groans as it manages to stand up on all fours. Timothy realizes Ash might still have a chance and turns to Electchu.

"Electchu, you gotta use Hyper Beam right now!" he yells. "Don't worry about collecting all the energy you need! Just fire your attack!"

Ash's overhears what Timothy is saying and shouts, "Now or never, Pikachu! Dodge!"

Pikachu takes a large breath and slowly takes a stance to run. The Raichu moves its head back to prepare to unleash its powerful attack, but at the last moment, Pikachu jumps out of Electchu's line of fire, and the Hyper Beam misses completely. Electchu begins to wobble from using so much energy before Pikachu rams it on the side.

"NO!" Timothy shrieks.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheers. "Now hit Electchu with all the Iron Tails, Electro Balls, and Thunderbolts you can muster as fast as you can just like we practiced!"

Pikachu grins, and with a jump and spin, it hits the Raichu hard in the gut. Then it hits it with an Electro Ball and then a Thundershock. On and on, the mouse Pokemon attacks its helpless opponent, making Timothy grow more and more worried with every hit.

"Ah, so this is what the second invention was for," Clemont says in realization.

"What do you mean?" Misty asks.

"Ash asked me to make a robot that PIkachu can attack at constantly," Clemont explains. "There was a timer for Pikachu to do as many hits as possible within the time limit, and Pikachu would go faster and faster each time."

Cilan takes a moment to amayze what's going on in the battlefield and smiles.

"Ah, I think I see," he said. "Ash was looking for a moment where Pikachu can get close enough that it can hit Electchu as hard and as quickly as possible before its opponent can fight back. That way, Pikachu can make up for not having the strength and durability that Electchu has."

"And he barely got his chance with Electchu using Hyper Beam," Max says. "Hyper Beam doesn't tire a Pokemon unless it hits its target, but I think Electchu focus on firing the powerful move was all Pikachu needed to catch it off guard after avoiding the beam using Quick Attack."

Misty smiles, understanding what Cilan and Max and saying before she calls out, "Go, Pikachu! Take Electchu down! You can do it!"

Back in the battlefield, Ash and Serena's hearts rise with hope as Pikachu repeatedly hits its opponent with everything it has. Timothy's worry grows the more hits his partner takes.

"Eletchu, stay strong!" he barks. "Block its attack with Iron Tail and then use Electro Ball!"

Just as Pikachu jumps into the air to use Iron Tail again, Electchu shakes off the daze it's in from the latest hit and it immediately blocks Pikachu's tail with its own Iron Tail. The Raichu forces Pikachu back and gets up to smack its opponent in the head again with its tail before hitting it with Electro Ball, sending it flying in the air.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeals before it hits the ground with more scratches on its body.

"Pikachu!" Ash calls out. "Are you okay?"

Pikachu slowly gets up again, barely able to stand up on its back legs. Timothy and Ash frown seriously, knowing that their Pokemon are close to fainting at this point. With a simple look into each other's eyes, they both agree that the next couple of moves at most will determine who will win. With a brief nod from both sides, they command their Pokemon again.

"Electchu, use Electro Ball!" Timothy shouts.

"Dodge with Quick Attack and circle around Electchu!" Ash instructs.

Pikachu uses its inhuman speed to dodge another ball of electricity before running towards Electchu. The little mouse Pokemon begins circling around its opponent, making Electchu uneasy.

"Electchu, don't worry!" Timothy shouts. "Stretch your tail using Iron Tail!"

The Raichu smile and stretches out its long tail that's turned into iron. Pikachu runs right into Electchu's tail and falls down on its back, groaning with a bruise starting to form on its forehead.

"Alright, Electchu, let's end this once and for all!" Timothy barks. "Use Thunder one more time!"

Ash's eyes widen before he shouts, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt quick! Give it everything you've got!"

Pikachu slowly gets up on its hind legs again and stores up electrically from its cheeks before hitting Electchu with a bolt of electricity. Electchu grunts upon impact before hitting its opponent back with Thunder, making Pikachu clench its teeth to fight the pain. Both Pokemon glare at each other with their teeth clenched as they continue to hit the other with their respective attacks. Electricity starts flying all over above the air while the two Pokemon slowly walk toward each other and hold each other's shoulders, never diverting their gaze upon each other.

"Come on, Electchu!" Timothy shouts. "You can do it, pal!"

"Keep going, Electchu! You can win this!' Coovers shouts.

"Pikachu, don't give up!" Ash shouts. "Hang in there!"

By this point, all of Ash's companions are standing up, cheering for Pikachu as loud as they can.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Cilan shouts.

"You can make it!" Iris scream.

"Axew!" Axew yells.

"Let's go, Pikachu!" Bonnie scream.

"Hold on!" Clemont shouts.

"Just a little more!" Dawn pleads.

"Piplup!" Piplup shouts.

"You got this, Pikachu!" Max shouts.

"Keep going!" May shouts.

"Please win!" Misty begs.

Brock and Serena feel their hearts beating as they watch the two Pokemon electrocute each other.

"Let's go, Pikachu!" Brock shouts.

"Don't give up until it's over!" Serena screams with a firm grip on her ribbon.

Ash's hands are closed into balls of fists one final time as he watches his best friend give it its all.

"Pikachu, I believe in you!" He screams. "Win this now! Do it for yourself! Do it for me! Do it for all our friends who did their best in this battle! Do it for Brock, and Misty, and Max, and May, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan! DO IT FOR SERENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Pikachu and Electchu keep shocking each other with everything they have. The electricity becomes so bright that everyone has to cover their eyes. The electricity keeps shooting up in the sky, as sparks fly all over the stadium.

Finally, the electricity disappears, and everything becomes silent.


	74. Chapter 74

Everyone in the stands stare at Pikachu and Electchu with their eyes open and their mouth agape. Coovers, Brock, and Serena are standing still from their benches with the honey blonde girl keeping a tight grip on her treasured ribbon. Ash and Timothy gaze upon their Pokemon as Pikachu and Electchu keep their hands on each other's shoulders and glower at each other. The referee watches them closely, unsure of which one or both Pokemon will faint with their bodies full of scratches and singed fur.

Then suddenly, one Pokemon's posture begins to falter. Its eyes widen, and its glare melts away into a look of horror. It backs away from its opponent and begins to wobble back and forth. The mouse Pokemon desperately pleads with its body to stay conscious just long enough to win, but no matter how much it begs for a little more time, its body is so frail that it can barely stay standing for as long as it has. Its trainer's heart begins to break as he watches his partner's eyes grow heavy. Finally, the Pokemon falls down on its back and lies motionless.

"It's all over!" The referee announces. "Electchu is unable to battle. Pikachu wins, and so the winner of this match and the Indigo League is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

The crowd roars with thunderous applause. Ash stands in place like a statue with his eyes wide open before he musters the biggest open smile on his face, and he and Pikachu run toward each other.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouts.

"Pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts joyously.

The yellow mouse Pokemon leaps into Ash's arms and they laugh happily in the middle of the field. Timothy feels tears starting to come out of his eyes before he shuts his eyes, his hands turn into fists, and he lets out a frustrated yell that's drowned out by the cheering from the audience. He falls to his knees and barely resists the temptation to slams his fist into the ground. Coovers rushes to his side and places his hand on his friend. Misty, Max, May, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, and Cilan cheer at the top of their lungs. May and Max hug each other while Dawn jumps up and down happily with Piplup in her arms. Iris shakes her fist into the air while Cilan claps loudly as if he just watched an opera. Misty watches Ash and Pikachu celebrate with tears in her eyes, happy beyond words that the boy she admires has finally won a major Pokemon league.

Brock races toward Ash and Pikachu with Serena merrily following behind.

"Great job, Ash!" Brock praises. "You finally did it!"

"Yeah, I did!" Ash cheers.

"Ash!" Serena shouts.

Ash turns to Serena, running toward him with the biggest smile on her face, and Ash smiles, happy to see her spirits so high. Pikachu hops out of Ash's arms just in time for the honey blonde girl to slam into him, and pull him in the tightest hug he's ever felt yet. Brock smirks while Ash lets out a sharp gasp as Serena's embrace squeezes the air out of him. She lets out a loud, blissful sigh as she snuggles her head beside Ash's shoulder. Ash takes a moment to process what is happening before he hugs her back.

"Ash, did you really mean it?" Serena asks. "Did you mean it when you said you did this battle for me?"

"Every word," Ash says without hesitation.

Serena's heart leaps, and tears of joy slowly emerge from her eyes. Her bright smile is hidden by Ash's shoulder as she tightens her hug.

"Serena?" Ash asks quizzingly.

"Just hold on to me, Ash," Serena requests. "Hold me as tight as you can, and don't let go until they give you your trophy. Please."

Ash blinks for a second before he smiles as he does, as Serena requested. He tightens the hug, pulling the honey blonde girl more towards him, and Serena sighs happily again and lays her head against Ash's without thinking about it. Ash is confused with Serena laying her head against his but ultimately pays no mind as long as she is as happy as he's been working so hard for her to be.

On the other side of the field, Timothy is finished letting out his grief, and he and Coovers walk over to where Electchu is lying on the ground. Timothy kneels down and picks up his partner, who slowly opens its eyes.

"Rai, Raichu," it says weakly.

"Don't be sorry, pal," Timothy says with a sad smile. "We gave it everything we've got, and we came very close. We'll win the next tournament. I promise."

Electchu smiles softly before Timothy pulls it into a hug. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt then stands up while still holding his Raichu, and he and Coovers walk over to Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Brock with Ash's back facing them. Timothy walks around Ash so that he can look at him while the raven-haired boy and the honey blonde girl embrace.

"Congratulations, Ash. You've won your first Pokemon league," he compliments. "You must feel pretty great about now."

"I sure do," Ash says with a toothy grin. "Is this what it felt like when you won the Johto League?"

Timothy smirks and plainly answers, "More or less. Though I can't say it was as much of a close call as this one what with being able to substitute and all."

"Totally," Ash says. "I'm glad it wasn't the case here. This felt like more of a challenge that made this win feel more earned."

"I know exactly what you mean," Timothy says. "So, are you going to face the Elite Four now that you've won?"

Ash hesitates and thinks about it for a second before he answers.

"Well...the thing is normally I'd say yes, but I think I should wait and keep getting stronger with my Pokemon," Ash confesses. "I barely beat someone like you who has defeated the Johto Elite Four and the bi-regional champion after all."

"Makes sense," Brock says.

"Agreed," Coovers says.

"What about you, Timothy?" Ash quarries.

Timothy frowns and says, "Honestly, I don't have the slightest idea. I honestly was expecting to win the league and then be on my way to face the Kanto Elite Four and then face Lance a second time as soon as my Pokemon are healed. So now that I've lost again, I don't know where to go next."

Ash and Brock nod before the former says, "Well, I hope you'll think of something. Got to keep going until the very end, right?"

Timothy smirks and says, "Right."

The crowd is still cheering as the three men, the two teenagers, and Pikachu and Electchu stay where they are until the rest of the gang comes. Max and Bonnie are running ahead of the rest of the group, laughing like the young children they are.

"Way to go, Ash!" Max cheers.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Bonnie shouts.

"Thanks, you guys," Ash says while still holding Serena.

Everyone else makes it to Ash and the others with May saying, "Good job, Ash!"

"Yeah, you were awesome out there!" Dawn says excitedly.

"Piplup!" Piplup squeaks.

"Thanks, you two," Ash replies while breaking part of his hug with Serena for a moment to give Dawn a high-five before wrapping his arm around Serena again.

"Spectacular performance, Ash!" Cilan praises.

"Yeah, not bad for a kid," Iris says with a smirk.

"Axew," Axew says from Iris' long hair.

Ash smiles and nods at them. Finally, Misty steps in with a soft, happy smile on her face.

"Well done, Ash," she says. "You finally did it. I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, Misty," Ash says. "I'm glad that you and Serena, and Brock and everyone else can be here for this moment."

Misty nods while her heart aches over the way Ash is holding on to Serena. As much as she knows that he still doesn't feel the way that Serena does for him, a sense of regret fills Misty's mind as she watches the honey blonde girl rest her head beside Ash's head and holds him tight. It's all too clear to Misty that Serena is doing this to have one more special moment with the boy whose heart they both desire. Bonnie and Dawn give smug looks at their friend, but Serena doesn't pay any mind. She just keeps her eyes closed and holds on to Ash for as long as she can, ignoring the way her friends are looking at her or how her face is beet red and her heart is racing.

But as misfortune would have it, the representatives of the Indigo League are walking towards the group with Charles Goodshow holding a large, golden trophy. Serena frowns and reluctantly lets go of Ash as he turns around and walks over to the officials with Pikachu hopping back onto his shoulder. The honey blonde girl collects herself and smiles brightly, happy to witness this moment.

"Congratulations, Ash," Charles compliments. "It gives me great pleasure to present you with the Indigo League trophy."

"Thanks, Charles," Ash says with a smile as he takes the trophy and holds it up for everyone to see.

The crowd cheers again with all of Ash's friends applauding with the crowd. Timothy puts down Electchu so that he can join in the applause with Coovers. The man from Unova turns to his friend and moves a little closer until they are inches apart beside each other.

"So, you really have no plans for after this?" He questions.

The man in the "H.A.K" shirt turns to his friend with a raised eyebrow and asks, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, it's a long shot, but maybe you can travel somewhere to find a really rare Pokemon before competing in a Pokemon league again," Coovers suggests.

"Ah. And use that so-called Master Ball Looker gave me to automatically capture said rare Pokemon?" Timothy assumes.

"Exactly," Coovers answers with a grin. "Maybe that rare Pokemon could become an official member of your party for the next league."

Timothy scoffs and says, "Even if I find the right Pokemon for that ball - assuming it even works, I don't think I'd feel like I earned winning any other leagues by using a powerful rare Pokemon."

"Well, you wouldn't be the first Pokemon trainer to do it," Coovers points out. "I did hear that there's some mystery guy named Tobias who won the Sinnoh League a year or so ago with a Darkrai and Latios."

"Hmmm, that's interesting," Timothy says. "Although I'm pretty happy with the team I have. I mean, who would I replace with this said rare Pokemon?"

Coovers shrugs and says, "Gengar?"

Timothy and Electchu snicker with their mouths closed.

"Tempting," Timothy admits. "If I find a rare Pokemon who is another ghost type, that would be a good way to stop having to deal with that mischievous Pokemon."

Meanwhile, Brock and Serena stand next to each other while they applaud for Ash. The honey blonde girl has a beatific smile on her face as she watches Ash show off his new trophy. Brock smirks as his young friend and leans in to talk to the teenage girl.

"You look really happy," he states quietly. "Is it because you got to hug Ash, and he declared that he fought the battle for you?"

Serena looks at Brock, confused until she realizes what he's getting at. She shakes her head and gives Ash a heartfelt look.

"I'm happy because Ash won," She clarifies. "He has been working so hard and has overcome so much that I have nothing but joy for him."

"Nothing?" Brock challenges.

Serena hesitates while still smiling before she looks at Ash more fondly.

"I admit he is very sweet to have said all of that to express his gratitude, and I couldn't be happier for that moment in each other's arms," she confesses. "Either way, I will treasure this time with him always even if we are apart."

Brock nods approvingly before he goes back to applauding. But as they do, Serena frowns and looks at Brock curiously.

"What will you do now?" She asks. "Are you going to keep traveling with Ash?"

Brock frowns and looks down.

"No," he says sadly. "I think I'm better off going back to Pewter City to take care of my family and keep training to become a doctor."

"Are you sure?" Serena questions.

"Positive," Brock answers. "I don't see a reason to go anywhere else. Least of all, not when I found the woman of my dreams only to lose her."

Serena frowns and asks, "You don't know that. Maybe you can find her again and clear everything up. Don't you want to be with her?"

"More than anything," Brock answers. "But I think it's over. No matter what I do, she's not coming back, and that's the end of it."

Serena looks at her older friend sympathetically and places her hand on his shoulder. Brock gives her an appreciative look before turning back to Ash.

"Well, whatever the case, I'm happy to witness this moment with Ash too," Brock says. "I think things are just gonna go up for our buddy."

Serena nods in agreement, but suddenly, a loud clap of thunder is heard rumbling in the sky so loud that everyone gasps and looks up to see storm clouds covering the bright sky within a blink of an eye. Suddenly, a large blue beam appears from the sky, and it disappears to reveal Giovanni gliding above everyone in a floating platform, with his hands on his back and an evil grin on his face. He is soon followed by Mewtwo flying down next to him with its eyes glowing blue and the brainwashing headband still on its head.

"Giovanni?!" Timothy and Coovers exclaim.

"Mewtwo?!" Ash, Misty, and Brock exclaim.

Giovanni takes out a microphone and speaks loudly to everyone.

"People of Kanto, the day has come where you will soon submit to the will of Team Rocket forever!" He declares. "For too long, we've been simply stealing Pokemon that appeared to be rare or powerful in our eyes. The time has finally come where we will take control of all the Pokemon in the world!"

Ash angrily glares at Giovanni and asks, "What's he talking about?"

"In our new headquarters between the Kanto and Johto regions, we have complete and utter control of the mythical Pokemon known as Arceus!" Giovanni continues. "With its ability to turn into any Pokemon type known to man, we will soon gain possession of every Pokemon in the entire world. Every creature on this planet will forever become the tools for Team Rocket that they were always destined to be!"

Everyone looks at Giovanni in confusion while Timothy and Coovers look at the leader of Team Rocket in horror.

"But that's not possible," Timothy claims. "How could he capture Arceus without you-know-what?"

"I don't know," Coovers answers. "Maybe they found a way to capture Arceus without it?"

Giovanni's grin grows as he continues his speech.

"Here's a demonstration of what is soon to come!" He announced.

With that, he unbuttons his coat and his shirt to reveal the white jewel strapped to his chest.

"The Gieldanstone?!" Timothy and Coovers exclaim in shock.

Giovanni places his hand on the jewel and proudly shouts, "Arceus, I command you to turn into a psychic type, step forward on the machine, and forever stay there till the end of your days!"

Back at the new Team Rocket headquarters, Dr. Zager, Agent Basker, and their science team wait patiently for Arceus to step into the machine. Several other members, including Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbuffet, stand behind to watch what is about to happen. Suddenly, the large Pokemon moves and bows its head like a servant.

"_As you wish, my master,_" it says.

Dr. Zager and Agent Basker grin mischievously as they watch the cross-like wheel on the alpha Pokemon's body turns magenta before it steps into the middle of the large machine. Without a word needed to be said, the Team Rocket scientists power up the machine until it's at full capacity. Dr. Zager sets the machine to have the effect spread throughout the entire world before he presses a large, red button. The machine starts to electrocute Arceus, and it lets out an unearthly scream of pain while still staying under the control of its master.

As the alpha Pokemon cries out in agony, some of the grunts' Pokeballs sporadically open to reveal their Psychic-type Pokemon standing in place like mindless drones. The grunts grin evilly, knowing that the machine is working while Jessie, James, and Meowth's hearts sink when they reluctantly turn to Wobbuffet. The patient Pokemon's goofy and energetic demeanor disappears, and it stands still like a statue its arms straight down. Jessie feels tears in her eyes as she wants to cry out to her Pokemon despite knowing that the Wobbufet she cares for has consciously disappeared.

"Well, it looks like da boss' plan is finally in motion," Meowth says glumly.

"Looks like it," James sadly agreed while turning his head to look at Arceus. "And now we have achieved everything we've ever wanted."

The tears in Jessie's eyes start to run down her face as she looks away from her brainwashed partner and fight the tears as best as she can.

"Yes," she whimpers quietly. "Everything we've ever wanted."

Back in the Indigo League, everyone silently waits curiously for what Giovanni just did with the jewel strapped to his chest. Then suddenly, Timothy, Max, and dozens of people in the crowd begin to feel one or more of the Pokeballs in their pockets or belts begin to shake violently. Within just a couple of seconds, psychic-type Pokemon burst out of their Pokeballs and appear with expressionless, lifeless looks in their eyes. All their trainers try to reach out to their Pokemon but to no avail.

"Gallade, what's wrong with you?" Max asks.

"Shockwave, what are you doing out of your Pokeball?!" Timothy exclaims, despite having a good idea what the answer is.

Many trainers try to return their Pokemon back into their Pokeballs, but none of them seem to work. Giovanni lets out a cruel chuckle before turning to Mewtwo.

"Take them," he orders bluntly.

Mewtwo nods before it lifts its hands up, and all of the psychic Pokemon on the ground become surrounded in a blue outline and are lifted into the air.

"Gallade!" Max screams.

"Shockwave, no!" Timothy exclaims, jumping in the air to try and reach his Pokemon to no avail.

Another Pokeball opens from Timothy's belt, and Odyssey emerges to see its close friend being lifted up.

"Luca!" It cries out with a pleading look to the brainwashed Gardevoir is lifted up high.

Once all of the psychic Pokemon are lifted into the same altitude as Giovanni and Mewtwo, the leader of Team Rocket continues his speech.

"With the power of Arceus at my disposal, I have just taken control of every psychic-type Pokemon in the entire world!" he announces. "Be it full type or duel type; if they are a psychic Pokemon, they all belong to me now! And soon, we will take control of all of the Pokemon!"

The crowd shakes violently in fear. Max has tears in his eyes to see Gallade brainwashed and captured while Timothy and Odyssey look at Shockwave devastated.

"And if you think you will have help from a force like the International Police to help you all, you should know that the entire International Police force is also under our control!" Giovanni announces. "Nothing can stop us from obtaining the world!"

Coovers gasps sharply and he and Timothy look at each other in disbelief.

"But to you, people of the Kanto and Johto regions, I'm giving you all a choice!" Giovanni continues. "Either you bow to Team Rocket and give us the rest of your Pokemon willingly, or you will try to fight us and lose, and we will still take your Pokemon! The choice is yours. We are giving you one month to decide!"

Giovanni presses a button on his platform and a hologram of Team Rocket's new headquarters and the land next to it.

"As I said, our new headquarters is here between the borders of the Kanto and Johto regions!" Giovanni says. "Within a month, you will come here and give us your Pokemon here willingly or by force!"

Terror fills the hearts of many people in the stadium. Max glares at Giovanni with a look of anger through his tears. Serena, Brock, Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, and Cilan all look worried about what is happening. Piplup, Axew, and Electchu stay close to their respective trainers, scared to be separated from them. Timothy and Coovers look horrified, unable to process that they have somehow failed to keep the Gieldanstone out of Giovanni's reach or that Mewtwo and the entire International Police are brainwashed. But above all of them, Ash grinds his teeth, and he and Pikachu glare at Giovanni, wanting to do something to stop him. Unfortunately, Giovanni notices the raven-haired boy and gives him a smug look.

"And if you think there is a way you can stop me, you will have to do it without a certain young trainer who has gotten in the way of many organizations like mine," Giovanni says.

Ash's anger turns into confusion before he feels Pikachu get knocked off his shoulder, his Pokeballs taken out of his belt, and his trophy pulled out of his hands. The next thing he knows, his body is surrounded in a blue outline and is slowly being lifted off the ground. He starts to panic while his friends gasp in alarm.

"Ash!" Ash's friends cry out.

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu screams.

"Ash, no!" Serena cries out.

Without thinking about it, Serena runs toward Ash and jumps into the air to barely wrap her arms around Ash's waist, and the two of them are being lifted up together.

"Serena, let go!" Ash shouts. "If you hang on, you'll be captured too!"

"I don't care!" Serena shouts back. "I'm not letting go of you!"

Giovanni laughs loudly in a cold manner.

"I'm afraid that's not your decision to make you silly girl," he says before turning to Mewtwo. "Remove her from the boy."

Mewtwo nods and looks at Ash and Serena, who are still being lifted up. Serena sees her body becoming surrounded in a blue outline, and her heart sinks as she's being pulled away from Ash.

"No!" Serena screams, trying hard to hold on to Ash.

"Don't do this!" Ash barks at Giovanni. "Don't you dare harm her."

Giovanni laughs again and says, "I could care less what happens to her or any of you."

Serena keeps holding on to Ash as best as she can, but it isn't long before she is yanked from Ash and suddenly released from Mewtwo's control.

"Serena, no!" Ash screams as Serena falls toward the ground.

Serena screams fearfully in a high-pitched voice, and Brock, Timothy, and Coovers quickly run to where she's falling and catches her in time. Serena is briefly thankful that she's unharmed before her heart breaks at the sight of Ash floating next to Giovanni and Mewtwo helplessly.

"Remember, you have one month to decide!" Giovanni reminds. "Serve me willingly or by force! I might even call on Arceus to destroy you all if I deem it necessary, so choose wisely!"

With that, he turns to Mewtwo and commands, "Let's go home." The brainwashed generic Pokemon nods, and another blue beam appears from the sky consuming Giovanni, Ash, and all of the psychic Pokemon. Everyone covers their eyes until the light disappears to reveal the leader of Team Rocket, Ash, and the psychic Pokemon completely gone. They gasp in horror while Serena stares at where Ash was before she screams in devastation.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHHH!"

Ash has no idea what just happened, but the next thing he knows, he appears to be inside a room with Giovanni, the psychic type Pokemon, and Matori standing close to them, having been waiting for them. Suddenly, the door to the room flies open, and the whole area is swarming with Team Rocket grunts followed by Butch and Cassidy. Giovanni puts his hands behind his back again as he turns to the psychic Pokemon.

"Follow Butch and Cassidy to where you will be positioned outside," he commands. "Mewtwo, you stay by my side."

The brainwashed Pokemon apart from Mewtwo nod and obediently follow Butch and Cassidy out of the room with the grunts. Giovanni points at two of the grunts leaving and says, "Take the boy to the prison we have placed for him. Make sure he only gets enough food to stay alive."

"Hey, wait!" Ash shouts angrily, running toward Giovanni only for the grunts to grab him by both arms. "You can't do this."

Giovanni smirks at the boy and walks away and says, "I beg to differ."

The grunts drag Ash away with the boy kicking and screaming in the process. Mewtwo follows the evil man as he walks up a few floors to the top of the building. At the top of the floor is a large room, two stories high and as wide as the building itself. All of Giovanni's belongings are there, including his desk and the couch where Persian is quietly sleeping in. A large glass window that reaches the ceiling stands behind Giovanni's desk, where he can see the large grassy field outside where hundreds of wild psychic-type Pokemon are walking towards like zombies. Several other psychic Pokemon fly in the air, including a few Deoxys, Celebi, the Lake Guardians, Cresselia, Latios and Latias, a Lugia flying from the sea, and another Lugia and its baby flying from the east. Even another Mewtwo is flying around, but Giovanni plays no mind to it, deeming it inferior to the one his organization created.

With a proud smirk on his face, Giovanni walks over to his desk with Mewtwo following behind. Matori is standing by the window, waiting for him.

"Report," Giovanni commands bluntly.

"Sir, the machine is working perfectly," Matori says. "Despite being in pain, Arceus is showing no resistance, and there's no sign of its health deteriorating. We've also been monitoring several TV stations around the world, and they confirm that all of their psychic Pokemon are under our control."

"Excellent," Giovanni says. "Now all that's left is -"

Suddenly, a yellow ring appears in the air, and a blue portal appears in the center. Out of the ring comes a brainwashed Hoopa, much to Giovanni's pleasure.

"Ah, right on time," he says, walking to the mischief Pokemon. "Hello, Hoopa."

"_Greetings, master_," Hoopa dully replies through telepathy. "_What is your desire?_"

"It's very simple, my little friend," Giovanni says. "There are countless other psychic Pokemon under our control all over the world. I want you to use your rings to transport them all to our grounds outside immediately.

"_Yes, master,_" Hoopa says.

The two rings hanging on Hoopa's horns float up, and the mischief Pokemon uses Psychic to open a part of the window so that its rings can come outside. Giovanni and Matori walk towards the window where they see the rings flying towards the field before expanding to be the size of tall buildings. Blue portals appear inside the rings, and many more Pokemon walk or fly to the field. From Pokemon from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and many other regions, the Pokemon obediently emerge from the rings. Giovanni grins again, pleased with what is happening before turning to Mewtwo.

"I don't think your headband is needed any longer, my old friend," he says, walking to the Pokemon.

He takes the headband off Mewtwo's head, and the genetic Pokemon lets off a brief groan before it goes back to giving a blank stare.

"Now, remind me, Mewtwo; whom do you serve?" The leader of Team Rocket asks.

"_Giovanni,_" Mewtwo says with a clearer voice.

"Good," Giovanni says. "Now create a massive storm surrounding all of the regions," Giovanni commands. "I want all of the regions completely cut off from each other!"

"_As you command, master,_" Mewtwo replies.

Mewtwo lifts its hand and starts moving it back and forth with a blue aura surrounding it. The sky becomes covered in dark clouds again, and the sea begins to create powerful tidal waves. The waves suddenly stop, however, when heading towards Team Rocket's new headquarters or the bridge that connects the building to the mainland. Giovanni grins triumphantly as the storm grows more dangerous, and the psychic Pokemon start filling the grassy field more and more.

"What a magnificent view," Giovanni says with Matori nodding. "I don't know how it can get any better."

"Mew."

Giovanni and Matori look at each other in confusion until they look up to see two Mew entering from the open window to float down in front of Giovanni. It takes a moment before Giovanni realizes that the rare Pokemon are also under his control, and he smiles deviously at the pink Pokemon.

"Well, well, well. Two Mew. How nice to meet you," he says. "My mother would have given anything to meet you and sell you to the highest bidder. She would have been disappointed to know that there are two of you as opposed to one. So much for being the rarest of all Pokemon."

"Mew," the brainwashed Pokemon reply.

Giovanni turns to the Mew on the left and says, "You appear to be the weaker of the two. Stay with the Pokemon outside.

The Mew nods before flying through the open window again while Giovanni keeps his eyes on the second one. He puts his hand on the stronger Mew and forces it down until it's standing on the ground where it has to look up to see the full-grown man. The leader of Team Rocket grins as he watches the Pokemon stay on the floor where he wants it to be.

"See, mother?" he mutters quietly. "This is how you lacked vision. This is how you take over the entire world with Pokemon."


	75. Chapter 75

Timothy and Electchu are sitting on Timothy's bed inside his and Coovers' room at the Pokemon Center. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt stares at the floor, feeling broken by losing one of his Pokemon to Team Rocket again. Electchu tries to comfort its friend, but it knows that there's little that it can do for its partner in this situation. Odyssey sits in a corner, devastated to see its close friend be taken away.

As they all sit quietly, Coovers enters the room with a serious look on his face. Timothy and his two Pokemon turn to the man from Unova, who just walks over to his bed and sits down.

"Well?" Timothy asks.

Coovers stays silent for a few seconds before he sighs and faces his friend.

"Whole bunch of people were switching channels to look up the news all over the world," Coovers says. "Many stations were trying to take a census for their respective regions. Nothing is confirmed, but it looks like Giovanni did take control of every single Pokemon in the world that is a complete or part psychic-type."

"Were switching channels?" Timothy queries.

"It looks like Giovanni had Mewtwo make another big storm around all of the regions," Coovers explains. "Any contact beyond the Kanto and Johto regions is completely cut off."

"And the International Police?" Timothy asks.

Coovers winces and says, "I tried contacting Looker and anyone else at headquarters before we got cut off, but there was no reply. I also tried to contact any agents out in the field, but there are none either here or in any of the other regions. It looks like I'm officially all that remains of the International Police."

Timothy hangs his head, overwhelmed. Electchu and Odyssey look at their trainer, unsure of how to react to the horrible information.

"Even here in Kanto and Johto, there are tons of reports of lost Pokemon," Coovers continues. "There's a girl named Macy who lost her Starmie, Misty found out from her sisters in Cerulean City that her Starmie is gone too, Spenser from the Battle Frontier has lost his Claydol, that snobby girl, Giselle, lost her Espeon, the gym leader from Saffron City, Sabrina lost her Alakazam, Anabel has lost her whole team, Ash's mom is missing her Mr. Mime, even Alain has reported to have lost his Metagross. I could go on for hours about trainers who lost their Pokemon, and that's still not taking wild psychic-type Pokemon to account."

Timothy groans and runs his fingers through his hair.

"How could this have happened?" He asks. "I thought Mewtwo erased their memories so that they wouldn't know anything about the Gieldanstone."

"I don't know how," Coovers says. "All I know is Giovanni has it, a fraction of all the Pokemon in the entire world are under his control, he gave us a month to decide whether to give up all of our Pokemon or try to fight against his organization, and there's a large group of people downstairs including our friends who want answers."

Timothy sighs, frustrated by the situation. He keeps his head down before he stands up and looks at Coovers.

"Well, I suppose we should do something starting with explaining things to our friends," he suggests.

Coovers takes a second before he nods and stands up. The two of them exit their room with Electchu and Odyssey and walk down the hall and enter the lobby. Dozens of people, including Serena, Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, and Cilan are there, crowding the whole area while talking amongst themselves. Max is crying over Gallade while May and Bonnie try to comfort him. Iris and Dawn are holding Axew and Piplup close to them tightly, terrified that they might slip out of their hands. Brock is trying to keep a brave face while Serena holds on to Pikachu as she and Misty fight the tears in their eyes over Ash's kidnapping. Timothy and Coovers look at each other before they walk over to the front desk where Nurse Joy is standing behind everyone.

"Attention, everyone!" Coovers shouts. "Could I have your attention please?!"

No one seems to have paid any mind to Coovers.

"I need your attention right now!" Coovers shouts louder.

Again, no one hears him. Coovers grows frustrated until Nurse Joy hands him a mic that connects to the speakers on top of the ceiling.

"Attention!" Coovers shouts through the mic.

The lobby instantly becomes silent, and all eyes turn to Cooves and Timothy.

"Now I know that all of you are all distressed with what just happened," Coovers says through the mic.

"Of course, we are distressed! Some of us just lost our Pokemon!" someone from the audience shouts.

The crowd shouts words of agreement until Coovers speaks again.

"I know, and I know you want an explanation of how Team Rocket was able to do that," Coovers says.

"What? Do you have one?!" A woman shouts.

"As a matter of fact, we do!" Timothy calls out, stepping in.

Brock, Serena, Dawn, and the rest of the gang look at the two men, confused with what they're saying. Coovers and Timothy look at them briefly before they face the entire crowd.

"I am the last member of the International Police," Coovers says through the microphone. "A few months ago, I was assigned a mission to find and retrieve a powerful jewel called the Gieldanstone."

Everyone in the crowd looks at each other, confused as Coovers continues.

"The Gieldanstone is a white jewel that makes Arceus itself obey the will of anyone who holds it," Coovers explains. "It was hidden years ago until the archeologist named Brandon discovered its whereabouts. My superiors suspected that Team Rocket knew about Brandon's discovery and would want their hands on it, so they sent me to find the jewel first with my help of my companion, Timothy Durbin here, after he won the Johto League and defeated the Johto Elite Four and the bi-regional champion."

Brock, Serena, Pikachu, May, Max, and Dawn stare at the two men, uneasy with what their on and off companions are getting at.

"We came across the owner of the Battle Frontier named Scott, who invited Timothy to compete in the Battle Frontier," Coovers continued. "When we learned that competing in the frontier would ultimately lead to us getting the location to Brandon and therefore the Gieldanstone, he accepted Scott's offer.

Timothy takes a moment to give Serena, Brock, and Dawn apologetic looks, knowing that they are hurt that he and Coovers have been lying about their reason to go on their journey.

"Timothy battled his way to Brandon, and with his help, we retrieved the stone only to be ambushed by Team Rocket," Coovers says. "We would have lost the stone if it weren't for the powerful psychic Pokemon that you saw next to Giovanni. This Pokemon who shall not be named followed us so that it could erase all of Team Rocket's memories revolving around the Gieldanstone, and thus we could bring the jewel to International Police headquarters to keep it safe."

"Then how did Team Rocket get this giddystone or whatever and possess all of the psychic-type Pokemon?" Max shouts bitterly with May, and Bonnie trying to calm him down.

"We don't know," Timothy admits. "We're just in the dark about that as you are. For all intents and purposes, there should be no way that Team Rocket has somehow regained their memories and liberated the Gieldanstone from the International Police."

"Then I was right to keep it away from you!"

Everyone turns around to see Brandon walking towards Timothy and Coovers. Electchu and Odyssey give the man hostile looks as Brandon angrily points at Timothy and Coovers.

"My Solrock is gone because of your arrogance!" He barks. "I told you that you can't be trusted with it if you can't stay on guard! It's your fault that Arceus and all the psychic Pokemon are under Team Rocket's control!"

The crowd gasps and then grumbles to each other, giving Timothy and Coovers disapproving glares. Brock, Serena, Pikachu, May, Max, and Dawn are feeling uneasy about their friends. Misty and Iris join in coldly judging the two men while Clemont, Bonnie, and Cilan don't know how to feel.

"You arrogantly claimed that you could keep the Gieldanstone safe, and now it's in Team Rocket's hands!" Brandon continues. "You should have just left well enough alone, but you pridefully tried to prove that you can do better than the depths of the temple where it was protected! Your arrogance has -"

"SHUT UP!" Timothy screams.

Everyone looks at Timothy, alarmed as he marches toward Brandon with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Arrogant this, arrogant that, how dare you do this, how dare you do that! I'm this well-known archaeologist who's always on guard, and therefore I know everything! Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah!" Timothy rambles childishly. "Do you think pointing your finger at us is going to hide the fact that you have a part in this too?!"

"What?!" Brandon barks angrily.

"You heard him!" Coovers shouts. "Who says we're the only members of the guilty party? After all, it was your idea to determine who gets to keep the Gieldanstone with a Pokemon battle against Timothy!"

The crowd gasps and Bradon's anger against the two men grows.

"Coovers is right!" Timothy shouts. "You were so confident that I would lose to you because of my pride that you didn't consider that I might use your plan against you! You rolled the dice for that stupid jewel the same as me!"

Brandon grinds his teeth and claims, "That doesn't matter! The point is you claimed that you would keep the Gieldanstone safe, and you failed! Now my Solrock is gone, and it's all your fault!"

"Oh, cry me a river about your Solrock!" Timothy yells. "You think you're the only one missing a Pokemon here? Team Rocket took Shockwave away from me, and I couldn't do a thing about it!"

"If you have just let me take it, it would have been safer!" Brandon avers.

"You can't prove Team Rocket doesn't have spies inside your group of archaeologists!" Coovers points out. "They probably have spies in your community too. Heck, that's probably how they found out about you discovering the stone."

Brandon grinds his teeth and barks, "And you think that your -"

"STOP IT!"

Everyone turns around to Serena, glaring at Brandon, Timothy, and Coovers. She walks over to them while still holding Pikachu in her arms with an irate look on her face.

"Stop it all of you!" she shouts. "Fighting over who is more guilty than who is not going to help anyone get their Pokemon back, and it's not going to help Ash!"

The three men look away at each other ashamedly, as if they're little boys being disciplined by their mother. The lobby becomes silent for a minute before Brock clears his throat and steps in.

"Serena is right!" he declares. "We're not helping anyone by standing here and bickering at each other. We've got to do something for the sake of our Pokemon and the entire world!"

"I agree!" Max exclaims. "I'm not going to give up my Pokemon when I have a chance to fight for them!"

"Neither will I!" Dawn announces.

"Piplup!" Piplup chirps.

"Agreed!" Misty shouts.

"I won't let Team Rocket try to take Dedenne away from me!" Bonnie shouts, holding her bag containing Dedenne close.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne agrees.

"No one is taking my Pokemon away from me!" Iris backs.

"Axew!" Axew shouts

"Nor me!" Cilan declares.

"Me neither!" Clemont declares.

The rest of the people cheer loudly in agreement.

"No!" Brandon shouts sharply.

Everyone looks at the Pyramid King, confused.

"What do you mean, no? We have to fight!" Misty says.

"If you charge into their headquarters, you will surely lose," Brandon points out. "Just with all the psychic Pokemon in the world, they outnumber you 1,000 to 1."

Timothy frowns and turns his back on everyone. He looks at Electchu and Odyssey, who are both afraid of what might come. The look on Electchu, in particular, reminds Timothy of the fear in its eyes when it was just a Pikachu, and it was being tortured by Team Rocket. It's all too clear to him that his partner is afraid to be in Team Rocket's hands again. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt frowns, and his hands turn into balls of fists as the memory of the day Team Rocket stole his Pokemon fills his mind.

"But we have to do something," Iris protests to Brandon. "We can't just give up on our Pokemon."

"I'm not saying that," Brandon says. "But fighting against an army like that isn't the only way."

"You're wrong, Brandon."

Everyone turns to Timothy, who turns to face them with a look of resolve on his face.

"The only option we have is to fight," he says. "For 18 years, I've been training and battling with my Pokemon and watch others train and battle with theirs. Win or lose, we have all learned to become stronger with the bonds that we share with our Pokemon. But Team Rocket has never believed in the importance of that. As far as any of them are concerned, Pokemon are just living instruments put on this planet to serve and nothing else. And because of that, they've been stealing other people's Pokemon, and therefore stealing their hopes and dreams with the creatures that have become family and friends to them. I had my Pokemon stolen from me by Team Rocket on my first year as a trainer, and if I hadn't tracked them down to save them, I wouldn't be the person I am today, and my Pokemon wouldn't be who they are now either. Many people are not as fortunate as I am because Team Rocket has been allowed to stay around for this long."

People in the crowd look at each other and murmur words of agreement.

"We have had to deal with Team Rocket in some way or another over the years," May admits with Max, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, and Cilan nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, and they've caused a lot of damage in the process," Misty says.

"And who knows what kind of damage they will create if they do obtain all of the Pokemon in the world?" Brock points out.

"That's right," Timothy says. "So since Team Rocket started here in Kanto, we as a region are to blame for letting Team Rocket grow as much as it has. It only fits that we have no choice but to gather every trainer willing to do anything to keep their hopes and dreams alive from here to Johto and fight. Together, we will bring down the evil organization once and for all!"

"YES!" Everyone but Brandon cries out.

"But you're talking about gathering people and Pokemon from two regions to just charge in there with no strategic planning," Brandon points out.

"Not necessarily," Timothy says. "If anything, Giovanni was a fool to give us a complete layout of his tower and the land that connects to it."

"What do you mean?" Bradon asks.

"Think about it, Brandon. We're Pokemon trainers," Timothy says. "And good Pokemon trainers don't just choose one of his or her Pokemon to fight and hope for the best. They strategize. They consider their Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses and think of the best way to overcome the obstacles."

Clemont hums in thought before he snaps his fingers.

"I think I get what you're saying," he says with a smile. "If we're going to win, we have to come up with a specific battle plan against Team Rocket with the Pokemon we have and where they are."

"Yes! Exactly!" Timothy happily exclaims, pointing at Clemont. "If we come up with a plan from knowing what Pokemon from both sides have and the environment of the battlefield, that could ultimately overcome their forces, and thus we take them down and free Ash and all of our Pokemon."

"And what of the Gieldanstone?" Brandon questions. "Giovanni still has it to control Arceus."

Timothy turns to the archaeologist and smirks.

"We made the mistake of believing the jewel simply has to be hidden away just like Arceus and the people from ancient times did," he states. "If we just take the stone from Giovanni, it might mean nothing if someone in the future succeeds where people like Giovanni or that emperor did not."

Coovers nods in understanding and says, "So, if we are to prevent that, we have no choice but to destroy the Gieldanstone. If we do that, then Arceus will be free, and no one can use a device like that to use Arceus for their own means ever again."

Brandon thinks about it for a moment and nods in approval.

"What about the International Police?" Iris questions. "They could be inside the building."

"Axew," Axew says with a nod.

Coovers frowns and says, "If they are, then we will need a small group to sneak our way into their headquarters during the fighting and free them. They might even aid us in taking down Giovanni while his people are fighting outside."

"But how are you going to do that?" Cilan asks. "You could be spotted somehow during the fighting."

"Not if they're focusing on something else," Misty says with a smirk on her face.

"Uh, what are you implying, Misty?" Max asks, concerned with the look on Misty's face.

"Well, if we're talking about strategy and the advantages of certain Pokemon, then there's even less of a reason to charge at Team Rocket all at once," Misty says. "Team Rocket's base is surrounded in water, and so if we gather enough water Pokemon from both trainers and from the sea below, we can muster a force to flank Team Rocket's forces from behind. So while Team Rocket are focused on being attacks from both sides, this small squad in question can sneak into their headquarters."

"So basically you would be using a force of water Pokemon as both a flanking maneuver and a diversion," Timothy says with a smirk. "Pretty devious idea, Misty."

"Yeah, but the storm that Mew - er, the powerful psychic Pokemon has created is so powerful that it could seriously hurt you and your water Pokemon if you try to swim your way there," Coovers says worriedly, trying to keep Mewtwo's identity a secret from the crowd.

"Not if we go underwater," Misty points out. "With the right underwater equipment, we can swim underneath the storm with our Pokemon. Plus, I'm willing to bet Team Rocket wouldn't want the storm to be near their headquarters, so it will be safe to reach the surface and enter the mainland."

Timothy, Coovers, and Brandon look at each other and nod.

"Sounds plausible to me," Brandon says.

"Me too," Timothy says.

"Me three," Coovers says. "Now, if it's all the same to you, I'll lead the small squad since I want to save the entire force I'm a part of."

Everyone nods at Coovers, showing no objections.

"So, with that comes figuring out who will go with me," he continues.

"Pikachu and I are going," Serena says without hesitating.

Everyone turns to the honey blonde girl holding Pikachu with Brandon looking skeptical.

"Young lady, we're talking about a dangerous mission," he says. "I doubt you can handle -"

"I don't care if I have to single-handedly face Arceus," Serena states. "Ash is in there, and Pikachu and I want to free him."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu loudly agrees.

"Are you sure about this, Serena?" Coovers asks. "I'm not saying no, but Brandon has a point. Going on this mission with me will be risky."

"Everything we're going to do against Team Rocket is risky," Serena points out. "Besides, Team Rocket specifically saw Ash as an obstacle to remove. Not you, or Timothy, or any of the most powerful Pokemon trainers in the world, just Ash."

"That's a good point," Dawn admits.

"So what if they did?" a person from the crowd points out. "Sure, he won the Indigo League and all, but a lot of people have won a Pokemon league over the years, so logically, there's nothing special about him."

The crowd all say words of agreement until Serena turns to them with an angry look on her face.

"Ash is special!" she shouts. "He treasures all of his friends and Pokemon and faces everything with a positive attitude! Whatever the reason, it's obvious Team Rocket knows that there's something special about Ash just like me and all of our friends!"

Misty, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Coovers, Electchu, and Odyssey all shout words or sounds of agreement.

"So if they see Ash as a threat, then Pikachu and I are going to do whatever we can to free Ash and help him do what he has to do to stop Team Rocket once and for all!" Serena continues. "He told me years ago to not give up until it's over, and I'm not planning to give up as long as he needs Pikachu and me. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaims.

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Serena!" Dawn cheers.

"Piplup!" Piplup shouts.

"Beautifully said," Cilan says.

"Yay, Serena and Pikachu!" Bonnie shouts.

"We'll be counting on you two," May says.

"What my sister said," Max says.

"Do what you gotta do, Serena," Iris encourages.

"Axew!" Axew cheers.

"Yeah, you go save Ash," Brock says with a stuffy smile.

"Yes, bring him back safe and sound," Misty says.

Serena turns to Misty, and the two of them give each other a friendly look. Serena knows Misty would want to rescue Ash, too, but her mind is set to lead the water Pokemon into battle. And while Misty still sees no hope for Serena's wishes to be with Ash, she respects her determination to help him no matter what so long as the boy they both care for will ultimately be rescued. They keep looking at each other until Coovers speaks.

"Well, when you put it all like that, how can I refuse?" he says with a smile. "Now, we'll just have to figure out who else should go."

"True, but getting back to strategy, I recommend we should have a medical unit for injured Pokemon during the battle," Brock says.

Brandon nods and says, "Excellent idea. Though many injuries typically take time to properly heal a Pokemon before they can fight again."

"I'm well aware of that as a doctor-in-training," Brock says seriously. "But if we gather every doctor and nurse we have in Kanto and Johto, and create some sort of...healing camp somewhere away from the battle, people can bring their injured Pokemon, and we can heal them as soon as possible so that they can get back to the fight. If anything, having a place to restore the health of Pokemon will be something Team Rocket won't have, which could ultimately work to our advantage."

"That's very true," Coovers says.

Timothy nods and says, "So just from this discussion, we already have a main force, a flank maneuver, the beginning of a squad to infiltrate their base to rescue the International Police and Ash, and a medical camp. Call me quick to judge, but I think we're off to a good start in planning the means to take down Team Rocket. Wouldn't you agree, Brandon?"

Brandon hesitates for a moment and says, "Yes, it sounds like the beginning of what may be our best chance of stopping Team Rocket. If this is what it will take to protect our Pokemon and save the world, then we will fight."

Everyone in the group cheers before Timothy turns to everyone else in the lobby.

"So what are we waiting for?" he says. "It's time to destroy Team Rocket! Who's still with us?"

The crowd roars in response, and the man in the "H.A.K." shirt grins.

"Alright then, let's move!" he says. "Contact everyone you know from either Kanto or Johto and tell them to join us. We've got an army to build, a battle plan to further develop, and we have exactly one month to take the enemy down with both!"

The crowd cheers again before they rush to the video phones on the other side of the lobby. They wait in line as they take turns contacting as many people as they can. Timothy smiles while Electchu and Odyssey walk over to him with their own smiles on their faces.

"Raichu!" Electchu exclaims.

"Luca!" Odyssey says.

Timothy turns to his Pokemon and kneels down to give both of them a hug.

"We're going to save Shockwave, guys," he promises. "We're going to save them all."


	76. Chapter 76

For the last week and a half, Ash has been lying down inside a dark prison several floors down from the top floor to the Team Rocket tower. The prison appears to be specifically designed to be that high so that Giovanni and the other higher members of Team Rocket can keep a relatively close eye on the raven-haired boy they deem as some kind of a threat. During the first couple of days, Ash was banging the metal bars and shouting to let him go or tell the evil organization that they won't get away with what they're doing, but a while, he accepted that shouting is no use, so he just stays quietly in his cell. Two times a day, a Team Rocket grunt will come in and barely give him enough food to suitably fill his stomach. The rest of the time, he's left all alone, keeping his spirits up as best as he can while wishing more than anything he can reunite with his friends.

A knock is heard from the door on the other side of the room, and Jessie, James, and Meowth come in with a small plate of food. The trio appears to be in lower spirits than Ash's as they witness the raven-haired boy sitting down in a corner, not even looking at them. They look at each other before James clears his throat.

"Uh, dinner is served," he announces awkwardly.

Ash doesn't reply or look at the three of them. The trio become uneasy again, knowing that it's not in Ash's nature to not show any enthusiasm for food. Meowth frowns and slides the plate toward Ash from the small opening underneath the metal bars, but Ash still doesn't move a muscle.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Jessie asks.

"I'm not feeling up for it right now," Ash mumbles.

The trio is slightly relieved to hear Ash speak, but the feeling is overpowered by his depressing response.

"Come now, old chum, you should eat," James says. "You don't want to starve, do you?"

Ash doesn't reply.

"Oh, come on, your friends wouldn't want you to act like this, would they?" Jessie suggests.

"What do you care?" Ash asks, standing up to face them. "What reason do you have to be bothered about what happens to me? You're getting what you've been trying to accomplish for years, right? You've constantly been trying to kidnap my Pokemon or other people's Pokemon for as long as I can remember and now you're just a little ways away from getting all of the Pokemon in the entire world."

Jessie, James, and Meowth look at Ash surprised, and Meowth says, "What's gotten into ya? I thought you knew better than to give up."

"Oh, I haven't given up," Ash clarifies. "I may be miserable because I'm away from everyone I care about, and I'm alone in a dark prison, but I haven't given up. And do you know why? Because I trust that my friends will come get me. They're going to do whatever it takes to save me and the entire world no matter what. I believe that they care that much to do it, but I don't expect you to care about me at all."

"Hey, that's not fair," James protests. "What about the times we've helped you protect the world or help you and your friends? That's gotta count for something."

"If any of those times counted for something, then you would have stopped trying to kidnap Pokemon a long time ago," Ash states.

Jessie frowns and mutters, "He's got a good point."

"Yeah, but we're caring about ya now," Meowth says.

"So what? You'll probably forget about that too if you succeed in controlling all Pokemon," Ash says.

"No, we -" Meowth begins before the door behind them opens.

Giovanni enters the room, still having an evil, triumphant smirk on his face. Jessie, James, and Meowth quickly salute in front of their leader and quickly shouts, "Sir!"

"Leave me," Giovanni says bluntly. "I will speak with the prisoner alone."

"Sir!" the trio repeats.

As they leave, they turn to look at Ash again, and the raven-haired boy just gives them a look that says they just proved his point. The guilt begins to fester in their hearts while they leave the room and close the door. Giovanni puts his hands behind his back and looks at Ash, who just gives him a cold look. He sees the plate of food untouched, and his smirk grows as if he broke a small rodent's desire to eat crumbs from underneath the table.

"Well?" Ash asks with his arms crossed.

Giovanni remains silent for a few seconds before he says, "I must confess that part of me feels silly for locking you up."

Ash's cold look melts away to a look of pure confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asks.

Giovanni chuckles with his mouth closed before he speaks again while pacing back and forth.

"I mean, there's no rhyme or reason to feel threatened by you," he elaborates. "The only time I've ever had a battle with you was in Unova, and you and your Pikachu didn't last more than twenty-five seconds at best against my Persian and me. And thanks to Mewtwo giving back every single memory it has ever wiped out, I remember what little help you and your Pokemon were against me and my entire combat force at Mount Quena. So for all intents and purposes, I find it embarrassing for one of my agents to show any concern for the likes of you."

Ash confusion turns into an angry glare.

"Then why did you kidnap me?" he asks.

"Hmmm. How should I put this? There seems to be a special pattern with you," Giovanni answers while still pacing. "Whether it's Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, or Team Flare, you apparently have played some kind of part in taking down criminal organizations throughout the world. Granted, none of them compare to the might of my organization, but even then, you somehow played a part in disrupting my control over the Forces of Nature. So somehow you are a special part of a sword if you will that cuts down every single threat against the world."

Ash doesn't say a word to comment on Giovanni's explanation while the leader of Team Rocket continues.

"To summarize everything I've said, there are many trainers far more powerful than you to treat as a threat in any way, but there's something about you that might make you a bigger threat to my entire plan," Giovanni says. "It's very confusing."

"Well, then let me make it easier for you," Ash says, glaring at Team Rocket's leader. "I'm not the only reason you or any of those people failed. I haven't played a part in those things just because I'm special or some chosen one or whatever you want to call me. I've always had my friends to work together with me to take down the likes of you. And you know what? You've made a big mistake by kidnapping me. All of my friends are going to come for me, and they will take you down no matter what you have against them!"

Giovanni stops pacing, and for a minute, neither he nor Ash saying a word. They glare menacingly at each other like the enemies they are until Giovanni lets out a low giggle that grows into a roar of maniacal laughter.

"Perfect," he says. "If all you need are your pitiful friends to be any threat to me, then I have nothing to fear. The fact is I'm counting on your friends and all trainers of the Kanto and Johto regions coming here. But if you think they will ever last long against my army much less make their way to Arceus and try to take it from me or come and free you, you're in for disappointment. They will have no choice but to surrender to me and give me their Pokemon."

"No, they won't!" Ash shouts.

"Oh? And what makes you so sure?" Giovanni asks.

"Because I trust in them," Ash answers.

Again, Giovanni laughs out loud before he turns to the door.

"Well, let's see what good your trust will do within the next two and a half weeks," he says. "In the meantime, I'd eat up if I were you. I'm sure your precious friends trust you to stay alive until they come and get you."

With that, the leader of Team Rocket leaves the room, and Ash stares at the door. Then he sits down and eats his plate of cold, stale food. When he finishes, he shoves the plate away, goes back into his corner, and lets out a big sigh. He hugs his legs, and he thinks about everyone cares about; how his mom must be worried sick, how Pikachu desperately wants to be reunited with its partner, and how the rest of his Pokemon probably feel about his capture. Then his mind turns to how Brock, Misty, May, Max, Dawn, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Cilan, Timothy, and Coovers must be working hard to come up with a plan to beat Team Rocket.

But then his mind turns to Serena. He thinks about how hard he worked to make her happy again before Team Rocket crushed her joy by abducting him. He thinks about how she must be so worried about him that she tried to be lifted up with him. Even when he told her to let go, she refused to leave his side. The horror in her eyes when Mewtwo pulled her away and dropped her still plays in his mind. He doesn't want to think about what he would have done if Brock, Timothy, and Coovers didn't catch her. It's clear to him that out of all of his friends, she's worried about him the most, and she's likely going to do everything in her power to save him.

"Don't give up, Serena," he begs quietly. "Don't give until it's all over."

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt, Braixen, use Flamethrower! Pancham, use Dark Pulse! Sylveon, use Fairy Wind! Poliwag, use Ice Beam! And Absol, you use Night Slash!"

Pikachu and all five of Serena's Pokemon use their respective attacks at a few trees. By this point, the honey blonde girl has ordered the Pokemon to use the same attacks on the trees so many times that Pikachu and Braixen's trees are burnt to a crisp, Pancham's has several holes in it, Sylveon's tree is covered in fairy dust, Poliwag's tree is trapped in a giant block of ice, and Absol's tree is cut into tiny pieces. All of the Pokemon are panting heavily after having used so much energy from training.

"Alright, great work, everyone. Now return," Serena commands as she puts her Pokemon back into their Pokeballs. "Come on, Pikachu. Let's get you and the others healed up."

"Pika!" Pikachu says, smiling as it hops onto her shoulder.

It has been two weeks since Giovanni made his declaration of world domination. Since then, many Pokemon trainers from Kanto have been gathering together for the cause to fight back by the thousands. There isn't a single Nurse Joy or doctor who hasn't come with all sorts of medication or healing equipment for the healing camp Brock is creating.

Nolan, Greta, Lucy, and Tucker of the Battle Frontier have joined with Tucker and Lucy volunteering to join the water battalion. Many of the gym leaders, excluding Blaine, who is trapped in Cinnabar Island, have also joined. Sabrina, in particular, is determined to fight for her Alakazam even though Haunter is not very experienced in battle. Brock is uneasy about having his little brother, Forrest, take part in the battle, but Forrest ultimately convinced his brother that is for the good of everything, including their family. Lt. Surge, in particular, has taken part in giving military advice to Timothy, Brandon, and Coovers, improving their battle plan. But many are afraid over whether or not they will win as the days are always dark with Mewtwo covering the sky with dark clouds.

Meanwhile, Serena has been training Pikachu and her Pokemon with every chance she gets as everyone slowly travels to Team Rocket's headquarters. The rest of her friends have been training with their Pokemon in separate areas near the campsite except for Bonnie, who helps out at the medical camp with Brock. Erika and her attendants came from Celadon City have volunteered to also help at the medical camp. With her Pokemon in their Pokeballs to rest from all of their training, Serena walks over to the area of the camp where all the doctors and Nurse Joys are. She walks over to the nearest Nurse Joy and hands her Pokeballs to her.

"Can you heal Pikachu and my Pokemon, please?" She asks.

"Of course," Nurse Joy replies as she takes Pikachu and all of Serena's Pokeballs and takes them to the nearest medical machine. Serena turns around to leave until she hears Bonnie's voice from behind.

"Serena, please tell me you haven't been overtraining Pikachu and your Pokemon again."

Serena turns to see Bonnie and Brock looking concerned while Dedenne is standing on top of Bonnie's head.

"I did a little bit," Serena confesses.

"Serena, you know you shouldn't do that," Brock says. "I realize that you want to save Ash and Coovers told you to train hard for when you guys sneak into Team Rocket's headquarters, but the Nurse Joys and the doctors can only do so much with what resources they have."

Serena sighs and says, "I know, but I need to make sure that Pikachu and my Pokemon are all ready for what's ahead. I want to save Ash, but I know that we're also there to save the International Police and to destroy this Gieldanstone that Coovers and Timothy have been talking about. The fate of the entire world is at stake while the leader of Team Rocket is still able to control Arceus."

Bonnie frowns, reluctantly admitting her friend has a point.

"Well, at least take it easy with how far you go," Bonnie requests. "We could be heading to battle at any moment, and you won't be any help to anyone if you sneak in with Pikachu and your Pokemon tired."

"Fair enough," Serena says with a soft smile. "But make sure you're ready too. You need to memorize all of the kinds of berries to use for healing while you're using my tablet."

"Deal," Bonnie replies.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne says

Brock smiles and nods in approval. Suddenly he glances to the left and looks away bitterly. Bonnie and Serena look in confusion until they look in the direction Brock was looking and frown. Several yards away from where they are, Lucy is walking by with her sisters. She doesn't even acknowledge Brock, Bonnie, or Serena as she passes by. The two girls look at their friend with concerned looks while he sighs, knowing that she's gone.

"It's a little hard to concentrate ever since she came to the camp," he says.

Serena looks at her friend sadly and says, "At least she won't be anywhere near the medical camp during the battle since she's fighting with Misty, May, Dawn, Tucker, and the rest of the water battalion."

"I don't care," Brock says bluntly. "Every time she is around, my mind goes back to how I wish I could have told Holly how I feel or not try to make things up to both of them at all. Every time more trainers come here, I hope that Holly will be one of them and somehow I can get her back. I want that more than anything."

Serena and Bonnie look at him sympathetically while Brock hangs his head sadly. After a moment, he sighs again and lifts his head up.

"Well, I'm no use being sorry for myself," he says. "Better get back to work."

The two girls give sad smiles and nod. Brock walks away, and Serena and Bonnie look at each other concerned until they hear a voice.

"Serena!"

Serena has a look of confusion before Mairin, and Chespie appear right next to Bonnie, followed by Alain, and Professor Sycamore. The honey blonde girl smiles brightly as she hugs Mirian.

"When did you guys get here?" Serena asks.

"Just about an hour ago," Mairin answers. "Professor Sycamore and I just volunteered to help out with the medical camp."

"Yes, I hope my knowledge about Pokemon will come in handy for what is to come." Professor Sycamore says.

"And I'm going to be fighting in the front lines," Alain says bluntly.

Serena frowns and says, "You sound very determined to fight."

"He has good reason to," Professor Sycamore says. "He lost Metagross when Team Rocket took all of the psychic Pokemon."

"Oh," Serena says sadly. "I'm sorry, Alain."

"I appreciate that," Alain says. "I'm just glad I have a chance to fight back and that Mairin can help while out of harm's way."

Mairin frowns at Alain before she turns back to Serena.

"Chespie and I are going to do our best to help," she says. "We don't want to be left behind while everyone else is doing what they can. Right, Chespie?"

"Chespin, pin," Chespie replies with a nod.

"I'm glad to hear it," Serena says with a bright smile.

"Hey, Serena!"

Serena turns around to see Cilan running towards her, looking out of breath. When he's close enough to her, Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, and Bonnie, the green-haired boy puts his hands on his knees and pants heavily with his head down before he stands up straight to talk to Serena.

"Coovers is looking for you," he says. "He said the rest of your team have arrived. He's waiting for you at the main tent."

Serena smiles and says, "Great! I've been waiting for them."

The honey blonde girl runs toward the direction Cilan just ran from, leaving Cilan alone with Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, Bonnie, and Dedenne.

"She sure is devoted," Cilan comments.

"You can say that again," Bonnie says with a sigh.

"De, ne," Dedenne says.

At the main tent, Lt. Surge, Timothy, Coovers, Brandon, and Clemont are standing around a table with a map of Team Rocket's headquarters and the mainland. The Vermillion City gym leader points at certain areas on the map while everyone else pays close attention.

"So you want to divide your main force into two different brigades when facing the enemy at the front," he explains. "The first brigade will be the vanguard since they're fighting first and will deal with the most casualties, so to speak, with the enemy at full force. They will then have to retreat to the medical camp and the second brigade will charge at the enemy to cover the first brigade's retreat and take down more of the enemy while the first brigade have their Pokemon healed as quickly as possible."

"That makes sense," Timothy says. "What if our forces here in Kanto excluding the flanking battalion be the first brigade while all of Johto's forces apart from their own flanking battalion be the second brigade?"

"That will work," Brandon answers. "It's easier to keep track that way."

"Agreed," Coovers says. "Although, since all of our medical resources will be at the back of the front lines, that means our flanking battalions will be unable to have their Pokemon taken care of when they get knocked out."

"Brock and I have brought that up with Misty, May, and Dawn," Timothy says. "They said that it's a risk they're willing to take for the good of the world, and all of the water Pokemon trainers with them agree. Misty has also contacted the water trainers from Johto, and they feel the same way."

"Risky. I like it," Lt. Surge says with a grin. "Speaking of which, how are things looking with Misty asking wild Water Pokemon under the sea to join our cause?"

"It's going steady," Brandon says. "Apparently, Misty's water Pokemon have appeared to have explained the situation to many water Pokemon who can walk on land, and most of them agree to fight. There are some stubborn Pokemon like a horde of Gyarados and a school of Tentacool apparently led by a giant Tentacruel who aren't as willing. Apart from that, they're managing to recruit more into their ranks."

"Good. What about Pokemon on land?" Lt. Surge asks.

"On that, we're doing much better both here and in Johto," Coovers says. "Professor Oak has convinced Ash's Pidgeot and Fearow to recruit their respective flocks and a flock of Butterfree. According to Anabel of the Battle Tower, who is managing the forces in Johto, the Pokemon seem to sense that the world as they know it is in danger and so are quick to join. Some of them from both regions won't fight for the sake of protecting their young or things of that nature, but the rest know they have to fight to protect their way of life."

"Ah, so Anabel is helping. Good," Timothy comments.

"Yeah, from the sound of things when I called her, she's really determined to do anything to get her Pokemon back," Coovers says. "All that to say, the wild Pokemon are restless. They want to fight now, but some of us are only barely managing to convince them to wait."

"Understandable," Brandon says. "Wild Pokemon are not typically known for listening to people."

Everyone agrees until Clemont gets an idea.

"Wait a minute," he says. "If wild Pokemon are joining us, then perhaps we can get them to attack at a certain time and in a certain direction."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Timothy asks.

"Think about it," Clemont says. "If most of us are going to be fighting in the front and Misty, and the other water trainers are attacking Team Rocket from behind, then that leaves us with only the sides."

"Ah, I see," Lt. Surge says. "You want to have the wild Pokemon attack from the sides, thus surrounding the enemy."

"Yes, precisely," Clemont says with a smile. "If we could give all of the wild Pokemon a signal to attack from the sides, then they can fight to their heart's content."

"Hmmm. That sounds all well and good, but how do we let the wild Pokemon know that it's time for them to attack?" Brandon asks.

Clemont thinks for a moment before he snaps his fingers.

"I got it," he announces. "Ash's Bulbasaur is extremely good at keeping Pokemon in line for its size. Maybe with it, Professor Oak, and Tracey together, they'll be able to keep the wild Pokemon from Kanto in control. From the Johto side, you have Anabel who can keep the wild Pokemon from that side calm. We could fire a flare high into the air as a signal to let the two sides know that it's time for them to attack. In fact, we could fire another flare before that to let Misty and the water battalion to flank the enemy."

"Say, that is a good idea," Lt. Surge says approvingly. "Can you adjust these flares into different colors so that each force knows which is which."

"Sure," Clemont answers. "How about a blue flare for everyone flanking from the water and green for all of the wild Pokemon attacking on land?"

"Good idea," Timothy says. "And since both Ash and I have a few dozen Pokemon or so at Professor Oak's Laboratory, they can join too."

"Perfect," Lt. Surge says. "Although, I wonder if we can convince some of the rock and ground type Pokemon to -"

"Ah, Serena," Coovers says with a smile.

Everyone else in the group turns around to see that Serena had just entered the tent. The man from Unova walks over to her and places his hand on her shoulder before turning to the other men.

"Excuse me, fellas. I must have a meeting with my team," Coovers says. "Timothy, fill me in later."

"You got it, pal," Timothy replies.

Coovers smiles before he and Serena leave the tent. They walk over to the other side of the camp where Coovers' tent is, and they enter to reveal Koga, Agatha, and a mahogany-haired boy inside.

"Koga, Agatha!" Serena says with a smile.

"Ah, Serena. Good to see you again," Agatha says with a friendly smile.

"Same," Koga says bluntly.

"How is Aya, Koga?" Serena asks.

"She is well," Koga answers with a small smile. "She's taking care of our gym with Venonat and Scyther while we fight."

Serena nods in understanding. The boy with the mahogany hair, however, smirks and walks over to Serena with a teasing look, making her uncomfortable.

"So this is the girl that wants to be Ash's girlfriend, huh?" he says.

Serena blushes, taken aback by the boy's abruptness. Coovers, on the other hand, rolls his eyes and glares at the boy.

"Yes, yes, everyone knows about Serena's feelings for Ash," he says. "Can we focus here, please?".

Serena, Gary, Koga, and Agatha nod in agreement. Coovers opens another copy of the map in the main tent and sets it on a table. Everyone surrounds the table as Coovers continues.

"Now we're going to be joining Misty, May, Dawn, and the water battalion as they go underwater to flank the enemy from behind," he says. "We have diving gear provided for us, so Serena, Agatha, and I will swim under using my Samurott while Gary and Koga swim using Gary's Blastoise."

"Makes sense," Agatha says while the others nod.

"Once we're in position, we're going to wait until after the water battalion flanks the enemy from behind," Coovers continues. "Hopefully, once the water battalion flanks Team Rocket's army, Giovanni will order most of his minions still in the building to join in the fighting. If he does, we will have the number advantage inside since there are five of us and three of us - if you count Serena taking Pikachu with her, have a full party. From there, we will sneak into their base."

"Most of the minions?" Gary questions.

"It is a good bet that he will exclude his science division since they have no Pokemon and still leave a good few grunts to guard Arceus," Coovers explains.

"Speaking of Arceus, why can't we just take out the grunts guarding it and set it free?" Koga asks.

"Well, for one thing, we have no idea where they are keeping Arceus," Coovers answers. "For another thing, Giovanni threatened us to have Arceus used against us. Arceus' signature and most destructive move is Judgement. The last time someone had Acreus use that move with the Gieldanstone, many lives were lost, people and Pokemon alike. So even if we found Arceus, it would do us little good to set it free as long as Giovanni has the Gieldanstone. If he found out, he could use Arceus against us and maybe everyone on the battlefield by using Judgement."

Koga thinks about it and nods, accepting Coovers' logic before the latter continues.

"Besides, our objective is to free the International Police, and with them, we free Ash, find Giovanni, hold him down, take the jewel and use it to free Arceus before we destroy it," Coovers elaborates. "With Arceus free, the psychic Pokemon no longer being controlled, the Gieldanstone gone, and Giovanni captured, it's just a short matter of time before Team Rocket completely falls and the world is saved."

Everyone in the tent is silent for a moment before Gary speaks.

"So what I think I'm hearing you say is the fate of the world basically rests with us while the giant army we're building from both regions is more of a distraction?" He asks.

"That's one interpretation," Coovers admits. "At the rate that our numbers are growing, there is a chance that our army might win, and so everything I just listed will happen anyway if we fail. Having said that, it would be best if we complete our mission so that we win the sooner, the better. We can't afford to fail as long as there's a possibility that everyone else might lose the battle at hand."

The group nods again before Serena says, "Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I know we're not going to fail. If Ash was here, he would say the same thing and also tell us not to give up until it's over."

Gary looks at Serena, confused, and mutters to himself, "When did he ever say that?"

"That's the spirit, Serena," Agatha compliments.

"Indeed," Koga says. "Let us live by that example to the end."

Coovers nods in approval and says, "Alright, are there any other questions?"

The squad shakes their heads.

"Good," Coovers says. "When we get close enough to Team Rocket's tower, we and the water brigade will separate from the rest of the army. I suggest we give quick goodbyes to any family or friends we have here before we do. Until then, keep training your Pokemon as often as you can so that we're at our best. Dismissed."

With that, everyone nods and leaves the tent except for Coovers and Serena. The honey blonde girl sees her friend looking uneasy as he stares at the map.

"Hey," she begins, earning his attention. "I meant what I said, Coovers. This is going to work. We're going to save the world. All of us."

Coovers turns to Serena and smiles appreciatively.

"Thank you, Serena," he says. "I'm glad you're on my team."

Serena smiles back, and the two friends keep looking at each other until they hear a sound of panic coming from outside. They look at each other, confused before they exit the tent. Timothy, Clemont, Lieutenant Surge, and Brandon exit the main tent to also look at what is going on. Several people and Pokemon are seen running for dear life from the north side of the camp. Misty is running with them until she sees Timothy, Brandon, Lieutenant Surge, and Clemont.

"Guys, run for it!" She shouts hysterically.

"What is it?" Timothy asks worriedly. "Is it Team Rocket?"

"No, it's Jigglypuff!" Misty replies, pointing at where everyone is running from.

Brandon, Lt. Surge, Timothy, Coovers, Serena, and Clemont all turn around to see a Jigglypuff running towards everyone with a mic in hand. Serena realizes why everyone is panicking while Clemont and all four of the men are confused.

"Misty, have you and the others lost your minds?" Lt. Surge rebukes.

"You don't understand! That Jigglypuff loves to sing with its microphone!" Misty protests. "If it sings, we will all fall asleep, and everyone here in Kanto knows it! That's why we're running!"

Lt. Surge raises an eyebrow and says, "I'm from Kanto, and I don't know anything about this."

"Yeah, same here," Timothy says.

"But it's true!" Misty says. "And if we fall asleep, we could be out for several hours."

At this, the four men and Clemont's eyes widen with that information.

"If that happens, we would be well behind on all our preparations," Clemont says.

"And Team Rocket could attack while we're down for all we know," Brandon adds seriously.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's take it down!" Coovers says, taking out a Pokeball.

The rest of the guys take out their Pokeballs, getting ready to throw them. Serena watches them until she glances back at Jigglypuff, who is still trying to catch up with everyone and gets an idea.

"Wait!" She shouts, walking in front of everyone.

"Serena, what are you doing?!" Timothy barks.

"I've got an idea," Serena says.

She turns around to look at Jigglypuff, who has caught up with the seven of them. The balloon Pokemon glares at her before taking out its marker.

"Jiggly," it growls.

"Jigglypuff, wait!" Serena shouts, waving her hands in defense. "I'm so sorry that I fell asleep while you were singing a beautiful song to me! But if you sing now, we won't be able to take you to the big concert we're preparing for in your honor!"

Jigglypuff looks at Serena, confused, and lowers its maker. Everyone else looks at the honey blonde girl looking more confused than Jigglypuff.

"Serena, what are you talking about?" Clemont asks. "We're not preparing a co - hmph!"

Serena covers Clemont's mouth and chuckles nervously at Jigglypuff, who is still confused.

"I'm so sorry, Jigglypuff, but could you excuse us for one moment?" Serena requests.

The balloon Pokemon blinks in confusion before it nods robotically. Serena turns around and gestures, Misty, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Timothy, and Coovers to huddle up. The five of them look at each other before they huddle in a close circle with Serena and Clemont before Serena lets go of Clemont's mouth.

"Clemont, I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but do you think you can build a big stage with lots of big speakers and something to protect everyone from Jigglypuff's singing?" She asks.

Clemont blinks for a moment before he hesitantly answers, "Yyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeesssss. Why?"

Serena smirks and turns to everyone before she says, "Okay, here's the plan."

Jigglypuff waits patiently as she watches the seven people are huddled together and whispering to each other. It takes a minute before Serena and the others break their huddle and turn to the balloon with bright smiles on their faces.

"Jigglypuff, I'm so sorry that I spoiled the surprise," Serena begins. "You see, the reason why everyone was running away was because they were trying to hide what we're doing before we invited you."

Jigglypuff is still confused before Coovers steps in.

"You see a lot of people and Pokemon enjoy your singing," he lies. "But there's some grumpy people and Pokemon who are mean and nasty because they've never heard of something so wonderful and soothing as your singing voice."

Jigglypuff smiles while Clemont says, "That's right. In fact, I'm working on building the biggest stage you have ever seen with the best speakers in the entire world so that everyone can hear you perform."

By this point, Jigglypuff is becoming so excited that it's jumping up and down like a little child. Everyone chuckles that it's enthusiasm until Timothy walks over to it and kneels down in front of it.

"Yes, yes. It's exciting, isn't it?" He chuckles before giving Jigglypuff a warning look. "But there's something you need to know. Whatever you do, don't sing anywhere near our camp until the concert under any circumstances. If you need to sing for practice, do it very far away from the camp and without your microphone. The last thing we want is for everyone to hear you sing before we get to watch you perform on stage. Okay?"

Jigglypuff nods happily, and everyone smiles, glad that it understands.

"Alright then," Serena says before turning to Misty. "Misty, could you tell the others that the secret is out?"

"Sure thing, Serena," Misty says, giving the honey blonde girl a wink.

"Why don't Serena and I find Jigglypuff a place for Jigglypuff to stay while we're traveling towards the poor mean people and Pokemon?" Coovers suggests.

"Great idea," Serena says. "Let's go, Jigglypuff."

"Jigglypuff," Jigglypuff says happily.

The balloon Pokemon happily follows Coovers and Serena while Misty walks over to where everyone else ran from Jigglypuff. Brandon and Lt. Surge watch them go while Brandon leans into the other's ear.

"You know, as much of a nice idea this is, I don't know how we're going to get that Jigglypuff in a place close enough to Team Rocket's forces," he whispers.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Lt. Surge says with a grin. "I think I know just how to get that pink ball right where we want it with what we discussed minutes ago about the rock and ground-type Pokemon."

Next to the two of them, Clemont and Timothy also watch Coovers and Serena walk away with Jigglypuff. The two of them smirk as they look at Serena, in particular, who is happily talking to Jigglypuff as they walk.

"I gotta hand it to Serena, this is a nifty idea," Timothy says.

"I agree," Clemont says. "If this works, Jigglypuff will be a big help."

Timothy nods and says, "I never thought Serena would have such a deceitful side, though."

Clemont chuckles, amused with the comment.

"Yeah. It reminds me of the time Ash got sick, and so Serena had to disguise herself as Ash with his clothes to battle with Pikachu against a guy who challenged Ash," he replies. "Anyway, I better get building so that I can have all of my inventions ready in time. See ya."

Timothy nods as the blonde-haired boy in the blue jumpsuit walks away. He then turns around and starts walking in the other direction to his tent, where all of his Pokemon are training by themselves and waiting for him. His mind is fixed on the battle that lies ahead and how the plan is growing more and more with each passing day.

But after a minute, he slowly stops walking until he is at a complete stop with a befuddled look on his face.

"Wait...Serena did what?"


	77. Chapter 77

It is the last day of the month that Giovanni gave everyone in the Kanto and Johto regions. Everyone has been working hard to prepare for the battle to come. Clemont has finished and tested the inventions he was assigned to make, Serena has been training with Coovers and the rest of their team, and Lt. Surge, Brandon, and Timothy have been going over their battle plan countless times to make sure it's solid. Professor Oak and Bulbasaur have Ash and Timothy's Pokemon and all of the wild Pokemon from Kanto under control while Anabel has reported via communicator that she has all of the wild Pokemon from Johto ready. Every person and Pokemon in the army feel uneasy with what is to come while knowing that their way of life rests with the fight to come.

It is late in the afternoon while everyone from the Kanto side is marching onward to Team Rocket's tower. They all walk quietly with their heads down, not saying a word to each other. It is raining as everyone is just a mile away from the ocean shore. Suddenly, Lt. Surge, who is leading, stops, and everyone stops walking in confusion. Brandon, Timothy, and Electchu, who are walking beside him, look at each other, confused before Brandon speaks up.

"What is it?" He asks.

Lt. Sarge takes out his pair of binoculars and looks carefully in the distance. He hums to himself before turning to Timothy and pointing ahead.

"Do you see that tall thin thing close to the ocean at a distance?" he asks, handing the binoculars to Timothy. "Take a look over there."

Timothy takes the binoculars and looks through them in the direction that Lieutenant Surge is pointing. From the binoculars, Timothy can see the tall building of Team Rocket's new base and the bridge leading to it from the mainland. The eye of the storm rests above the tower, and the mainland is full of psychic Pokemon and Team Rocket grunts and their Pokemon.

"There it is," he says before handing the binoculars to Brandon. "How soon will we get there?"

"About an hour or two at most," Lt. Surge answers. "By then, it will be dark enough that the enemy won't suspect the wild Pokemon attack from the sides."

"Good," Brandon says. "I suggest that our flanking battalion and Coovers' team get ready to dive into the ocean now. That should give them plenty of time to rally the wild water Pokemon following us and make sure the enemy doesn't know about their part of the plan."

"I agree," Lt. Surge says before turning to Timothy. "Go tell them to do that and tell them we said good luck before they dive."

"Sure thing," Timothy says with a nod.

Thus, the man in the "H.A.K" shirt and his Raichu walk through the crowd of people and Pokemon until they reach all of his friends. Misty and Coovers are looking at Timothy seriously, figuring out what he's about to say.

"Is it time?" Coovers asks.

"Yes, it's time," Timothy confirms. "Get your people ready and say your goodbyes. We're about a couple of hours at most from getting there."

"Understood," Misty says with a nod before turning around. "Water battalion, get ready!"

"My team, with me!" Coovers commands.

May, Dawn and all of the water Pokemon trainers immediately take out their diving gear from their backpacks. Serena frowns as she turns to Bonnie and kneels down in front of her with Pikachu on her shoulder.

"Well, I guess this means goodbye for right now," she says with a sad smile.

Bonnie looks at her friend sadly before she jumps into Serena's arms.

"Be safe," she whimpers.

"You too," Serena says.

"Good luck, Serena," Mairin says with her own sad smile.

"Give it everything you've got, Serena," Brock says.

"Agreed," Professor Sycamore says with a smirk.

"We're counting on you and Pikachu," Iris says.

"Bring Ash back safely," Max says.

"Yeah, and make Team Rocket pay," Cilan adds.

"We will," Serena promises. "Nothing is going to stop us. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says with a determined grin.

Meanwhile, while Gary, Koga, and Agatha are rallying to Coovers, he and Timothy are looking at each other seriously before they hug each other.

"Take care out there," Coovers says.

"You too, pal," Timothy replies.

The two of them break the hug, and Coovers kneels down to hug Electchu.

"Don't let your partner out of your sight, okay?" He requests.

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

Coovers puts the Raichu down and turns to his team.

"Let's go," he says.

They all nod and start following him until Serena realizes something.

"Wait a minute," she says.

The rest of the group turn around to see her running back to Bonnie. The little girl looks at her friend, confused until Serena takes off her hat and puts it on her head.

"It doesn't make sense to wear it when we're going underwater and everything," Serena says. "Keep it safe for me, will you?"

Bonnie smiles brightly and says, "Of course! You can count on me!"

"I know I can," Serena says with a wink.

"Come on, Serena, let's go!" Coovers calls out.

"Coming!" Serena replies as she runs to her team.

As they all walk to the dangerous water and take out their water Pokemon, Misty, who has her Gyarados, May, who is taking out her Wartortle and Dawn, who is borrowing Buizel, walk toward Serena for a group hug, knowing they won't have another chance to say goodbye before the battle. Pikachu hops off Serena's shoulder and watches the four girls make the best of their moment.

"Be careful, Serena," May requests.

"I will," Serena answers as she hugs her friends with a smile.

"Please save Ash," Misty requests.

"I promise," Serena says, giving Misty a sad smile.

"And don't forget to smother Ash with kisses once you rescue him," Dawn teases.

Serena breaks the hug with a blush on her face.

"I make no guarantees given the task at hand," she replies honestly.

The May and Dawn chuckle before they kneel down with Misty to look at Pikachu.

"You take good care of her, Pikachu," Dawn commands.

"Yeah, cause if you don't, we'll never forgive you," May says, pointing at the mouse Pokemon.

"Pikachu," Pikachu promises.

"I'm counting on you to bring Ash back, Pikachu," Misty says.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says before Misty picks it up to give it a hug.

After Misty breaks the hug, the fout girls and Pikachu start putting on their diving equipment and take positions to start diving. Back at the front of the crowd, Timothy and Electchu walk back to where Lt. Surge and Brandon are. The former of the two men just finished talking in his communicator before turning to Brandon and Timothy.

"I just contacted our people from Johto," he reports. "Lance and his main forces are about as close as we are, Anabel and the Johto wild Pokemon are right behind him, and their half of the water battalion are getting ready too."

"Good," Brandon says. "And with Professor Oak, Tracey and Ash's Bulbasaur half a mile behind us, that makes all four fronts set.

"Fantastic," Timothy says with a determined look fixed on the enemy base. "Let's crush Team Rocket once and for all."

"Rai!" Electchu snarls in agreement.

Lt. Surge nods before facing the crowd.

"We're almost there!" He shouts. "Do not stop until we're in position!"

The Kanto brigade nods as they follow the three men and Raichu forward toward the enemy.

Giovanni is waiting patiently behind his desk in his new office. Though he does not show it, his heart is racing in excitement while he pets Persian, who is sitting beside him. Mewtwo and Mew are floating above Giovanni's desk, waiting blankly for a command from the leader of Team Rocket.

A knock is heard from the door, and Giovanni bluntly commands, "Enter." Matori, Dr. Zager, and Agent Basker come in.

"Report," Giovanni commands.

"Sir, we have spotted two large groups of people and Pokemon heading our way," Matori announces. "One coming from Kanto and the other coming from the Johto regions."

"Wonderful," Giovanni says with an evil grin. "I was beginning to think they weren't coming even after giving them a whole month."

"It would have been disappointing, sir," Agent Basker agrees.

Giovanni nods before turning to his head scientist.

"Is everything ready?" He asks.

"Yes, sir," Dr. Zager answers. "The off switch to the machine is permanently disabled. Even if by some miracle they win and take the Gieldanstone away from you, they can't use it to take Arceus out of the machine because of the pain it's in."

"And you know what to do if they somehow make it to the tower?" Giovanni asks.

"Yes, sir," Dr. Zager answers. "If their army gets here, I will set the elevators and doors to the staircases so that they can't go anywhere above the floor to my lab and therefore can't get to you or the boy."

"Perfect," Giovanni says. "And with Mewtwo and Mew at my side, it would do them no good to make it up here anyway even if they fly all the way up to my office. Can't be too careful with our first battle against two entire regions."

The three minions nod in agreement. Giovanni keeps his grin until he frowns and turns to the cyborg.

"Basker, I cannot stress enough how important it is that you stay in position," he says seriously. "You may join the negotiation party before the battle if you wish, but do not leave Dr. Zager's sight to go after Durbin. Understood?"

Agent Basker frowns before he begrudgingly says, "Yes, sir."

"Good," Giovanni says. "Now, once those fools are in position, give them a signal to bargain with their leaders. Matori, you will use your holocommunicator so that I can speak with them."

"Yes, sir," Matori says.

"Very well. Dismissed." Giovanni says.

"Sir!" The minions reply simultaneously before they all leave the room.

With the leader of Team Rocket alone again with Persian, Mew, and Mewtwo. He turns his chair around to look at the massive window where is combat team and all of the psychic Pokemon are waiting patiently for the battle to come.

"I would have waited for all eternity for this moment, my pet," he says as he strokes Persian again. "Soon, my conquest of the world will begin."

"Meeeeeeeeooooooowwwwww," Persian replies.

The sky grows darker as the Kanto army comes closer to its destination. Many people and Pokemon grow worried at the large army that stands before the mighty tower with the large, red "R." Lt. Surge, Brandon, and Timothy, on the other hand, glare at the forces in front of them while the Team Rocket combat team grins at all them from a distance.

Brock, Bonnie, Mairin, Chespie, and Professor Sycamore give their friends a fond farewell before they walk north to set up the medical camp with the doctors and Nurse Joys. Mairin wraps her arms around Alain and buries her head on his chest, worried that she might not see him again. Alain frowns and hugs her head tightly, wishing they don't have to be apart. When they break their hug, he gets down on one knee to face her in eye level and promises that they will see each other when the fighting is over. Mairin gives him the best smile that she can muster before she and Chespie reluctantly leave to follow Brock, Professor Sycamore, and Bonnie.

It isn't too long before the people of Kanto turn to the west to see the Johto army marching toward them lead by the bi-regional champion, Lance, and their nurses and doctors heading to the medical camp. Timothy smirks at the sight of him as he, Electchu, Brandon, and Lt. Surge walk over to them, and each shake Lance's hand.

"Good to see you, Lance," Lt. Surge says.

"And all three of you, gentlemen," Lance says with a smirk before it changes into a frown. "But I wish it was in better circumstances."

"So do I," Timothy agrees. "How is your army doing?"

"Nervous but willing to fight," Lance answers. "Yours?"

"The same," Brandon says. "Seems like the only ones who are completely confident are the enemy."

Lance nods before he gives his best optimistic smirk.

"Well, you know what they say," he says. "Twice the pride, double the fall."

"Indeed. And we definitely are going to make sure they fall," Timothy says with a confident smile.

"I hear that," Lt. Surge says before he looks in the direction of Team Rocket. "Speaking of which, looks like the negotiating party is coming."

The other three men and the Raichu turn around to see Matori, Agent Basker, Butch, and Cassidy walking towards them in the middle of the open field with Matori holding a white flag. The four men look at each other and nod before they walk towards them with Electchu. The armies from both sides wait patiently for their leaders as they keep walking toward each other until they are a few feet apart. Lance, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Timothy, and Electchu silently stare at Matori, Butch, Cassidy, and Agent Basker and vice versa for several seconds before Matori clears her throat.

"You are the representatives of the Kanto and Johto regions?" She asks.

"We are," Brandon replies bluntly.

Butch lets out a half-hearted laugh and says, "How precious that you were chosen just because of your high and mighty titles like gym leader, Pyramid King, Johto champion, and bi-regional champion."

"Indeed. I don't think it's appropriate for you to lead when you lost to a boy at a Pokemon league, Durbin," Agent Basker mocks.

Timothy smirks and says, "Better that than to have your representatives chosen by random minions like you, Barney and Trent."

"It's Butch!" Butch yells. "I am going to make sure you don't forget it when this is over."

"Not until after I make sure you never call me by that name again!" Agent Basker screams with his face turning red like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

Timothy sneers and says, "Well, it's a beautiful thing that we all have goals in life. Isn't it?"

Both minions growl at Timothy with their teeth clenched until Matori steps in.

"Enough!" She shouts. "Our leader wishes to speak with you."

She takes out her holocommunicator, presses a button and a hologram of Giovanni sitting in his chair while stroking Persian appears.

"_Good evening, gentlemen,_" he greets. "_I am pleased to see you can make it before the end of the month._"

The four men and Electchu stay silent while looking at the hologram.

"_I can see your little army from my office,_" Giovanni continues. "_Impressive. Foolish, but impressive._"

"We could care less about your approval," Lt. Surge says coldly.

"_Oh, I think you'll feel differently before the night is over,_" Giovanni says confidently. "_Now then, have you thought hard about my offer?_"

"No," Lance says. "If anything, we of the people of the Kanto and Johto regions have made our decision very swiftly."

"_And?_" Giovanni asks.

"And you are to surrender immediately," Brandon commands. "You are to free Ash Ketchum, Arceus, and all of the psychic Pokemon and then lay down your Pokemon peacefully."

Butch, Cassidy, and Agent Basker laugh out loud while Matori chuckles lightly with her mouth closed. Even Giovanni lets out a low laugh, amused with Brandon's demands.

"_I admire your audacity,_" he says. "_But I'm afraid I'm the only one who gets to make an ultimatum here. You can either give up and hand over your Pokemon now or fight, and we win and take your Pokemon anyway._"

Timothy scoffs loudly, and Giovanni turns to him with a raised eyebrow.

"_You have something to say, Mr. Durbin?_" He queries.

"Oh, I just find it amusing that you think you can make an ultimatum when we have one of our own," Timothy answers.

"_And that would be?_" Giovanni asks.

"It's very simple," Timothy says with a smug look. "Either you do as Brandon said or fight, lose, and live the rest of your life imprisoned and humiliated that you have lost everything in just one battle."

Giovanni frowns and stands up from his chair.

"_I find you less amusing then your elders, boy,_" he snarls. "_Evidently, you are just as childishly hungry for revenge as Agent Basker._"

The cyborg man glares at the hologram of his master while Timothy looks at the hologram unfazed.

"Insult me as much as you like. You won't find me as easy to offend as Trent is," Timothy says. "Regardless, you do not hold all of the cards as you believe. We are going to fight, bring down your organization, and lock you up in a cell so dark that you will beg for sunlight. One way or another, you will lose. This, I can promise you."

"Raichu!" Electchu adds.

"And I," Lance says.

"And I," Lt. Surge says.

"And I as well," Brandon says.

The two parties are silent for a moment before Giovanni smirks and sits back in his chair.

"_So your choice is to fight,_" he says. "_Very well. Fight on until my army overpowers you all. You will still be made an example of anyone who tries to oppose me as our hold of the world grows stronger._"

"We shall see," Brandon says.

With that, Matori turns off the holocommunicator, and she, Butch, Cassidy, and Agent Basker leave with the cyborg man leaves last to give Timothy a wrathful glare. Lance, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Timothy, and Electchu look at each other before they turn around and walk back to the main force. Alain, Iris, Forrest, Cilan, Clemont, and Max are waiting for them at the front.

"Did they surrender?" Alain asks.

"Would you believe us if we said yes?" Timothy asks.

Alain frowns before he looks at the enemy host and says, "Not in the slightest. And even then, I'd want to fight anyway to teach them a lesson for taking Metagross."

"So would I for Gallade," Max says.

Timothy smirks and says, "I admit it would be much more satisfying to get Shockwave back by force."

"Raichu," Electchu says in agreement.

"Good," Lt. Surge says with a grin. "As long as we are all on the same page."

"Agreed," Lance says.

"Hmmm," Brandon hums with a nod.

From the other side of the field, they can see Matori giving an order to all of Team Rocket's forces and their combat team all grin in excitement as they take out all of their Pokemon. Lt. Surge's grin turns into a serious look as he turns to the main force.

"Everyone, take out your Pokemon!" He commands.

No one hesitates to take out all of the Pokeballs from their belts or bags and throw them into the air. Max takes out Sceptile, Pinsir, Arcanine, Rhydon, and Kabuto. Brandon opens his Pokeballs revealing Dusclops and Ninjask. Alain summons Charizard, Tyranitar, Weavile, Bisharp, and Unfezant. Cilan takes out his Pansage, Crustle, and Stunfisk. Forrest his Rhyperior. Axew hops out of Iris hair while she takes out Excadrill, Emolga, Dragonite, and Gible. Clemont's Pokeballs open to reveal Bunnelby, Chespin, and Luxray. Finally, Timothy throws five Pokeballs into the air, and they open to reveal, Odyssey, Gengar, Poiwrath, Blitzwing, and a large Arcanine that's ten feet tall.

"Wow, how did you get an Arcanine so big?" Max says, alarmed.

"Oh, it's always been pretty big. Even when I caught it, it was about half this size for a Growlithe. That's why I named it Fenrir," Timothy answers.

Max blinks before he smirks in approval. But the moment is interrupted by the sound of Team Rocket grunts and their Pokemon shouting loudly in a battle cry and the countless psychic Pokemon ordered to do the same. Everyone among the brigades of the Kanto and Johto regions start to become afraid of the might of the enemy, and Lt. Surge turns around and holds his hands up.

"Hold your ground!" he shouts. "Hold your ground! Don't be afraid!"

But try as the Vermillion City gym leader might, the people and their Pokemon can't keep themselves together. Lance, Brandon, Timothy, and Electchu and their friends become uneasy until the Pyramid King turns to the man in the "H.A.K." shirt.

"Why don't you give an encouraging speech, Mr. Durbin," he suggests.

"Me? Why me?" Timothy asks.

"Because this whole thing was your idea," Brandon answers bluntly. "And if we don't do something fast, some people might run away."

Timothy hesitates, feeling nervous about the idea. Then Electchu nudges his partner with its head and gives him an encouraging smile. Timothy turns to his Raichu and then to the rest of his Pokemon, who are all smiling at him supportively. Timothy let's out a sigh, as he decides to go through with it.

"Very well," he says, turning to Clemont. "Clemont, hand me a communicator and have it sent for all of our forces."

"Uh, well, we can't exactly do that to the water team, but okay," Clemont answers before he tosses a communicator to him.

Timothy takes a deep breath and thinks about what to say. After figuring it out, he climbs on top of Fenrir, holds the communicator close to him, and shouts to the frightened crowd.

"Everyone!" He yells. "People! Pokemon! Anyone who values the lives they share together, listen to me!"

It takes a moment until everyone turns to the man in the "H.A.K." shirt standing on top of his giant Arcanine.

"I know that you are afraid of what is to come!" Timothy begins. "I myself am worried about the strength in numbers that our enemy possesses with so many Pokemon that have become our family and friends!"

The army becomes uneasy, feeling more afraid by the way Timothy starts his speech.

"But victory isn't one through physical strength alone!" Timothy continues. "True strength comes from the hearts and the bonds we share together! It comes from having faith, hope, and, most of all, love!"

The people and Pokemon start to feel better with Timothy's words.

"Despite what Team Rocket thinks, we are not weak! We are not worthless!" He yells.

The army begins to smile at each other, feeling uplifted.

"We're going to fight!" Timothy shouts. "We're going to fight and wipe out every hint of power and pride that our enemy possesses!"

"Yeah!" The army shouts.

"Let the cruelest, most despicable, deceitful, and sinister of all of our enemies weep as they watch their darkest dreams crumble!" Timothy yells.

"Yeah!" Everyone shouts louder.

"Let their desires become formless!"

"Yeah!"

"Nameless!"

"Yeah!"

"Forever forgotten by every living being on this earth!"

"YEAH!"

Timothy smiles, glad to see the people and Pokemon uplifted before he finishes.

"By everything you hold dear and have been through together, I ask you - no, I command you; stand and fight, and do not stop until every scrap of evil out there trembles before us!"

At this point, all the people and Pokemon are screaming, roaring, and chirping at the top of their lungs. Timothy smirks, satisfied before he climbs down his Arcanine, and turns to Brandon.

"How's that?" He asks.

Brandon hums and says, "Very over-the-top, but it will do."

Timothy chuckles before he turns to his loyal Pokemon, and they smile and nod before he nods back. They turn around to see Team Rocket and the psychic-type Pokemon still shouting their battle cries. The second Mewtwo transforms into its Mega evolved form before a Team Rocket grunt steps forward and points at the Kanto brigade, shouting, "Charge!"

Without hesitation, the Team Rocket grunts, their Pokemon, and the psychic-type Pokemon begin to run, crawl, roll, slither, or fly towards their enemies. The people and Pokemon of the Kanto and Johto regions bravely stand still as their enemies race toward them. Lt. Surge and Brandon look at each other before they turn to Clemont.

"Clemont, begin phase one," Lt. Surge commands.

"Right," Clemont says with a nod before turning to his Bunnelby. "Bunnelby, you know what to do!"

"Bunnelby!" Bunnelby replies before it jumps in the air and drills a hole in the ground with its ears.

Everyone waits patiently for Bunnelby as the enemy gets closer. After half a minute, Bunnelby emerges from the ground and turns to Clemont.

"Are they on their way?" Clemont asks.

"Bunnelby," the digging Pokemon says with a nod.

"Good," Lt. Surge says as everyone turns back to the charging army.

The Team Rocket host continues to rush toward their enemies until the ground begins to rumble. The evil forces stop in confusion until a herd of Onix, Steelix, Diglett, Dugtrio, Sandshrew, and Sandslash emerge from the ground, sending several grunts and Pokemon at the front of the army flying into the air. Before the rest of the army can react, more rock/ground type Pokemon such as Geodude, Graveler, Golem, Larvatar, Pupitar, and Tyranitar emerge from the large hole, and they all start knocking out many more of them with moves like Stone Edge, Hidden Power, Earthquake, and Magnitude. The Team Rocket grunts and their Pokemon panic as many more of them are knocked out by the attacks. Some of the psychic Pokemon also get knocked out with the Tyranitar taking out many of them with their dark type attacks.

But as they are attacking, Mega Mewtwo and the second Mew use Psychic to lift the ground/rock type off the ground, excluding Diglett, Dugtrio, and Tyranitar. The two powerful psychic-type Pokemon send their enemies flying towards the other side of the field.

"Watch out!" Lance screams.

Everyone moves away just in time to avoid Onyx, Steelix - including Brock's Steelix, and other Pokemon crashing on top of them. Mega Mewtwo and the second Mew's counter give Team Rocket the chance to overpower the Diglett, Dugtrio, and Tyranitar, forcing them to flee back inside the giant hole. The members of Team Rocket who are still conscious mockingly laugh as the Pokemon flee before they start charging again, going around the hole. Lance, Brandon, Lt. Surge, and Timothy frown while Forrest and a few others help Brock's Steelix and the other Pokemon who were sent flying back slowly get up.

"They only got a small portion of their forces," Brandon states.

"True, but that's not our only means of delaying them," Lt. Surge says before turning to Clemont. "Begin phase 2."

"Yes, sir," Clemont says with a salute before taking out a control pad. "Turning on the Clemontic-Sound-O-Shield-Generator-Protector now."

"The names still need work," Timothy mutters quietly as Clemont pushes a button on his pad.

Between the two brigades and the medical camp, a large, round, black, and yellow machine turns on. It shoots up a giant beam into the sky, and the beam separates to cover the entire army in a blue shield. Clemont then presses another button, and from the large hole that the ground-and-rock-type Pokemon created, a floating stage with giant speakers floats up from the hole with Jigglypuff on the stage with its microphone. Clemont puts on a headset and turns it on while looking at Jigglypuff.

"It's your time to shine, Jigglypuff!" He announces through the headset. "All the people and Pokemon around you are the meanies who need to hear your voice! So sing, Jigglypuff! Sing as loud and proud as you can!"

Jigglypuff can hear Clemont through an earpiece on its ear. The balloon Pokemon smiles brightly before it holds it's microphone close to its mouth, takes a deep breath, and sings. Though no one and among the Kanto and Johto forces can hear a thing because of the shield, they know that Jigglypuff is singing loudly and through the speakers, its song to be heard throughout the battlefield. Many Team Rocket grunts, their Pokemon, and the psychic Pokemon slowly stop walking before they collapse on the ground and fall asleep. Even Mega Mewtwo and the second Mew fight the urge to resist their eyes growing heavy for a short time before they stop floating, crash into the ground, and start sleeping.

Lt. Surge grins and says, "Looks like Serena's little plan is working. Maybe it'll take out their whole army."

"Let's not get carried away," Brandon warns. "The battle isn't won yet."

"True, but Jigglypuff is a lot of help," Lance points out. "Maybe if our luck holds out we can -"

"Wait. What's going on with those Electrode?" Timothy interrupts.

Everyone looks at him, confused until he points in the direction behind Jigglypuff. As it is singing, a trio of Electrode rolls towards it, not affected at all by Jigglypuff's voice.

"Why are those Electrode not falling asleep?" Lance asks.

It takes a moment before Lt. Surge's eyes widen in realization.

"They must have the ability Soundproof!" He exclaims. "Jigglypuff's singing won't do anything at all to them."

Everyone looks at him, shocked before Clemont turns his headset back on.

"Jigglypuff, look out!" He shouts.

But the balloon Pokemon is too focused on singing its little heart out to hear him. The Electrode grin as they roll all the way toward the stage and use Self-Destruct. The stage explodes, and though no one can hear beyond the sound shield, they can imagine Jigglypuff screaming as it's sent blasting off into the sky.

"Poor Jigglypuff," Iris comments.

"I wish it could have kept going," Cilan says.

"Me too," Max says.

"That's alright. The important thing is it took out a good amount of our enemies," Brandon says.

"Agreed. Though now we don't have any other means to keep them from reaching us," Alain says seriously.

Sure enough, several more Team Rocket grunts and their Pokemon and the psychic Pokemon start charging towards them, ignoring their comrades and brainwashed Pokemon who have fallen asleep. The four leaders frown before Lance turns to Lt. Surge, Brandon, and Timothy.

"Looks like it's time, gentlemen," he announces. "I better get back to the Johto brigade."

"Very well," Brandon says. "We will leave you to cover our retreat once it's your time to fight."

"You can count on me," Lance says sincerely. "Best of luck to you all."

"And to you, Lance," Timothy says as he, Electchu, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Forrest, Iris, Cilan, Max, Clemont, and Alain wave to Lance as he jogs to the Johto brigade.

Once the bi-regional champion is gone, Brandon's face grows serious as he turns to Lt. Surge.

"Let's not waste any time," he says.

"Agreed," Lt. Surge says before turning to the Kanto people and Pokemon. "Clemont, lift the sound shield! Everyone else, form ranks! Poison-type Pokemon or Pokemon with poison attacks in front and Pokemon with ranged attacks behind!"

The trainers don't hesitate to move their Pokemon into positions. While Clemont turns off his invention, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Timothy, Electchu, Iris, Cilan, Forrest, Max, and Alain stand behind the ranks. The Team Rocket army continues to race toward them, and the Vermillion City gym leader waits until the enemy is close enough.

"Release poison attacks!" He shouts.

The poison Pokemon, including several Koffing, Weezing, Arbok, Grimer, Zubat, Golbat, Muk, Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar, use Smog, Poison Gas, Poison Powder, Sludge Bomb, Acid, and Venoshock. Together, they create a massive black cloud that hides the other poison attacks, and the Team Rocket army runs into it. The sound of people coughing violently and Pokemon groaning in pain can be heard from outside the cloud.

"Now, poison Pokemon move back, and Pokemon with Smokescreen take front!" Lt. Surge orders. "Volly, fire at will!"

At the command of their trainers, the poison Pokemon move back while all the Pokemon knowing Smokescreen stepped forward. From behind, the Pokemon with ranged attacks fire whatever move their trainers tell them to use. The attacks fly toward the black cloud, and several sounds of people and Pokemon getting hit can be heard clearly. Some are sounds of Team Rocket grunts and Pokemon getting knocked unconscious upon impact of the attacks. Eventually, the black cloud fades with some of the grunts, and Pokemon greatly affected by the poisonous attack. The Team Rocket forces who aren't affected go back to charging at their opponents. Once again, Lt. Surge waits for the right moment for the enemy to be close enough.

"Smokescreen, now!" He shouts.

The Pokemon that know Smokescreen release a black cloud of smoke. The move creates another large cloud of smoke that covers the enemy without the poisoning effect. Grunts and Pokemon cough again while Lt. Surge makes the next call.

"Volly, fire!" He shouts.

At the command of their trainers, the Pokemon behind fire their ranged attacks from Sludge Bomb, to Thunder, to Water Gun, to Rock Throw, Hyper Beam, and so on. The sound of the moves hitting enemies inside the cloud can be heard from people and Pokemon alike. Lt. Surge takes out his Raichu, and Alain mega evolves his Charizard, ready for what happens next.

"CHARGE!" Lt. Surge screams.

With loud battle cries, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Timothy, Max, Cilan, Iris, Forrest, Max, and the rest of the vanguard with all of their Pokemon charge into the black cloud of smoke. They can see clearly enough for the trainers to command their Pokemon to attack their disoriented enemies.

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!" Lt. Surge screams.

"Dusclops, Shadow Punch! Ninjask, Aerial Ace!" Brandon commands.

"Sceptile, Fury Cutter! Rhyhorn, Stone Edge! Kabutops, Aqua Jet! Arcanine, Heat Wave! Pinsir, X-Scissor!" Max shouts.

"Bunnelby, Mud Shot! Chespin, Pin Missile! Luxray, use Swift!" Clemont shouts.

"Pansage, Vine Whip! Crustle, X-Scissor! Stunfisk, Thundershock!" Cilan calls out.

"Axew, Dragon Rage! Excadrill, Focus Blast! Emolga, Volt Switch! Dragonite, Dragon Rush, and Gible, you use Dig!" Iris screams.

"Steelix, Stone Edge, Rhyperior, use Rock Wrecker!" Forrest shouts.

"Charizard, Blast Burn! Tyranitar, Dark Pulse! Weavile, Ice Beam! Bisharp, Focus Blast! Unfezant, Sky Attack!" Alain growls.

"Electchu, Electro Ball! Odyssey, Aura Sphere! Poliwrath, Hydro Pump! Gengar, Dark Pulse! Blitzwing, Brave Bird! Fenrir, use Flare Blitz!"

All the Pokemon use their respective attacks on the disoriented opponents. Left and right, the sounds of Team Rocket grunts and Pokemon crying out in pain or sounds of them being knocked out are heard all over the dark smoke.

But as the vanguard attack, the smoke suddenly disappears. Everyone looks around in confusion until they see many Natu, Xatu, Woobat, Swoobat, Sigilyph, the three Lugia, and many more psychic/flying types blowing the smoke away. The Team Rocket grunts and their personal Pokemon grin and begin to fight back now that neither side has an advantage.

The grunts order their Pokemon to attack with the brainwashed psychic Pokemon attacking on their own. Many Pokemon from both sides hit each other left and right, causing them to faint. Max's Sceptile and Pinsir, Alain's Tyranitar, Bisharp, Weavile, and Timothy's Gengar take down many psychic-type Pokemon with ease using their bug/dark attacks. Gengar flattens itself to dodge any psychic attacks that comes its way before taking down the enemy Pokemon with its ghost and dark-type attacks. The many poison and electric type Pokemon owned by the Team Rocket grunts use their respective attacks, hitting many Pokemon from the other side, with some of them either dodging the attacks or protecting themselves using moves like Protect and Safeguard. Before long, Pokemon trainers among the vanguard return their Pokemon and run away to the healing camp.

"Looks like it's time to lighten the load from our side," Lt. Surge comments.

"I agree," Timothy says before turning to Clermont. "Fire the blue flair! We'll cover you!"

"You got it!" Clemont shouts as he takes a large flare gun from his pocket and loads a blue flare into it.

From the top of Team Rocket's tower, Giovanni, Matori, and Persian are watching the battle from the large window. Mew and Mewtwo are still floating in the air, not acknowledging what is going on outside. Giovanni has an evil, eased grin on his face as he watches the trainers fight against his army.

"Look at those pathetic fools," he says. "They are actually trying to wipe out our forces with their pitiful band."

"Indeed," Matori says nonchalantly. "Still, I must admit their strategy to delay our forces is somewhat commendable."

Giovanni chuckles with his mouth closed.

"Commendable but useless," he says. "Our forces are numerous while they grow weaker by the second. There's no way they can break through our -"

But as he's talking, a large blue flare is shot high into the air. The flare explodes into smaller flares before it disappears completely. Giovanni raises an eyebrow, wondering what the point of his enemies firing the flare was.

"Sir, Pokemon are coming from the water!" Matori shouts.

"What?!" Giovanni growls.

The leader of Team Rocket looks down to where the bridge connecting to his tower from the mainland is and sees legions of water Pokemon from both the Kanto and Johto regions wild and owned by Pokemon trainers alike coming from the sea and flanking his army from behind. A couple of bright lights appear as some of the trainers make their Pokemon mega evolve. Giovanni grows angry with his hands turn to fist before he turns to his assistant.

"Get everyone in this building with Pokemon who aren't protecting the scientists down there and flank them back!" He barks.

"But doesn't that include the men guarding Arceus?" Matori asks worryingly.

"They can't do anything to free it as long as the machine is on, and I have the Gieldanstone! Just do it!" Giovanni screams. "And get down there and lead them!"

Matori gulps nervously before she reluctantly runs toward the door, exiting the office. Giovanni turns back to watching the battle, feeling slightly less confident.

"I seem to have underestimated my enemies," he admits to himself. "But I won't let that stop me no matter what it takes."

Right as he finishes saying that, a high-pitched beeping is heard. He turns around and presses a button on his desk, and a holo image of Domino appears.

"009, what are you calling me for?" He snarls.

"_Sir, I just thought you should know that I discovered a little something about our enemies_," Domino answers.

"And that would be?" Giovanni asks impatiently.

"_They have a camp for healing Pokemon north from the battle,_" Domino answers. "_They appear to have gathered all the nurses and doctors to assemble there with all of their portable healing equipment._"

Giovanni stays silent with a frown still on his face.

"I see," he says.

"_Do I have your permission to sabotage it?_" Domino asks.

Giovanni thinks for a moment before he says, "Take one of the psychic Pokemon with you. You will cause more damage that way. That's an order."

Domino frowns, clearly not wanting to use a Pokemon to do the job, but she bitterly admits that it's the only way she can do what she wants to do.

"_Understood,_" she grumbles. "_I'll contact you when the deed is done._"

"Very well. Giovanni out," Giovanni says before turning off the transmission.

He presses the button in the image of Domino disappears from the screen. He goes back to watching the battle again with Persian meowing, concerned for its master.

"Be still!" He commands without looking at the Pokemon.

Persian's worry grows as it winces from its master's harsh words before it begrudgingly goes back to watching the battle with him, hoping that it will end in Giovanni's favor soon.

Coovers, Serena, Pikachu, Gary, Koga, and Agatha have been waiting patiently underwater for Team Rocket's remaining people available to join the fight. After the blue flare was fired and all the water Pokemon and water Pokemon trainers left to join the fight with Misty, May, Dawn, Tucker, and Lucy joining while the small squadron keeps waiting, eager to infiltrate Team Rocket's tower. Finally, they see Matori and dozens of Team Rocket members come out of the building and race to the other side of the bridge.

Once all of them are out and running towards the battle, Coovers waits a minute before giving his team a nod, and Samurott and Blastoise go up the surface so that the team can all climb up to the top of the island on the left side of the building. They take off their diving gear before Coovers and Gary return Samurott and Blastoise, respectively.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, we got a long way up, much to do, and less time to do it," Coovers announces. "Let's do this as quickly and quietly as possible. Remember, the fate of the world may be in our hands, so let's not let everyone down."

"Right," Serena, Gary. Koga, and Agatha say at the same time.

"Pika," Pikachu says with a nod while on Serena's shoulder.

"Alright, let's move!" Coovers commands.

The six of them sneak with their backs against the wall before they make it to the corner and turn to the front of the building. At the front of the entrance, Arceus is standing on the large machine, getting constantly hit by electric beams. Gary stares at the poor, mythical Pokemon, and starts to run over to it until Agatha grabs him by the shirt.

"What do you think you're doing, young man?" She asks.

"Oh come on," Gary protests. "Arceus is right there in front of us. We can free it and save the world right now."

"Gary, remember the briefing," Koga hisses. "Even if we free it, Giovanni can still use it against all of us as long as he has the Gieldanstone. We can't free it yet until we take it from him."

Gary frowns, wanting to save everyone now. He shuts his eyes and clenches his teeth before he sighs.

"Fine," he says, defeated.

"Good," Coovers says. "Now, let's get inside."

The rest of the team nods before they go inside. They walk down the large entryway until they find several elevators on the other side. They look at the list of floors hanging next to one of the elevators and look at most of the list in disgust.

"So this is why they made this place to be so big," Agatha says. "Most of the levels in this building are meant to store Pokemon that are under their control."

"That's horrible!" Serena shouts angrily.

"Pika!" Pikachu also exclaims in anger.

"All the more reason to take down Team Rocket pronto," Gary says determinedly.

"Agreed," Koga says while still browsing through the list. "There doesn't appear to be a floor specifically for holding the police."

"Yeah, looks like all they have above all the floors for captured Pokemon are quarters specifically for what seems to be every member of Team Rocket, a floor for their science team, a jail for just one person, and a couple of floors for the higher-ups including Giovanni at the very top," Coovers observes.

"Then our path is clear, isn't it?" Serena asks. "There's no reason for the police to be anywhere else than the science floor if there's a prison for only one person, and the rest of the top levels are for Team Rocket personnel. So we'll take the elevator to the science floor where they might be. After that, we get Ash the next floor up, then go to the top to nab the leader of Team Rocket, get the Gieldanstone, and free Arceus with it before we destroy it."

"Hmmm, I see your logic, Serena, but there's no guarantee that Looker and the rest of the International Police are on that specific floor," Agatha points out. "They could be in the lower levels that are reserved for captured Pokemon."

"Yeah, but if they're not on the science floor, we can force those science dweebs to tell us where they are," Gary says. "We could even make them tell us how to turn off that machine on Arceus to make freeing it easier once we get that jewel."

"Hmmm. That's not a bad idea," Coovers admits. "Either way, we're not helping anyone by standing here. Let's get on an elevator and start with the science floor pronto."

"You got it," Gary says, pressing a button to the elevator.

As the squad is waiting for the elevator, Serena turns to Pikachu, who is still on her shoulder and gives the mouse Pokemon a serious look.

"We're almost there, Pikachu," she whispers. "Just a little further, and we'll be reunited with Ash."

"Pika," Pikachu quietly says with its own serious look.

Back in the front lines of the battle, Lt. Surge, Brandon, Timothy, Iris, Cilan, Forrest, Max, and Alain are still fighting hard with their Pokemon along with countless other trainers. The flanking battalion with Misty, May, Dawn, Tucker, and Lucy has eased the amount of Team Rocket grunts and Pokemon, but the enemy is still managing to slowly overpower the vanguard. One by one, trainers, are returning their fallen Pokemon and fleeing to the healing camp.

"I think we better get our other two flanking divisions to come in and surround the enemy," Timothy says.

"I agree," Brandon says before turning to Clemont. "Use the next flair."

"Copy," Clemont says as he loads another flair.

Once again, Brandon and Timothy use their Pokemon to protect the Lumiose City gym leader while he fires a green flair into the air. The large flair flies straight up high until it explodes into smaller flares before disappearing completely. The vanguard wait as they keep taking out as much of the enemy as possible.

After a couple of minutes, they hear the sound of Pokemon shouting battle cries from the east and the west. The night is so dark, and the Team Rocket host is so focused on fighting on two different sides, that they don't pay attention to the many wild Pokemon charging from both sides with Professor Oak, Bulbasaur, and Tracey commanding them and the Pokemon from the professor's lab from the west and Anabel leading from the east. By the time Team Rocket realizes what is happening, the wild Pokemon have already burst through the sides of their army. It isn't long, however, before the enemy starts to push back with the psychic Pokemon taking out a good amount of the wild Pokemon.

"Well, Team Rocket reciprocated faster than I thought," Lt. Surge says.

"At least that lightened the load on our side," Timothy says while ordering his Pokemon.

"Not to mention the Team Rocket guys don't seem to have any Pokeballs to try to catch the wild Pokemon their Pokemon beat," Max adds.

"Good point," Cilan says.

"Still, it looks like Team Rocket is hitting hard again at the wild Pokemon," Alain points out concerned. "I don't think they have the strength or proper strategy to last very long."

"Wait, what are those large bird-like Pokemon up in the air?" Iris suddenly asks, pointing a where the Kanto wild Pokemon are.

Everyone looks at the direction of where Iris is pointing while the wild Pokemon are still fighting against the enemy's Pokemon. Up in the air, they see the three large bird-like Pokemon soaring toward the battle. It takes a moment before Brandon, Timothy, and Max recognize each of them.

"It's Moltres," Brandon says.

"And Articuno," Timothy says.

"And Zapatos," Max says.

"Well, I'll be," Clemont says. "The three legendary bird Pokemon are here."

"Not just them," Alain says, pointing at the other direction.

Everyone turns to the other direction where the wild Johto Pokemon are and see Entei, Raikou, and Suicune charging at Team Rocket's army. They burst through the enemy's Pokemon from that side with their mighty attacks while Zapatos, Articuno, and Moltres use their own powerful attacks to burn, electrocute, and freeze above Team Rocket's large army.

"The legendary beasts are here too," Timothy says, amazed.

"But Anabel didn't say anything about recruiting them," Iris says.

"Yeah, and knowing Professor Oak, he might have at least said that there's some surprise with recruiting Pokemon from Kanto," Max says.

"Then it seems the legendary Pokemon sensed what's at stake and so decided to fight for the good of all people and Pokemon," Brandon says.

"Then it looks like things might be turning in our favor," Cilan says optimistically.

"Maybe, but let's keep fighting from our side," Brandon says seriously

"He's right," Lt. Surge says. "Remember, we're still the vanguard, and thus, we can only hold the enemy back for so long. So we need to focus and take out as many Pokemon from our side as we can."

"Right," Timothy, Alain, Clemont, Max, Forrest, Cilan, and Iris say solemnly.

The nine of them go back to commanding their Pokemon with the rest of the brigade, taking out Team Rocket Pokemon and brainwashed psychic-type Pokemon alike. But as all four sides fight against their enemies, their numbers slowly but surely begin to dwindle as more and more of their Pokemon get knocked out. At the rate that the battle is going even if six legendary Pokemon fighting with them, it may be a matter of time before the battle for the world is lost.


	78. Chapter 78

From the medical camp behind the front lines, everyone is working as hard and as fast as possible. Brock, Erika, her assistants, Professor Sycamore, Mairin, Chespie, Bonnie, Dedenne, and all the doctors and Nurse Joys from both the Kanto and Johto regions are struggling to keep up with the many Pokemon trainers that are lined up to have their Pokemon healed before going back to the fighting. The doctors and nurses are moving around left and right, bringing damaged or unconscious Pokemon to their healing machines, carts full of medicine, or barrels of berries as quickly and efficiently as possible. From the farthest side of the camp, Bonnie and Dedenne are taking care of giving berries to anyone who needs them.

"Bonnie, I need 2 Oran Berries," a Nurse Joy says, holding a Gloom.

"Got it," Bonnie says, taking two Oran berries out of one of the barrels and handing it to Nurse Joy before she leaves.

"Bonnie, I need a Pacha Berry stat!" A doctor says hurriedly while carrying a poisoned Radicate.

"Right away," Bonnie says, giving a Pacha Berry to the doctor.

"Bonnie, I need three Cheri Berries for thi, Chameleon, and Weezing," Professor Sycamore says with the three Pokemon behind him.

Bonnie turns to the many barrels and calls out, "Dedenne, three Cheri Berries!"

Dedenne pops up and picks the Cheri Berries out of one of the barrels farthest from the little girl and brings them to her as fast as the little antenna Pokemon can carry them. Bonnie gives then to the professor before he feeds them to the Pokemon, and they leave.

Bonnie sighs in relief, thankful to have a moment of peace. She takes off Serena's hat and uses it as a fan.

"I don't know how long I can keep this up, Dedenne," she moans. "It's getting chaotic over here."

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne groans in agreement.

"I sure hope the battle is somehow going better than it looks over here with all of these hurt Pokemon," Bonnie says. "And I really hope Clemont and all of our friends are doing okay."

"So do I."

Bonnie turns around to find Brock and his Chansey heading towards her with Brock having a serious look.

"Hey, Brock. Got some berry requests?" Bonnie asks.

"Yes. I need 7 Pacha Berries, 9 Persim Berries, and 15 Enigma Berries right away," Brock answers.

"Coming right up," Bonnie says as she and Dedenne gather all of the requested berries and place them in Brock and Chansey's arms.

The tan-skinned man and his Pokemon carry the berries to the other side of the camp where a couple of Nurse Joys and doctors take them and feed them to several Pokemon. Brock sighs in relief and is about to find something else to help when he hears a loud voice.

"Help! Somebody help!"

He turns around to see a woman with blonde hair covered by her hat and wearing a zipped jacket and a long skirt. She runs over to Brock in a state of panic and grabs his shirt.

"You gotta help me!" She exclaims. "My Pokemon is in trouble."

Brock looks at the woman sympathetically and says, "I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to wait in line."

"You don't understand!" The woman begs with tears in her eyes. "It's not just unable to fight! It's in serious, critical condition! If nothing is done about it soon, it might...might…"

The woman lowers her head and starts crying loudly. Brock looks at the woman concerned, understanding what she is implying. In his heart, he knows he can't refuse a Pokemon that might be in a terminal condition.

"Okay, okay, we'll help," he says comfortingly. "Where is your Pokemon?"

The woman keeps crying for a moment before it abruptly stops, and she looks up at Brock with an evil look on her face.

"Right behind you."

Brock is confused until he looks behind him just in time to cover his eyes as a bright light appears to reveal a Claydol. Before Brock has a moment to speak, the woman points at them and shouts, "Destroy everything in sight!"

Without hesitation, the Claydol starts firing several Psybeams at different locations of the camp. Doctors and nurses scream in panic as they run away to avoid getting hit by the beams that destroy their equipment left and right. Bonnie and Dedenne move away to avoid getting hit while the Claydol uses Rapid Spin to destroy the barrels of berries. The trainers waiting in line to have their Pokemon healed all run away in fright. Brock watches in horror before turning to the woman.

"What are you doing?!" he yells.

The woman lets out a loud, evil laugh before she takes off her hat and jacket to reveal Domino in her Team Rocket uniform.

"Domino!" Brock growls.

"Aw, you remember me. I'm touched," Domino says sarcastically. "I admit I'm not a fan of using Pokemon as opposed to my tulips, but this Claydol is brutally effective. Apparently, it used to belong to some old hermit or something on an island far from here."

Brock takes a moment to think before he asks, "You mean Spenser?"

Domino scoffs and says, "I could care less what his name is. I only care about how powerful his Pokemon is and how much it can destroy your cute little camp."

Brock clenches his teeth and growls, "Not if I have anything to say anything about it. Chansey, use Secret Power!"

Immediately, Chansey waves its hand, and it releases a pink cloud from its body all around it. But Claydol teleports again and appears right behind Chansey to hit the egg Pokemon hard with Rapid Spin, sending it several feet away. Mairin and Bonnie look at each other and nod before they make their own attempt to hit Claydol.

"Chespie, use Vine Whip!" Mairin shouts.

"Dedenne, use Nuzzle!" Bonnie commands.

The two little Pokemon use their attack, and they hit their opponent directly, but the clay doll Pokemon is immune to Nuzzle and is too strong for Vine Whip to take any effect. Mairin and Bonnie whimper in fear as Claydol fires another Psybeam that sends the two girls and their Pokemon flying.

"Mairin! Bonnie!" Professor Sycamore shouts.

Domino lets out another evil laugh that makes the Kalos professor angry.

"My, my, I really am glad to use a Pokemon for once," she says. "It's just so easy. I can have this powerful Pokemon destroy this place as much as I want, and I don't even have to tell it to do anything."

"You're going to find that to be a serious disadvantage," Professor Sycamore growls while taking out a Pokeball. "Garchomp, come on out!"

He throws the ball, and his loyal Garchomp comes out, giving a loud roar at Claydol. Professor Sycamore takes out a keystone and touches it, making it glow.

"Garchomp, time to Mega evolve!" He shouts.

Garchomp roars again as the Garchompite around its neck glows. But as Professor Sycamore's Pokemon is mega evolving, Caydol fires Psybeam at Garchomp and knocks it several feet away, interrupting its Mega Evolution. Professor Sycamore looks at his partner in shock before Claydol prepares a mighty Hyper Beam and fires it at Garchomp, instantly knocking it out.

"Garchomp!" He cries out.

Erika and Brock take out some of their own Pokeballs and throw them.

"Tangela, Victreebel, Gloom, come on out!" Erika shouts.

"Geodude, Crobat, Sudowoodo, Croagunk, let's go!" Brock yells.

Erika and Brock's Pokemon appear from different sides around Claydol. Domino merely smirks, confident that this won't go well for her enemies.

"Victreebel, use Power Whip! Tangela and Gloom, use Stun Spore!" Erika commands.

"Geodude, Gyro Ball! Crobat, Wing Attack! Sudowoodo, Feint Attack! Croagunk, Brick Break!" Brock orders.

All seven Pokemon prepare to use their respective attacks, but right as they are about to use them, Claydol uses Teleport again. The Pokemon don't realize what just happened before they have already used their attacks. Croagunk misses completely, Victreebel's vines get knocked back before Geodude rams the flycatcher Pokemon with Gyro Ball and Tangela and Gloom accidentally use Stun Spore on Sudowoodo and Crobat, paralyzing them. Erica and Brock look in shock before Claydol appears behind Tangela, Victreebel, Geodude, and Gloom before it uses Psybeam on all of them. The psychic move knocks out Erika's two part-poison-type Pokemon, leaving her to gasp as she sees Victreebel and Gloom lying on the ground. It then uses Rapid Spin to knock Tangela and Geodude back before turning to the rest of Brock's Pokemon.

"Looks like you're the ones with a disadvantage," Domino mocks. "Good thing I ordered it to attack or dodge from anything it sees attacking with its multiple eyes. Nothing can stop it now."

Brock looks at Claydol angrily, determined to save the camp.

"Crobat, Geodude, Wing Attack, and Gyro Ball again!" He shouts.

Both of his Pokemon charge toward their opponent only for Crobat to stop because of electric sparks appearing all over its body and for Claydol to disappear again, making Geodude miss. The clay doll Pokemon reappears beside the Pokemon and uses Psybeam to instantly knocking out Brock's poison and flying type Pokemon.

"Tangela, Vine Whip!" Erika shouts.

Tangela extends two of its vines in an attempt to strike its opponent, but Claydol knocks the vines away using Rapid Spin before hitting it with Psybeam. With the powerful psychic attacked use twice against it, the poor vine Pokemon is knocked out, leaving Erika unable to keep battling. Brock begins to order more attacks only for a black tulip to hit him in the stomach, and volts of electricity shock him. He shouts in agony and falls down on his back, feeling the electricity flow over his body from top to bottom. Domino laughs out loud as she walks over to Brock and kneels down with a cruel look on her face.

"As much as I find your persistence to be amusing, I still have a mission to complete," she says. "I'm going to reduce this medical camp to dust, and when I am through, it's only a matter of time before we crush your army for everything that it's -"

"Beedrill, X-Scissor! Wigglytuff, Headbutt!"

Domino frowns in confusion and looks up to see Claydol getting hit by a bug attack. Before Domino has a moment to react, she feels something ram her hard on the stomach, and she tumbles to the ground. She groans in pain as she slowly gets up to see a Beedrill, Wigglytuff, Probopass, Farfetch'd, Peliper, and Toxicroak surround Brock with a livid auburn-haired woman taking out the black tulip out of him.

"Get away from him!" she barks.

Brock moans in pain with his eyes closed before he slowly opens them to see the woman who just rescued him and stares at her in awe as if he is looking at an angel.

"Ho...Holly?" he mutters.

Domino growls and gets up, glaring at her attacker.

"That was a big mistake," she snarls before coming toward Holly and her Pokemon with her gymnastic skills.

"No, you're the one who made a mistake," Holly claims. "Pelipper, Surf!"

Pelipper summons a large wave of water at Domino, who just smirks. When the wave of water gets close enough, she jumps high into the air and does a flip, easily dodging the attack. The Team Rocket agent grins as she is about to land perfectly on the ground only to see Holly throw the black tulip used on Brock in the direction that Domino is landing. Her eyes widen, and she tries to dodge, but she inevitably lands, and the weapon hits her square in the chest. She cries out in pain and falls on her back while her own gadget shocks her.

"Taste of your own medicine," Holly says with a smirk before she turns to Brock with a worried look on her face. "Brock, are you okay?"

Brock remains lying down, still mesmerized by the sight of Holly before he robotically lifts his hand so that Holly can help him up. Holly gives him a sweet smile before she looks around in confusion.

"Where's Lucy? Is she not with you?" she asks.

Brock opens his mouth so answer while his arms begin to reach out to tightly embrace the woman of his heart, but his daze is completely interrupted by the sound of Claydol going back to destroying more of the medical equipment. The two adults turn to the brainwashed Pokemon and frown, mentally knowing that they need to focus on taking it down.

"Pelipper, use Wing Attack! Farfetch'd, use Peck! Wigglytuff, use Pound!"

"No, wait!" Brock shouts.

Pelipper, Farfetch'd, and Wigglytuff run toward Claydol with their respective attacks, but Claydol once again disappears. The three Pokemon look around in confusion until Claydol appears beside them, preparing to use Hyper Beam.

"Geodude, Sudowoodo, get Pelipper, Farfetch'd, and Wigglytuff away from there!" Brock yells.

Sudowoodo grabs Pelipper while Geodude grabs Farfetch and Wigglytuff with both arms. They bring Holly's Pokemon back to her side just as Claydol fires it's Hyper Beam at where they were.

"It knows Teleport?" Holly says, surprised.

"It does," Brock says seriously. "It's been using it to dodge all of our attacks before attacking our Pokemon. I'm the only person who has any Pokemon left apart from you."

Holly frowns, realizing the gravity of the situation. But then her eyes widen as something clicks in her mind, and she turns to Brock.

"Wait, how many times has it used Teleport?" she says.

Brock looks at her, confused, and says, "A few times. Why?"

"Do you think we can have it use it enough time to have it tire from using it?" Holly asks.

"That's a nice idea, but we can't sacrifice our Pokemon to get that chance," Brock says.

"We don't have to," Holly says with a smirk. "Probopass, use Magnet Bomb!"

The eyes of Probopass' mini-noses glow orange, and they fly off towards Claydol. The psychic-and-ground-type Pokemon disappears again and reappears several feet away only for the mini-noses to fly straight that way. Claydol then disappears again to dodge only to find the noses heading in the direction where it reappears. The clay doll Pokemon uses Teleport again and again, only for the mini-noses to keep following it in whatever direction it's at before Claydol uses Teleport again. Brock watches the process, amazed with what Holly's idea.

"You're using the noses to have Claydol use Teleport enough times that it will eventually tire out," he says.

"I am," Holly says proudly while watching Claydol constantly using it psychic attack to dodge. "And when it's unable to use it anymore, we can attack it together with all of our Pokemon."

Brock turns to Holly and smiles fondly at the idea of him and the woman who has his heart taking down their opponent together with their Pokemon. Without thinking about it, he takes Holly's hand, and she turns to him, confused.

"Together," Brock says.

Holly smiles and nods before the two of them turn to face Claydol, who is still teleporting all over the camp. Domino watches the progress while still being electrocuted by her own tulip. Finally, after one more Teleport, Claydol appears in the middle of the camp and stands there groaning, feeling tired from constantly using the move. Propopass' mini-noses finally get close enough to the clay doll Pokemon and explode, making Claydol fall down.

"Now, Toxicroack, use Poison Jab!" Holly shouts.

Brock realizes what she's doing and shouts, "Croagunk, use Poison Jab too!"

Both of their poison and fighting type Pokemon charge at Claydol with Croagunk's fingertips and the large claw on Toxicroack's hand glowing purple. They jab Claydol, making it groan in pain, but Domino just laughs out loud through the pain.

"Y-y-you...I-I-I-imbeciles," she says while still getting shocked. "D-d-d-don't...y-y-you...k-know...i-i-it's...r-r-r-resistant...t-t-t-to...p-p-p-poison...m-m-moves?"

The Team Rocket agent smiles through the pain until she sees purple bubbles appear around Claydol's body. Brock and Holly smirk at each other, thinking the same thing.

"Resistant…" Holly begins.

"But not immune," Brock finishes.

Domino growls, and with all the willpower, she can muster, grabs the tulip on her chest, and takes it out. She takes large breaths of relief before she stands up and looks at Claydol angrily.

"Get up!" She screams. "Get up and take them down, you stupid Pokemon!"

Claydol is still groaning in pain before it slowly levitates back up. But by the time it's about to attack, Holly makes another call.

"Wigglytuff, use Sing, now!" She shouts.

The balloon Pokemon quickly starts to sing at its opponent, and Claydol slowly becomes drowsy. Eventually, it stops levitating and just stands in the middle of the camp, asleep with purple bubbles still appearing all over its body. Domino growls and starts to throw tulips at Brock and Holly from the side.

"Farfetch'd, use Air Slash!" Holly shouts.

Farfetch'd jumps into the side of the two adults and starts cutting all of the tulips down with its attack. Domino keeps throwing her arsenal at them in desperation while Brock makes an order.

"Geodude, use Gyro Ball on her," he commands.

Domino realizes what Brock just commanded in mid-throw before she turns to where Geodude is coming. The rock Pokemon rams into her, knocking the wind out of her and sending her falling to the ground. The blonde woman holds her gut in agony while Brock and Holly turn back to Claydol.

"Let's finish this," Holly says.

"Let's finish this," Brock agrees. "Sudowoodo, Feint Attack! Geodude, Gyro Ball! Croagunk, Brick Break!"

"Pelipper, Hydro Pump! Probopass, Rock Slide! Farfetch'd, Razor Leaf! Wigglytuff, Headbutt! Beedrill, X-Scissor! Toxicroak, use Brick Break too!" Holly commands.

All nine Pokemon use their attacks at the same, and with Claydol unable to move, they all landed their attacks. The clay doll Pokemon groans in its sleep as Wigglytuff, Geodude, and Sudowoodo, ram into it with Headbutt, Gyro Ball, and Feint Attack, respectively, with the third attack seriously damaging it. The ground-and-psychic-type Pokemon's body grows even weaker with Hydro Pump, Razor Leaf, Rock Slide, and X-Scissor. Even having Toxicroak and Croagunk use Brick Break together caused some damage despite Claydol being resistant to fighting moves. Once the Pokemon are done with all of their attacks, Claydol is covered with serious scratches and bruises all over its body. Domino slowly gets up and grins confidently at Brock and Holly while still holding on to her stomach.

"You see?" She boasts. "You can't take it down with all of your Pokemon. You're wasting your time."

"I beg to differ," Brock says with neither him or Holly looking at Domino.

The Team Rocket agent looks at the two of them confused before she turns to Claydol, who is still standing straight as it is asleep. The purple bubbles appear all over the clay doll Pokemon's body, and it groans one last time before it falls down with swirly eyes. Domino looks in shock before turning to Brock and Holly with an angry face.

"Don't think that just because you took down that Claydol, your camp is safe," she snarls. "All I need to do is summon another psychic-type Pokemon and -"

But as she's in the middle of threatening Brock and Holly, she feels two sharp stings of pain coming right up her behind. She lets out a painful yelp and plummets to the ground on her front. Brock and Holly turn to where Domino is lying down on the ground with Croagunk and Toxicroak standing behind her with their fingertips and large claw glowing, respectively. The two Pokemon let out low chuckles as they grab Domino by her legs and drag her away.

Brock and Holly can't help but smile at the two poison-and-fighting-type Pokemon with Brock particularly thankful to see Croagunk use Poison Jab on someone else for a change. Their moment of amusement is short-lived, however, when they frown and look to see most of the medical camp wreaked. Professor Sycamore tries to comfort Mairin and Bonnie as the two girls cradle Chespie and Dedenne, respectively. Erika frowns sadly to see her three Pokemon lying on the ground, unconscious. All the Nurse Joys and doctors start to walk back to camp, looking devastated at all the machines and equipment that have been destroyed. Holly feels guilty as she turns to Brock apologetically.

"I'm so sorry," she says, putting her hands together like she's praying. "If I got here sooner maybe they won't have caused so much -"

"It's not your fault," Brock says seriously, as he looks at the damage. "All we need to focus on now is salvage what we can. The battle is still going on out there, and we need to heal as much Pokemon as we can."

Holly stares at Brock and nods in agreement with her own serious look.

"I'll help," she declares. "Tell me what I need to do."

Brock turns to her and sees the sincerity in her eyes. A part of him wants to tell her right now how he feels, but he decides against it, knowing that there are more important things at hand.

"Okay, why don't you help pick up all the berries that are still good while I help the doctors and nurses pick up the medicine," Brock says.

"You got it," Holly says before turning to her Pokemon. "Farfetch'd, Wigglytuff, come with me. Beedrill, Pelipper, Probopass, stand guard in case Team Rocket attacks again."

"Good idea," Brock says before turning to his remaining Pokemon. "Geodude, Sudowoodo, come help me."

Thus, the two of them go in different directions with their Pokemon to clean up the mess. As Brock helps a Nurse Joy with a damaged machine, however, he mentally prays that Team Rocket will ultimately lose the fight so that he can get another chance with Holly.

Coovers, Serena, Pikachu, Gary, Koga, and Agatha wait patiently as the elevator goes up. Serena and Pikachu feel like the elevator is going slower than it actually is, eager to reach the floor that will lead to everyone rescuing the International Police before they can save Ash. Both of them want nothing more than to embrace the raven-haired once again. The rest of the team hold their hands close to their pockets, ready to take out their Pokeballs at any moment.

Finally, after what felt like hours for the entire group, the elevator makes a loud "ding" and the doors open. They immediately race out of the elevator and run down a long hall except for Agatha, who is using her cane.

"Hang on, everyone," she calls out. "I can't run as fast as you."

The rest of the team stops and turns to Agatha, with Gary getting impatient.

"Come on!" he complains. "I thought time is of the essence here!"

"No offense, Agatha, but I'm with Gary on this one," Coovers says hesitantly. "Maybe he or Koga could carry you or something?"

Agatha frowns and asks, "Are you saying I'm holding everyone back because of my age?"

"It's nothing personal, Agatha," Coovers says. "It's just that -"

"Wait!" Koga says sharply. "Someone's coming."

The rest of the team immediately turns to where Koga is looking. They all take out a Pokeball, and Pikachu hops off of Serena's shoulder, getting ready to fight. They stand still for a moment until they see three figures passing by from the left of the hallway. It takes a moment before Serena recognizes them as Jessie, James, and Meowth, who are walking by without noticing them. But then Meowth glances at where the tram is and lets out a panicking yelp, pointing at the group. Jessie and James turn to where Meowth is pointing and squeal in fear as a few Pokeballs are thrown their way.

"Klinklang, come on out!" Coovers shouts.

"Braixen, let's go!" Serena yells.

"Blastoise, get ready!" Gary shouts.

"Golbat, emerge!" Koga commands.

"Gengar, come out," Agatha says.

All five Pokemon come out of their containers and appear beside Pikachu. The trainers are about to make their first calls when Jessie, James, and Meowth get down on their knees and put their hands up.

"We surrender!" Jessie shouts.

"Please don't attack us!" James whines.

Gary looks at the trio skeptically, remembering the times he's had to deal with them.

"Why should we believe you?!" He barks. "I oughta have Blastoise use Skull Bash on the three of you right now!"

"Blaaaaasssss," Blastoise bellows menacingly.

The trio whimper and Jessie and James take out their Pokeballs and rolls them over to Coovers, Serena, Gary, Koga, and Agatha.

"There, we're completely defenseless," James says with a nervous smile.

Serena inspects their Pokeballs on the floor and says, "There should be three Pokeballs between you two containing Gourgeist, Inkay, and Wobbuffet. Why are there only two?"

Jessie frowns sadly and says, "Our boss said I had to give up Wobbuffet for the cause because it's a psychic-type. Poor Wobbuffet is probably out there mindlessly fighting outside right now."

"Well, doesn't it stink to be you?" Gary says mockingly. "And now it looks like you're completely useless without your Pokemon. We should just knock you out right now."

James squeals and begs, "Please don't! We can help you!"

"That's right," Meowth says. "We'll tell ya everything you ask and do anything ya want! Just don't hurt us!"

Agatha raises an eyebrow and says, "I remember you trying to kidnap Pikachu a couple years ago. How do we know you don't have something up your sleeve?

"You can frisk us!" Jessie answers. "You can check to make sure we don't have any gadgets or anything!"

The five trainers look at the trio skeptically before Serena turns to Coovers.

"Can we do that?" She asks.

Coovers hesitates before he says, "Well, I am trained to do that as a policeman, so I might as well."

Serena, Gary, Koga, and Agatha nod at their leader as Coovers walks over to the trio. Before he starts checking for anything, however, he turns to his Klinklang with a serious look.

"You know what to do if they try anything," he says.

"Klinklang," his Pokemon replies.

Coovers then starts frisking Jessie and James and then frisks Meowth for good measure. The trio hold their breath the whole time until Coovers turns to the others.

"They're clean," he announces.

"That's all well and good, but what are we going to do with these cowards?" Agatha asks.

Meowth sees Agatha's question as a chance to prove the trio that they have a change of heart.

"Ya here to save those policemen, Ash and the Gieldanstone, ain't ya?" Meowth asks. "We can show you the way to all three of 'em."

"No dice. We don't need help if the police are here," Gary says. "And we already know what floors Ash, and the Gieldanstone are."

"But the police are guarded by several Team Rocket members including Butch and Cassidy," James counters.

"That's right," Jessie says. "If you're going to free the police, you should be aware of what you're up against. The only reason we're not there is because we were ordered to guard the perimeter."

The team looks at the three of them suspiciously, still tempted to use their Pokemon against them. After half a minute, Coovers decides to take a chance.

"How many guards are there apart from Bert and Cassidy?" He asks.

"Five not including Agent Basker," James answers.

"How many Pokemon?" Coovers asks.

"Butch and Cassidy have five Pokemon each, and Agent Basker has a whole party," Jessie answers. "The other guards have just one Pokemon each."

"Any brainwashed psychic Pokemon?"

"Yes, a Gardevoir. Da boss also has Mewtwo and Mew in his new office," Meowth says.

"Mewtwo?" Serena, Gary, and Agatha ask at the same time.

"Hmmm. I've never heard about this Mewtwo, but it sounds like we can take the guards down easily even with their Pokemon," Koga says. "But what do these three get out of this?"

The three members of Team Rocket look at each other and sigh, knowing what they have to say.

"Da thing is we've been regrettin' helping da boss get da jewel and Arceus," Meowth says. "With him commanding Arceus against its will and torturing it just to brainwash Pokemon like Wobbuffet, we've been feeling guilty for what we've done."

"Likely story," Gary says with his arms crossed.

"There's more," Jessie says. "When the machine to use was complete, Dr. Zager and Agent Basker discovered that they can only control whatever Pokemon type Arceus is as opposed to all Pokemon types."

The team look at each other confused.

"So when Giovanni said he was going to take control of all Pokemon though Arceus, he was bluffing?" Coovers asks.

"Not entirely," James says. "The boss told Dr. Zager to eventually adjust the machine used on Arceus so that if it separates all eighteen elemental plates from itself, they can then control all of the Pokemon."

Coovers, Koga, and Agatha's eyes widen with this news.

"But...but they can't make it do that!" Agatha exclaims. "If Arceus is separated from all of the plates, it will perish!"

"We know," Jessie says. "That's why we want to undo what we've done."

Gary frowns and says, "I don't care what you say. You've been causing trouble for years trying to kidnap Pikachu and other Pokemon. There's no way we can believe you, even if anything you say is true."

"I believe them."

Everyone turns to Serena, confused. Even Pikachu and the other Pokemon turn to her, dumbfounded.

"What did you say?" Gary asks.

"I said I believe them," Serena says calmly. "Don't get me wrong, I have just as much reason to distrust them as you do. When I was traveling the Kalos region with Ash, Pikachu, Clemont, and Bonnie, there was rarely a day where we didn't have to deal with them trying to take Pikachu or other Pokemon. But I've been thinking about what they've said about worrying for Arceus, and it adds up."

Koga raises an eyebrow and asks, "How do you figure?"

Serena looks at Jessie, James, and Meowth silently for a moment before she answers.

"Ash told me how Meowth desperately wanted Ash to revive the Pokemon Magearna when we were trying to save it and a lot of other Pokemon from a group of people worse than these three. He also told me how they helped him save the world a couple of years ago when an evil man almost doomed the world by capturing the legendary birds. They even saved his life in the process. And when Team Flare also attempted to destroy the world, who else but these three were there to give Mairin and me a chance to rescue Chespie."

Coovers, Gary, Koga, and Agatha stare at the honey blonde girl, taken aback by her explanation. Jessie, James, and Meowth have a look of hope in their eyes as Serena continues.

"I do remember Ash saying things like that a while back, Serena, but the two of you and Brock have told us how they've caused more trouble than good," Coovers says.

"I'm not saying that this cancels out everything they've done. Not by a long shot," Serena says. "But I've seen and heard enough to know when to believe them when they say they want to save someone like Arceus or the whole world."

Coovers frowns and turns to the trio skeptically again.

"You realize that if we win, Team Rocket will be destroyed." He states.

The trio frowns and bow their heads.

"We know," Meowth says. "And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this, we are okay with that."

Gary scoffs and says, "Yeah, right."

"No, Meowth is telling the truth," Jessie says. "It's true that our lives have been devoted to the Team Rocket cause for as long as we can remember. We've taken pleasure in our attempts to steal Pokemon or other valuable things, whether it was to get rich, benefit from whatever valuable thing might possess, or doing whatever it takes to please our boss and gain glory from our achievements."

"But after we've seen what the boss is doing to Arceus and how much he truly sees Pokemon including ours as just tools, we realized we can't stay true to our cause anymore," James says. "We are as guilty as him for not caring about the feelings and well-being of other Pokemon, but after what he's done recently, we cannot deny that we at least care for our own Pokemon as living beings. All of the Pokemon we ever had throughout the years are our dearest friends, and they mean so much to us. If all of them are used as nothing more than tools like Wobbuffet, we don't know what we would do."

"We haven't done anything to betray the organization until now because we were afraid of what the boss and everyone else in the organization would do if they found out," Meowth finishes. "But now that you're here, we have a chance to make things right after everything we have done in the name of Team Rocket."

The hallway is silent for several seconds. Serena, Gary, Koga, and Agatha turn to Coovers, who is still staring at the trio.

"You are the leader of the team, Coovers," Koga states. "What's your call?"

Coovers stays still, looking at Jessie, James, and Meowth judgmentally. The three of them stay on their knees, asking for a chance to prove themselves with pleading looks in their eyes. The man from Unova has a good mind to pulverize them in any way he sees fit, but after a long moment, he sighs before he picks up the Pokeballs and puts them in his coat pocket.

"Show us to where the police are, and maybe we'll decide whether or not to trust you," he commands. "Our Pokemon will keep an eye on you three. You so much twitch the wrong way, they will deal with you. Understand?"

Klinklang, Braixen, Pikachu, Blastoise, Golbat, and Gengar all glare at the trio. Jessie, James, and Meowth nod vigorously before they stand up.

"Ya won't regret this," Meowth promises.

"I doubt it," Gary says. "Now, where are they?"

"The police and guards are with the science lab," James answers.

"Hmmm. Looks like Serena guessed right," Koga says.

"Yes, but why would they be there?" Serena asks.

"Long story short, the brainwashed police were used as slaves to rebuild the machine meant for Arceus," James answers. "Dr. Zager decided to keep them in his lab so that he will be ready to use them when it's time to adjust the machine after the battle. Dr. Zager, Agent Basker, and their team don't believe they need to be protected, but the boss ordered Butch, Cassidy, the other five grunts, and us to guard them as a precaution while the battle is going on."

"Show us," Coovers orders.

Jessie, James, and Meowth nod vigorously again before they turn around and gesture the team to follow them. Coovers, Serena, Gary, Koga, and Agatha carefully follow the trio with Pikachu and the rest of the Pokemon following behind, ready to attack if Jessie, James, and Meowth try anything. The three of them lead the team to the end of the hall, where they hear voices coming from a large door. James puts his finger on his lips, telling everyone to be quiet before he and Jessie carefully open the door slightly and back away. Coovers silently gestures Gary, Koga, and Agatha to keep an eye on the trio with their Pokemon before he, Serena, and Pikachu peak through the opening. They spot Looker and the rest of the International Police wearing headbands and standing like zombies beside some science equipment.

"What's with them all having headbands on their heads?" Serena whispers to Jessie.

"The headbands are electronic gadgets that are used to control them," Jessie answers quietly.

"So, do we need to just remove them to set them free?" Coovers asks.

"That's right," Jessie answers.

Coovers nods, and he, Serena, and Pikachu lean closer to hear the voices on the other side of the room.

"Augh! I hate waiting for the battle to end!" One voice exclaims.

"For the last time, calm yourself down, Basker," an older voice growls.

"How can I calm down when I can't have my vengeance against Durbin right now," Agent Basker complains.

Serena looks confused and quietly asks, "What does this Basker guy have against Timothy?"

"Oh yeah, Agent Basker is Trent Lane," Coovers answers.

Serena gasps sharply and says, "You mean the same Trent as in -"

"Yes, the guy who bullied him and became a member of Team Rocket," Coovers answers. "Before we were saved by the Pokemon Giovanni was with at Indigo Plateau, we found out that he is still alive."

"Oh, my," Serena says before she realizes something. "Wait a minute. Meowth, you said that there's a Gardevoir in there, right?"

"Yeah, so?" Meowth questions.

Serena turns to Coovers and says, "Do you think that particular Gardevoir inside might be Shockwave?"

Coovers eyes widen, and he says, "I think it is. If Trent is so determined to get revenge on Timothy just like he did before with kidnapping Electchu and Poliwrath, it would make perfect sense to have Shockwave by his side, knowing that it's Timothy's Pokemon."

"If that's true, then we need to rescue it from this Trent fellow," Agatha says. "We may not be able to free it yet, but at least we can keep it away from this fiend."

"I agree," Serena says before she realizes something else. "By the way, Coovers, you said this psychic Pokemon that saved you was beside the leader of Team Rocket, and we just found out that Mew and something called Mewtwo is with the leader ask his office. Does that mean Mewtwo is the one who saved you guys?"

Coovers hesitates nervously, trying to figure out a way to avoid the question for the sake of his promise to keep Mewtwo's identity a secret. But before he can try anything the dodge the question, Agent Basker's voice is heard again.

"Why do we even have these schmucks 'guard' us during the battle anyway?" He rebukes.

"Hey, we hate not getting to fight as much as you do!" Cassidy barks.

"Yeah, we should be making dozens of pathetic tweeps cry as we beat and steal their Pokemon!" Butch growls.

"I'm with them. Why should we stay here when all eight of us have Pokemon that should be out there fighting right there?!" A female voice shouts.

"Yeah!" Several other voices exclaim.

Coovers and Serena look at each other, realizing that the female grunt just confirmed how many of them with Pokemon in the room are there.

"Enough! All of you!" Dr. Zager. "The boss wants us to make sure we are protected in case any of our enemies get to our base. As long as we are still needed to upgrade the machine to that we can control all Pokemon with all of the elemental plates, we and our slaves must be protected. You may get your chance if we still need to conquer the next region before we get that done, but until then, he wants us guarded."

Coovers and his team turn to Jessie, James, and Meowth, who smile slightly, knowing that the doctor unknowingly proved more their intel to be legitimate.

"Seems like you have been honest with us," Koga says.

"But how do we know that those guys aren't just acting it out to make it seem like these three told us the right stuff?" Gary asks. "I mean, these dweebs tend to be deceitful."

Coovers raises an eyebrow and turns to Jessie, James, and Meowth, saying, "Excellent question."

The trio grows nervous, and out of desperation, Meowth says, "You can open the door a little more so that you can see all of them. Just make sure you don't open it enough that they won't notice."

Coovers and Serena look at each other, uneasy with the suggestion. They both know the risk in the idea, but they admit that it would give them a better look at the inside the room. Deciding to take a chance while the rest of the team are keeping an eye on the trio, they open the door a little more so that they can see more of the room. They look at the center of the room where they see several machines with a few scientists standing next to them, along with an old man with poofy whiteish hair and a large mustache. Beside the old man is a Gardevoir and a man with burn scars on his face, and a robotic left eye and arm with six Pokeballs on his belt. In front of all of the scientists and the Pokemon are Butch and Cassidy standing impatiently with five Pokeballs on each of their belts and five grunts with one Pokeball each.

"Looks like Jessie, James, and Meowth told us the truth," Serena says.

"I agree," Coovers says. "And that really is Shockwave in there."

"How do you know?" Serena asks.

"I may not be its trainer, but I've traveled with Timothy long enough to know Shockwave when I see it," Coovers answers. "That and it's specifically standing next to Trent, so it's obvious he's holding it close to him like it's some kind of trophy."

Serena stares at the cyborg and says, "So that's Trent himself. That would explain the scars and the mechanical eye and arm."

"Yes, it would," Coovers says. "In any case, we should close the door and come up with a plan."

Serena nods, and they carefully close the door before turning to everyone else.

"These three have told us the truth," Coovers says, pointing at Jessie, James, and Meowth.

The trio sigh in relief while the rest of Coovers' team look at him befuddled.

"Are you sure?" Koga says.

"Yes," Serena says. "Everything they described is in there. Shockwave, the people in there, the amount of Pokeballs each of them have, everything."

Gary blinks and scoffs.

"Huh. Will wonders never cease?" He says. "So, what's the plan?"

Coovers scratches his head for a moment before he turns to Koga and Agatha

"Koga, Agatha, your Golbats know Screech and Supersonic, respectively, right?" he asks.

Koga nods plainly while Agatha simply says, "It does."

Coovers turns to Gary and says, "And you mentioned that your Nidoking knows Earthquake and Your Arcanine knows Flame Wheel, right?"

Gary raises his eyebrow and says, "Yeah. What about it?"

"Okay then, here's the plan," Coovers begins. "Time is of the essence, and we don't know how long our friends outside can keep fighting, so we need to do two things at once. We're going all the way back to the elevator so that Gary, Koga, Agatha, and I can take out all of our Pokemon without them hearing us. Then we go back and attack."

Serena frowns and asks, "What about me, Braixen, and Pikachu?"

"Pika," Pikachu agrees.

"Yeah, and what about us?" Jessie says, point at herself, James, and Meowth.

"You three will escort Serena, Braixen, and Pikachu to where Ash is imprisoned on the next floor," Coovers commands while giving a communicator to Serena. "While we take out the people in the lab and free the police, you will free Ash. If we do both at the same time, we can just simply meet each other at the top and take down Giovanni and get the Gieldanstone. If Gary, Koga, Agatha, and I charge in with Koga and Agatha's Golbat using Screech and Supersonic, respectively, that will distract the enemy inside long enough to knock some of them unconscious using Earthquake before they can take out their Pokemon. I have a Krookodile, which is a part dark-type, so if I have it use Dark Pulse while Agatha's Gengar use Hypnosis and Gary's Umbreon uses Shadow Ball on Shockwave, that will keep it from using its psychic attacks against us. From there, we will just use the rest of our Pokemon to take down the rest of the grunts and any Pokemon they manage to take out, and then we free Looker and the police just like that."

Everyone listens to Coovers' plan carefully and thinks about it for a moment before Agatha answers.

"Quick and efficient. I approve," she says.

"As do I," Koga says.

"I'm game," Gary says.

Serena and Pikachu look at each other before the former says, "Well, no one is as eager to save Ash as Pikachu and me."

"Pika," Pikachu says with a nod.

"Good. Then let's move," Coovers commands.

Thus, they walk quietly through the hallway again all the way back to where the elevator is. Gary takes out his Umbreon, Electivire, Nidoking, Arcanine, and Dodrio while Koga and Agatha take out both of their Golbat and Coovers takes out his Samurott, Krookodile, Braviary, Zoroark, and Chandelure before turning to Serena. The two of them look at each other with sad looks in their eyes before they hug each other.

"Be safe," Coovers says. "Contact me with your walkie talkie when you've rescued Ash."

"I will," Serena replies. "And you be safe too."

The two of them break their hug, and Serena presses the button, and the door to the elevator opens for her to go inside with Braixen and Pikachu back on her shoulder. Jessie, James, and Meowth are about to join her when Zoroark and Krookodile step in front of them menacingly with their claws ready. The trio whimper in fear before Coovers steps in with a wrathful look.

"If you betray her or cause any harm to her, Braixen, Pikachu, or Ash, you will scream for mercy while I have my Pokemon pummel you in whatever way I see fit," he growls. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Meowth squeals.

"Good," Coovers snarls. "Now, get in."

Immediately, the trio get in, standing behind Serena, Pikachu, and Braixen, whimpering as they stand. Serena gives the rest of the team a small smile before she presses the button and the doors close.

After a few seconds of silence, Coovers turns to everything else with a determined look.

"Right," he says. "Let's go save the police while I still have a job to save."

Everyone nods before they hustle back to the entrance to the lab. Coovers grabs the handle to the door while Agatha and Koga position their Golbat to be right behind him and Gary's Nidoking standing behind them. The rest of the Pokemon get in position, ready to attack. Coovers slowly counts to three with his fingers before he pulls the door open, and everyone charges in.

"Golbat, use Screech!" Koga shouts.

"Use Supersonic, Golbat!" Agatha shouts.

Both Golbat use their respective moves, and both the grunts and the scientists cover their ears in agony.

"Nidoking, use Earthquake!" Gary commands.

Nidoking jumps into the air and slams into the ground, causing it to shake violently. Many grunts and scientists lose their balance and fall down.

"Gengar, use Hypnosis on Shockwave!" Agatha shouts.

"Krookodile, Dark Pulse on Shockwave!" Coovers yells.

"Umbreon, Shadow Ball on Shockwave!" Gary orders.

Gengar, Krookodile, and Umbreon prepare to use their respective attacks, but they suddenly stop, looking confused. Agatha, Coovers, and Gary look at their Pokemon, also confused and turn to find neither Shockwave or Agent Basker anywhere in the room.

"Where is Shockwave and Agent Basker?!" Coovers shouts.

"You should worry about yourself!" Cassidy shouts as she gets up and takes out all of her Pokeballs. "Raticate, Houndour, Sableye. Granbull, Tentacruel, go!"

Butch also stands up and throws his Pokeballs, shouting, "Primeape, Cloyster, Hitmontop, Mighteyana, Shuckle, take them down!"

The grunts also get up and throw their own Pokeballs that open to reveal an Ivysaur, Murkrow, Pupitar, Venomoth, and Arbok.

"Looks like we got so distracted that we gave them time to get up," Koga points out.

"Duly noted," Gary says. "So, what do we do now?"

"We fight," Coovers says seriously while looking at his opponents. "Fifteen Pokemon on their side and fifteen Pokemon on our side. This makes this a fair battle. Let's show them we are stronger."

"Right," Gary, Koga, and Agatha say at the same time.

With that, everyone starts giving orders, and all of the Pokemon from both sides start fighting each other. The scientists find places to hide while the police stay still in their spot like statues as all sorts of moves hit the walls. But as the Pokemon are fighting, Dr. Zager takes out a key and inserts it into one of the machines. The big, red button beside the keyhole starts flashing, and the Team Rocket scientist immediately slams it down while grinning mischievously.

Serena, Pikachu, and Braixen wait eagerly for the elevator door to open. Serena's heart is racing, knowing that she is practically minutes away from seeing Ash again. Jessie, James, and Meowth are also eager to guide the honey blonde girl to Ash so that they have a chance of redemption by freeing the boy. Pikachu and Braixen act ready to fight in case there is a trap or any guards that the trio didn't mention.

The elevator stops, and another loud "ding" is heard before the doors open. Serena, and Braixen race out of the elevator with Pikachu still on Serena's shoulder. Jessie, James, and Meowth are about to exit too when a loud noise is heard from the elevator. Everyone covers their ears, and Serena turns to the trio who are still inside the elevator.

"What's going on?" She shouts.

"I don't know!" Jessie shouts back. "This has never happened before!"

Before Serena can reply, the doors to the elevator suddenly close, trapping Jessie, James, and Meowth inside. The noise is muffled with the doors closed, and Serena, Pikachu, and Braixen let go of their ears, and they hear the elevator go down with the trio. They stare at the elevator doors, confused about what just happened.

Dr. Zager grins evilly as he watches the screen next to the red button that confirms the elevator is now locked beyond his floor. The Team Rocket scientist feels a moment of pride for carrying out Giovanni's orders, not knowing that Serena, Pikachu, or Braixen got into the floor above him before the deed was done. As he grins at the machine, Butch, Cassidy, and the five grunts struggle to keep battling against Coovers, Gary, Koga, and Agatha. They grow fearful and desperate to overcome their enemies.

"Samurott, Hydro Pump! Krookodile, Dark Pulse! Klinklang, Zap Cannon! Braviary, Steel Wing! Zoroark, Night Daze! Chandelure, Night Shade!" Coovers shouts.

"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon! Umbreon, Psychic! Electivire, Thunder! Nidoking, Tackle! Arcanine, Fire Spin! Dodrio, Drill Peck!" Gary commands

"Golbat, Air Cutter! Gengar, Shadow Ball!" Agatha orders.

"Golbat, Wing Attack!" Koga commands.

Cassidy's Raticate and Houndour get knocked away by Hydro Pump and Hydro Cannon. Klinklang and Electivire zap Tentacruel and Cloyster hard with Zap Cannon and Thunder respectfully. Despite being a part dark-type, Sableye falls down like a lifeless doll upon impact of Krookodile's strong Dark Pulse. Zoroark mercilessly creates a shockwave that blows Raticate away. Umbreon lifts up Arbok with Psychic and sends it flying into a wall on the other side of the room. Gengar knocks Venomoth out of the air with Shadow Ball. Hitmontop spins toward Chandelure only for Chandelure to fire several crimson rings, and they hit the handstand Pokemon, and it tumbles to the ground with its body surrounded in pale purple. Arcanine mercilessly burns Ivysaur, with Fire Spin, instantly knocking it out. Braviary's Steel Wing sends Pupitar back against a wall and falling on top of Arbok. Murkrow took enough damage before to be easily taken out by Wing Attack. Agatha's Golbat proved strong enough to easily knock Granbull out with Air Cutter. Finally, poor Shuckle does nothing but whimper in fear as the mighty Nidoking tackles it and sends it flying toward Butch's stomach, knocking him off his feet.

Once the fighting is over, the grunts, Cassidy and a scientist excluding Dr. Zager, stare in shock as Coovers' team grins triumphantly.

"Heh, barely worth the effort," Gary boasts.

"Yeah, no wonder you weren't sent to fight in the big battle, Bert," Coovers mocks.

"I-I-it's Butch…" Butch moans while still on the ground with his fallen Pokemon lying on his stomach.

"Whatever. It's time to do what he came here to do," Coovers declares, turning to Looker and the rest of the brainwashed police. "Zoroark, cut off those ridiculous headbands with Fury Swipes."

Zoroark grins and races toward the brainwashed police with its claws ready. The imitation Pokemon starts cutting headbands left as right like they are made of bed sheets, and Looker and the other police start groaning and struggling to keep their balance. Looker rubs his head where his headband used to be and slowly opens his eyes like he's waking up from a deep sleep.

"Wha...where am I?" He mumbles.

"Looker," Coovers says, walking over to his superior.

"Coo...vers?" Looker says, slowly coming to. "What's going on?"

"We came to save you, sir," Coovers answers.

"Save me?" Looker asks.

He turns around to see the entire International Police slowly coming to after Zoroark has freed all of them from the devices on their heads. Looker checks his surroundings and sees Gary, Koga, Agatha, Butch, Cassidy, Dr. Zager, the grunts, the scientists, and all of the Pokemon in the room.

"Coovers, what in the world is going on?" Looker asks.

Gary decides to step in and says, "The short version is you all got brainwashed while Team Rocket used the Gieldanstone to put Arceus in a machine. They used the machine to take control of all of the psychic Pokemon in the world, and Giovanni gave us a month to decide whether to give up our Pokemon or fight. We chose the latter, so everyone from both Kanto and Johto banded together, and right now, they're fighting Team Rocket's people and all of the psychic Pokemon outside. We snuck in here to rescue you guys, and now we just need to go up the top of this large building, take the Gieldenstone from the leader of Team Rocket, use it get Arceus out of the machine before we destroy it thus saving the world."

Looker stares at Gary befuddled for several seconds before his mind fully gathers everything the teenage boy said.

"Okay, I think I get the picture," he says. "So how far up is Giovanni and the Gieldanstone?"

"Just a few floors," Coovers answers. "We're ready to move out with some of our people staying behind to watch these scientists and grunts whenever you're ready, sir."

Looker smiles and nods at Coovers. But before he can give an order, Dr. Zager lets out a low, evil cackle. Everyone turns to the head Team Rocket scientist with Gary giving him a glare.

"What could possibly be funny?" He asks.

Dr. Zager keeps laughing before he answers, "You're not going anywhere near our leader or the jewel."

"What do you mean?" Agatha says with a threatening look.

Dr. Zagar grins and points at the machine he used.

"You see that red button?" He asks. "I just pressed it a couple minutes ago. It activates a failsafe that prevents any elevator in this entire building from going higher than this floor. The staircases are also blocked from going higher than this floor, as well. There's no way for you to get to the top floor or even to where we're keeping that boy imprisoned."

"You're bluffing," Koga accuses.

Dr. Zager giggles and says, "Feel free to try to get up there if you can."

Coovers and his team hesitate to test the scientist's claim, but their thoughts are interrupted by Jessie, James, and Meowth bursting into the room. Everyone turns to see the trio panting heavily with Coovers giving them an angry look.

"Where is Serena?" he demands.

"She...on the...next...floor," James pants.

"What?" Coovers asks.

"What do you mean?" Agatha asks.

Meowth takes a deep breath and says, "We were taking her to where da twerp - er I mean Ash is being held, but as soon as da doors opened, she, Pikachu, and Braixen exited the elevator before there was this loud noise coming from the elevator and it suddenly closed with us still in."

"We tried to get it to open, but the elevator just went back down to this level," Jessie finishes. "When we went back to this floor, we tried to get it to go back up, but it wouldn't do anything."

Butch and Cassidy stare at their rivals and angrily shout, "Traitors!"

"If that's the case, then we really can't get up there," Agatha says, ignoring Butch and Cassidy.

"That's right," Dr. Zager says triumphantly. "No one can go anywhere past this level. You'll never get to our leader, and even if you did, you wouldn't have a prayer with Mewtwo and Mew by his side."

Coovers frowns before his eyes light up and asks, "So you designed this place to keep anyone from going past here, but someone who is still up there like Serena and Ash can still make their way up to Giovanni?"

Dr. Zager opens his mouth to counter Coovers' idea before his confident face slowly melts away. Realizing what Coovers is saying, he starts running toward a holocommunicator on the other side of the room, but Gary figures out what he's up to.

"Umbreon, Psychic!" he commands.

Umbreon's eyes glow blue, and Dr. Zagar gets trapped in a blue aura. He tries to reach the communicator in vain while Gary smirks.

"It's a good thing you don't have to be a psychic-type to use psychic attacks," he says.

"Agreed," Coovers says while taking out his communicator. "Serena, come in. Serena, do you read me?"

It takes a couple of seconds before Serena's voice is heard.

"_Coovers? Coovers, what happened?_" she asks worriedly. "_I was just about to find Ash with Jessie, James, and Meowth when the elevator suddenly closed._"

"We just found out that the scientists just activated some failsafe that keep anyone going higher up than the floor we're on right now," Coovers explains. "Bottom line, there's no way we can get to you. You're basically gonna have to find Ash, take down Giovanni and free Arceus on your own."

Dr. Zager suddenly laughs even louder than before, and Coovers has an uneasy look while he turns to the scientists still in Umbreon's control.

"And what is funny this time?" he queries.

"Oh, nothing special. Just how even if you all found a way up to our leader, your efforts would be futile," the evil scientist answers. "Even if by some crazy miracle you defeat Mewtwo, Mew, Giovanni's Persian and take the stone away from him, you can't free Arceus. We have specifically adjusted the machine so that even if someone were to take the Gieldanstone away from Giovanni, Arceus would not be able to get out of the machine even if it was ordered to through the jewel. There's also no way to switch off the machine. It's completely self-sustaining, and you can't destroy the machine without it causing an explosion that will kill Arceus and anyone around it. You basically came all the way up here for nothing."

Dr. Zager starts laughing maniacally, and the other scientists, the grunts, Butch and Cassidy, start doing the same. Everyone else contemplates what was revealed to them, devastated.

"You are very clever to have made it this far, but you are fools to think you can stop us all the same," Dr. Zager boasts. "In the end, you will still bow to the will of -"

"Gengar, use Hypnosis on these goons!" Agatha snaps.

Gengar uses the move, and all of the members of Team Rocket in the room fall asleep. Agatha sighs, glad to not have to hear anymore laughing and mocking from the enemy before turning to Coovers.

"What do we do now?" she asks.

"I don't know," Coovers asks. "Serena and Ash are up there, but they do not have the Pokemon equipped to take down their leader. And even if they did, they can't free Arceus if what he said is true."

"But we can't just take his word for it," Gary protests.

"Yes, we can," Looker says with a serious look on his face. "He wasn't lying about the failsafe, so there's little reason to say he was lying about this."

"Ugh, there's a girl that likes Ash, and the deceitful Team Rocket are telling the truth. The world has gone mad," Gary grumbles quietly.

"But surely there must be a way to free Arceus," James says.

"But even if we can, Giovanni will just use Arceus against us as long as he has the Gieldanstone," Coovers points out. "And Dr. Zagar is right about Mewtwo and Mew. If Ash and Serena had my Zoroark or if Serena's Absol was strong enough, maybe they would have a shot against those two powerful psychic Pokemon. As it stands, they probably can't do anything with just Pikachu and all of Serena's Pokemon."

"So that's it? We're giving up?" Gary asks angrily.

Everyone stays silent, unwilling to answer Gary's question. No one wants to admit that they may have fought in vain, but they don't know what else to do.


	79. Chapter 79

Timothy's Pokemon are beginning to tire as the battle rages on. Lt. Surge, Brandon, Alain, Max, Forrest, Cilan, Iris, and Clemont are still fighting alongside him, but no matter how many Pokemon their own Pokemon take down from Team Rocket's side, more psychic Pokemon or Pokemon from Team Rocket grunts come in. All around the nine trainers still fighting in the front lines, more trainers in their side run away with all of their Pokemon taken down. The wild Pokemon with Timothy and Ash's Pokemon are not faring any better with most of the Ash and Timothy's Pokemon being the only ones holding their ground. Fearow's flock has fallen back, leaving Fearow itself with Pidgeot and Butterfree, who are barely still fighting with the rest of the Pidgeot and Butterfree. Many psychic/flying type Pokemon are constantly attacking Zapatos, Articuno, and Moltres. The legendary birds are taking out multiple enemies at once, but they are slowly starting to tire as legendary Psychic Pokemon like the Deoxys and the three Lugia attack them. Even the legendary beasts, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, are barely holding their own at the rate the enemy is pushing hard. No one from the Kanto side knows how the water forces are doing, but it's a safe bet in their eyes that they're not faring better than anyone else.

As everyone is fighting, a grunt's Magmar fires a Fire Blast and knocks out Cilan's Pansage and Iris' Excadrill and Emolga all at once. A brainwashed Drowzee uses Psybeam to send Brandon's Dusclops knocked off its feet. Another grunt sends out its Electrode to use Explosion, knocking several trainers off their feet, including Max and his Sceptile and Pinsir. Another grunt's Electrode explodes close enough to knock Poliwrath and Odyssey off their feet, knocking them out. A group of Starmie and Slowbro work together to take out Forrest's Rhyperior. Gengar emerges from the ground to take down a Baltoy, but the attack lets it open to be hit with a Psybeam from a Grumpig, making it faint. Only Alain's Pokemon seem to lack any hint of fatigue, fueled by his strong desire to reclaim his Metagross and to keep Mairin safe from harm.

As Lt. Surge keeps commanding his Raichu, he hears his communicator beeping. He takes it out and holds it to his ear, shouting, "Surge here!"

"_Surge, tell your forces to get out of there!_" Lance shouts from the speaker. "_You can't hold them any longer! We will cover you!_"

"Understood!" Lt. Surge replies before putting his communicator away and turning to Brandon and Timothy. "Gentlemen, it's time! Pull everybody back!"

The two other commanders nod before turning to the remains of the vanguard.

"Everyone, retreat! Retreat to the medical camp!" Brandon shouts.

"Fall back! Fall back!" Timothy yells, while returning his fallen Pokemon.

Max, Clemont, Iris, Forrest, Cilan, and the rest of the Kanto brigade immediately return their Pokemon and run away. Electchu doesn't hesitate to get on Fenrir before the large Arcanine flees with Blitzwing following behind in the air. The Team Rocket grunts grin evilly as they see this as their chance to completely wipe out the front side of their enemy forces and start chasing after them. But while the rest of the remaining Pokemon and Pokemon trainers are running away, Timothy notices Alain is still fighting with his Pokemon.

"Alain, fall back!" He calls out.

"Never!" Alain yells.

"Alain, we got to go!" Timothy yells.

"Then go!" Alain barks.

Timothy is about to call out again until Brandon grabs his arm from behind.

"Leave him, Timothy!" He shouts, taking Timothy's arm. "There's nothing you can do!"

Timothy opens his mouth to protest, but when he sees the enemy drawing closer and accepts that there's no time. He turns around and runs away with the pyramid king while Pokemon moves barely miss the two men. Brandon and Timothy are so far behind from the rest of their brigade that the Johto brigade, led by Lance, is already charging past the Kanto people and Pokemon while the Team Rocket army is catching up with the two of them.

"Brandon! Timothy! Get down!" Lance screams.

It takes a moment before Brandon and Timothy realize that dozens of Johto Pokemon are about to fire Hyper Beams, Zap Cannons, Flamethrowers, Sludge Bombs, and other powerful attacks. They quickly drop to the ground just in time for the Pokemon to fire their attacks, knocking out many Pokemon and Team Rocket grunts. Brandon and Timothy stand up and begin running past the Johto brigade as they charge into battle. Finally, they make it all the way to the crowded medical camp where Brock is hugging Forrest, glad he's okay, and Timothy's three remaining Pokemon are panting heavily.

"Guys, are you okay?" Timothy asks as he reaches his Pokemon.

Electchu, Blitzwing, and Fenrir, all nod to their friend. Timothy smiles until he glances at the camp to see an unconscious Claydol lying in the middle of the camp. It isn't long before Brandon notices the same thing.

"What happened?!" Brandon exclaims.

"A Team Rocket agent named Domino came in with Spenser's Claydol and used it to destroy the camp," Brock answers. "Holly and I took it down, but there's a lot of stuff destroyed."

"Holly?" Timothy asks, confused.

Right at that moment, Holly runs over to Brock and says, "The doctors have found several crates of medicine that are still good, and Bonnie and Mairin have collected all the berries and put them in new barrels."

"Thank goodness," Brock says.

Holly nods and notices Timothy before giving him a sad smile.

"Hey, Timothy," she says.

"Hi, Holly," Timothy says. "Where have you been?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later," Holly answers. "Right now, we need to heal as much Pokemon as we can."

Brandon frowns, looking at the camp skeptically.

"I don't know how much you can do that," he says. "I doubt you can heal enough Pokemon before Lance's brigade has to pull back."

Timothy groans, knowing that Brandon is right.

"Great, what else can go wrong?" He asks.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Lt. Surge's communicator, and he takes it out.

"Surge here," he says.

"_Surge, are you alright?_" Coovers asks.

"Yes, we just pulled back while Lance and the Johto brigade fight," Lt. Surge answers

"_Are Timothy and Brandon with you?_" Coovers asks.

"They are," Surge replies.

"_Put me on speaker,_" Coovers says.

Surge nods and presses a button while Brandon, Brock, Holly, and Timothy huddle up.

"You're on speaker," Lt. Surge says.

"_Timothy? Brandon? Are you there?_" Coovers asks.

"We're here, Coovers. And so is Brock and Holly," Brandon answers.

"_What? Holly's there?_" Coovers asks, surprised.

"Yes, yes, I'm here," Holly says impatiently. "Where are you?"

"_I'm on one of the top levels of Team Rocket's tower,_" Coovers answers. "_We just rescued the International Police at the science lab._"

"So Looker and the others are safe?" Timothy asks.

"_We are, Mr. Durbin,_" Looker ways from the speakers.

"Looker? Good to hear from you, sir," Timothy says.

"_Same to you, Durbin, but we have problems,"_ Looker says. "_We recently found out that one of Team Rocket scientists activated a failsafe that keeps us from going higher up past this floor. Serena managed to get to the prison floor above us before the fail-safe was activated, but now she and Pikachu are cut off from the rest of us while she's looking for Ash. They are basically the only ones who can get all the way to Giovanni and the Gieldanstone. What's worse is that we've learned that Giovanni has Mewtwo and Mew to protect him._"

"Hmmm. That complicates things," Brock says. "Is Serena okay?"

"_I'm okay, Brock,_" Serena answers from the speaker. "_Coovers gave me a communicator before I went up to the next floor. Pikachu and Braixen and I are looking for Ash right now._"

"That's good," Lt. Surge says. "Maybe with Ash, you two and get the stone and free Arceus."

"_Actually, that brings us to the second problem,_" Coovers says. "_Apparently, Team Rocket adjusted the machine for Arceus so that it can't get out even if someone told it to with the Gieldanstone. It's in so much pain that it can't do anything, and there's also no way to turn off the machine._"

Lt. Surge, Brandon, Brock, and Timothy's faces turn pale at the sound of this news.

"So, there's no way we can take it out even if Ash and Serena manage to get the jewel?" Brandon says.

"_Correct,_" Looker says. "_And given the way the machine is designed, it looks like if we tried to destroy the machine, it could blow up and kill Arceus and anyone around it._"

"I'm sorry, but I'm lost in all of this," Holly says. "What does this mean?"

"It means we can't get Arceus out of the machine that is controlling all of the psychic Pokemon with it," Brock answers. "And as long as those Pokemon are controlled, it's only a matter of time before we are overrun and Team Rocket will win the battle. There's no way we can stop them from taking all of our Pokemon and start taking over the world at this point."

Holly looks at Brock, devastated while Brock hangs his head. Lt. Surge frowns and looks away while Brandon turns his back on everyone and walks away, feeling defeated. Timothy fights the urge to not break down, crushed that he can't stop the organization who caused his Pokemon so much pain. He gets down on his knees, puts his hands on the grass, and stays there silently until Electchu walks over to him.

"Rai, Rai, Raichu?" It says.

Timothy turns his head to his partner, still looking crushed.

"The what?" He asks.

"Raichu! Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Rai, Raichu!" The Raichu exclaims, pointing at Timothy's pocket. "Raichu! Raichu! Raichu!"

Timothy looks at his dear friend, confused as he looks at the pocket Electchu is pointing at. He reaches under it and takes out the purple Pokeball with two pink circles and a white 'M.' He stares at the container for several seconds before his eyes light up, and he turns to his partner.

"Electchu. You're a genius!" He shouts happily before he stands up and turns to Lt. Surge. "Surge, hand me your communicator, quick."

The Vermillion City gym leader looks at Timothy, taken aback by his sudden change of mood before he gives him his communicator.

"Coovers, Looker, I think Electchu and I have an idea," he says.

"_What?_" Coovers says, shocked. "_What is it?_"

"Looker, the Master Ball you gave me, you said it can catch any Pokemon just like that, right?" Timothy asks.

"_Uh, yes, in theory,_" Looker answers.

"Do you know where Arceus is right now?" Timothy asks.

"_Yes, it's standing in the machine outside at the front of the tower,_" Coovers answers.

"Great," Timothy says. "If I can get all the way over there and use the Master Ball on Arceus, it'll get sucked into the ball, and thus it will be out of the machine without needing to move, and the psychic Pokemon will be free."

Brandon frowns and says, "So your solution is to free Arceus by catching it to be your Pokemon?"

"I'm not going to keep it," Timothy clarifies. "Arceus is only going to be inside the Pokeball until after the fighting is over, then I'm going to set it free."

"That's a nice idea, Timothy, but how are you going to get from here to there?" Brock asks.

Timothy thinks for a moment before he says, "We need to get a bunch of trainers with four-legged Pokemon together like some Rhyhorn, Rapidash, and Tauros, along with Pokemon who know Rollout and charge through the enemy lines until I make it to the bridge connecting to the island."

"Ah, you want to form a cavalry. I like it," Lt. Surge says with a grin.

Timothy nods and turns to Brock and Holly.

"Brock, I know I'm asking a lot from you, but if this is going to work, I need you to heal up any Rhyhorn, Rapidash, and so on that our Kanto trainers have," he says. "And I'm going to need my Pokemon to be healed up too."

Brock frowns and thinks hard over Timothy's request.

"I really don't want to use so much of our supplies for a gamble like this," he says. "You're asking me to spend potentially all the medicine and berries we have left just so you can do this."

"I realize that," Timothy says. "But there's still a likability that eventually you will run out, and Team Rocket will overpower us anyway. But if we do this, we may have the opportunity to end this once and for all."

"Yes, but you forget one special element," Brandon points out. "Even if this Master Ball works, Giovanni can still force it out with the Gieldanstone just like he did with the psychic Pokemon."

"And that's where Ash and Serena fit into the equation," Timothy says. "While I do this, it will be their job to get to Giovanni and destroy the Gieldanstone."

"How?" Holly asks.

"I don't know how, but having them destroy it is the only way taking Arceus out of the machine will mean anything," Timothy says. "We have to put our faith in them."

"You're depending on this whole thing on faith?!" Brandon rebukes. "How do you expect that will do anything for us?"

Timothy turns to Brandon and says, "Brandon, why do you think we're here? We've been doing things out of faith the moment we left Indigo Plateau. Team Rocket has the numbers and strength, but we have the hope that we will prevail in spite of that. Why do you think I said all of those things in my speech before the battle began? Besides, you know as well as I do that Ash tends to figure things out despite the odds, so if there's anyone in the world who can overcome the obstacles even with just Serena and Pikachu by his side, it's Ash."

Brock and Holly look at each other before they nod, and the tan-skinned man speaks.

"He's right," Brock says. "Ash has always had a way to save the day when things are at their worst. Even if he's alone, he somehow pulls through. But he won't be alone. Serena and Pikachu are looking for him right now, and they will be all the support he needs. So let's count on them to destroy the Gieldanstone."

"Agreed," Lt. Surge says with a smirk.

Brock turns to Timothy and puts his hand on his shoulder.

"If it's faith you want, we will do what you're asking," he says. "Just don't waste your shot."

"I won't," Timothy promises. "And I'll be sure to take down lots of enemies along the way."

Brock nods before he turns to Holly, Brandon, and Lt. Surge.

"Okay, let's forge a cavalry," he says.

"Right," Lt. Surge says. "Brandon, you're with me on finding trainers with Pokemon that fit the criteria. Brock, Holly, get the doctors and nurses ready to heal some Pokemon."

"You got it," Brock and Holly say at the same time.

With that, the four of them head out, leaving Timothy alone with Electchu. The man in the "H.A.K" shirt turns his partner and kneels down to look at Electchu face to face.

"Let's hope your idea with this Master Ball works, pal," he says. "I don't know how else we're going to stop Giovanni if we don't."

"Raichu," Electchu says, nodding.

Timothy nods back before he remembers something and stands back up.

"Speaking of which, we better bring Serena up to speed," he says, turning Lt. Surge's communicator back on. "Serena, have you found Ash yet?"

It takes a few seconds before Serena's voice is heard through the speaker.

"_No, not yet,_" she replies. "_How are things on your end?_"

"We just developed a plan that requires you, Ash, and me to kill two birds with one stone," Timothy says.

"_Really? What is it?_" Serena asks.

"I'm going to force my way through Team Rocket's army and use a special Pokeball to get Arceus out of the machine," Timothy answers bluntly. "And I need you and Ash to destroy the Gieldanstone while I'm at it so that Giovanni can't use it to get Arceus out of the Pokeball."

"_How are we going to do that?_" Serena asks.

"You and Ash will have to figure that out once you find him," Timothy answers. "Either way, you have until I hopefully succeed in doing this to destroy that thing and make Giovanni powerless to stop us from winning the fight. If you fail, then I will have taken Arceus out of the machine for nothing. Got it?"

It takes several more seconds before Serena replies, having likely debated with herself before she replies in a confident voice.

"_Got it. Ash, Pikachu, Braixen, and I won't let you down._"

"Let's pray you won't. I'm counting on you," Timothy says. "Now get going. Ash is still waiting for you."

"_Right,_" Serena says.

It takes a while before everyone gathers all the Pokemon they need and heal them well enough for what Timothy has planned. Many trainers were reluctant to partake in such a risky endeavor and all the doctors, and Nurse Joys didn't want to use virtually all of their remaining supplies for it, but eventually, they all relented, understanding the world might depend on Timothy's trying to do, and started healing the specific Pokemon. While building the cavalry as quickly as possible, Lt. Surge fills Lance in on the idea so that he will know that he will need to move his brigade so that Timothy and the cavalry can pass through. Timothy even convinces Brock to allow him to take enough berries to heal Electchu, Poliwrath, Gengar, Fenrir, Odyssey, and Blitzwing well enough that they can partake in what is to come.

Finally, the doctors and nurses finish healing up the Pokemon and their trainers fill their Pokemon in for what they must do. The Pokemon soon file up with several Voltorb, Electrode, Graveler, and Golem taking the front. Behind them is a large line of Rhyhorn, Ponyta in the second line, Tauros in the third line, Rapidash in the fourth and finally a large line full of Arcanine with Fenrir standing the center next to Max's Arcanine. Timothy gets on his large Arcanine with Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey while Blitzwing gets ready to fly, and Gengar prepares to flatten its body to the ground and follow behind for protection. Max and the other trainers get on their four-legged Pokemon and get ready to charge.

"Your plan better work, Timothy," Max warns.

Timothy gives Max a small smile and says, "Don't worry, Max. If all goes to plan, you'll be training for the next Pokemon league before you know it. Just trust that we're going to win this."

Max smirks back, silently approving of Timothy's response while Brock and Holly walk over to Timothy. The man in the "H.A.K" shirt looks at his friends with a smile before he reaches out to Brock.

"See you on the other side, Brock," he says.

Brock stretches out his hand and shakes Timothy's hand saying, "Godspeed, Timothy."

Timothy then turns to Holly and says, "It's really good to see you again, Holly."

Holly smiles softly and says, "You too. Tell Ash, Serena, and Pikachu, I said hi."

Timothy shakes his head and says, "You're going to tell them yourself. I promise."

Brock and Holly walk over to Max, who is staring at the battlefield eagerly while on top of his Arcanine. The boy with glasses turns to them and gives them a sad smile.

"Be careful, Max," Holly says.

Brock nods and says, "Yeah, I hate to think what May will do if something happens to you."

"I'll be fine," Max claims before turning to the auburn-haired woman. "And Holly, it's great to see you too."

Holly smiles and nods before she and Brock leave. Finally, Lt. Surge and Brandon walk over to Timothy, with the former giving him a firm handshake.

"Hit them hard, Timothy," Surge says.

"It will be my pleasure," Timothy replies with a smirk.

The Vermillion City gym leader gives him a toothy grin before he backs away for Brandon to come forward. The Pyramid King crosses his arms and looks up at Timothy with a serious but concerned look on his face.

"You better know what you're doing with this," he says. "If you or Ash and Serena fail, then we're out of options."

"Duly noted," Timothy says dismissively. "And for the record, you should learn to think positive for once. You don't help anyone much less the world by doubting every chance we take. Plus, even if the enemy takes this cavalry down, we're going to take an awful lot of them with us."

Brandon keeps looking at Timothy skeptically before he sighs.

"Fine," he says. "Good luck."

"That's a little better," Timothy says with a small smile. "I'll see you when this is over."

Brandon nods and takes a few steps behind the cavalry. Timothy then turned to the many trainers and their Pokemon lined up and clears his throat.

"Alright, you guys!" he calls out. "We got only one shot at this, so give it everything you've got to reach that bridge!"

"Right!" Max and the other trainers shout while the Pokemon all roar or call out loudly.

Timothy smirks and holds on to Fenrir's fur while Electchu holds him from behind. Odyssey holds on behind Electchu, Poliwrath holds on behind Odyssey, and Gengar flattens itself into the ground.

"Alright. Cavalry, charge!" Timothy shouts.

Max and the other trainers shout battle cries and the Pokemon roar again before the Voltorb, Electrode, Graveler, and Golem lead by using Rollout. The trainers with their Rhyhorn, Ponyta, Tauros, Rapidash, and Arcanine immediately follow suit. They run towards the Johto brigade where people and Pokemon are noticing the cavalry coming and quickly separate to clear a path. From the front lines of the fighting, Timothy can see Lance leading while Alain and his Pokemon are still fighting strong. Lance notices the cavalry coming and turns to his forces.

"Alright, everyone, just as we planned!" He calls out. "One, two, three, fire!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, multiple Johto Pokemon fire attacks at the same time. Many Forretress, Steelix, Scizor, Skamory unleash Flash Cannon. A handful of Ampharos, Misdreavus, and Dunsparce unleash Zap Cannon. Lance's Dragonite, alongside some Larvatar, Pupitar, Tyraniter, Ursaring, Heracross, and Houndoom fire Hyper Beam. Finally, Alain's Charizard and a couple of Typhlosion use Blast Burn.

The attacks release at the same time and land on the ground in front of the enemy forces cause massive explosions that send Team Rocket grunts and Pokemon flying into the air. Black smoke covers the area where the people and Pokemon were blown away, leaving the enemies behind them distracted long enough to have some of them knocked away from the Pokemon using Rollout and those remaining get sent flying or run over by the rest of the calvary. Timothy and Max grin as Team Rocket grunts, their Pokemon, and brainwashed psychic Pokemon get knocked back or run over as they ram their way to their destination.

But suddenly, as they are charging, a grunt's Venusaur hits one of the Rhyhorn from the left side of the cavalry with Razor Leaf, causing it to collapse and its trainer to fall off. A brainwashed Kadabra uses Psychic on some of the Tauros, lifting them off their feet and sending them and their trainers high into the air. Another Team Rocket grunt has her Golduck use Hydro Pump on a couple of Rapidash and their trainers, and they tumble to the ground, miraculously not getting trampled by the Arcanine from behind.

"Guys, protect the cavalry!" Timothy shouts to Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Blitzwing, and Gengar.

Without hesitation, the five Pokemon begin attacking any enemy Pokemon that so much as look at the cavalry funny. From Thunder, to Electro Ball, to Hydro Pump, to Aura Sphere, Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey take down their enemies or cancel out their attack with their own moves. Blitzwing uses Crush Claw, and Steel Wing to take care of any flying Pokemon attempting to strike. Gengar constantly flattens itself to sneak up on psychic Pokemon and hit them from behind with its ghost and dark-type moves. Timothy keeps his eyes fixed on the bridge, as the cavalry circles around the large hole where the rock and ground-type Pokemon emerged from underground. His heart races as he mentally prays that they're going to make it.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on, come on," he grumbles. "Almost there."

Timothy's Pokemon keep using their moves to protect the Pokemon charging. But despite all of their efforts, more grunts and Pokemon ahead realize what is happening, and the Pokemon start firing more attacks than Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Blitzwing, and Gengar can handle. From Psybeams to Rock Throws, to Bubble Beams to all sorts of poison attacks, the cavalry gets smaller as more trainers with their Rhydon, Ponyta, Tauros, Rapidash, and Arcanine are blown away or hit by a powerful move. Eventually, a Gothitelle uses Psychic on all of the Graveler, Golem, Voltorb and Electrode leading the charge and send them flying away into the air before the rest of the cavalry runs it over.

Finally, they come near the other side of the field where the water battalion are still fighting between the main Team Rocket force and the remaining grunts that flanked them back led by Matori. Giovanni's secretary is commanding a Grumpig and a male Meowstic while a crowd of Team Rocket grunts are surrounding her in front of the bridge. Nervous that what's left of his cavalry won't be enough to run through the crowd, Timothy looks around to find Misty and her Mega Gyrados and her other Pokemon fighting near them on one side while Tucker and Lucy are fighting near the crowd on the other.

"Misty! Lucy! Tucker!" Timothy shouts.

Neither of them seem to hear him, so he shouts even louder.

"MISTY! LUCY! TUCKER!" He screams.

The Cerulean City gym leader and the two Frontier Brains hear him this time and turn to see him with the cavalry charging.

"GIVE ME AN OPENING TO THE BRIDGE!" Timothy yells, pointing at the Team Rocket roadblock.

They all nod before they command their Pokemon to attack. Tucker's Swampert and Arcanine use Water Pulse and Fire Blast respectively, and the two moves combine and create a tornado of water and fire at the center of the large group of enemies. Lucy's Milotic uses Twister, which combines with the water and fire tornado, covering more of the group. Finally, Misty's Mega Gyarados uses Hurricane, creating a powerful cyclone that encircles all of the enemies. With all four moves combined, Matori and the grunts with their Pokemon and the psychic Pokemon are all sucked into a massive vortex. The humans and the unbrainwashed Pokemon scream in fear as they are sent flying high into the sky. The vortex disappears, and Timothy nods his friends from both sides before turning to the Pokemon charging around him.

"Okay, everyone, disperse!" He shouts. "Help out everyone fighting on this side of the field!"

"Right!" The trainers shout.

"You got it!" Max says, turning to Timothy. "Good luck, Timothy!"

Timothy turns to the young boy and smiles softly as he replies, "You too, Max!"

The remaining trainers and Pokemon in the calvary separate from two different directions, leaving Timothy and his Pokemon left. The man in the "H.A.K" shirt and his entire party grin, happy to reach their destination.

"Okay, it looks like we're in the clear, guys!" He calls out. "Now, let's finish this! Fenrir, full speed ahead to the island! Show us the meaning of haste!"

The Arcanine named Fenrir roars loudly before it starts running faster with Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey holding on tightly. Gengar emerges from the ground and grabs Fenrir by the tail and holds on as the Arcanine races. Blitzwing flies in the air at the same incredible speed as Fenrir. Together, the seven of them cross the long bridge that leads to New Island, relieved to have made it through the enemy forces. As they get closer, Timothy can see Arceus inside the machine right in front of the tower, and he smiles, thinking he's just a throw it a Pokeball away from turning the tide of the war.

But as they are a few feet away from the end of the bridge, Blitzwing lets out a loud caw of warning. Timothy looks up to his bird-like Pokemon, about to ask what is it until Fenrir suddenly gets hit in the chest by Poison Sting. It roars in pain, and purple bubbles appear on its body as it tumbles to the ground front first right at the end of the bridge, sending Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey flinging off its back, landing hard into the ground. Gengar is flung high into the air with Fenrir's tail and panics until Blitzwing grabs its head with its talents and gently lowers it to the ground. Timothy, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Fenrir groan in pain as they slowly get up to see none other than Agent Basker standing in front of the machine with a Charizard, Arbok, Steelix, Machamp, Victreebel, and Nidoking. The cyborg man gives Timothy a slow clap while smiling triumphantly.

"I was going to fight my way to you out there, but you've saved me the trouble," he says.

Timothy grins at Agent Basker and says, "Sounds like you've grown terribly desperate just to win a battle against me for once in your life."

Agent Basker frowns and says, "Mock me as much as you like, Durbin. My Pokemon are more powerful than they ever were all those years ago. I'm going to use them to mercilessly take down your Pokemon and make you watch them be taken away under my command. And even if you beat me, Arceus is still ours. You have no way to get it out of our glorious machine, even if you could take that shiny stone away from my leader. You and your puny army lost before this battle even started. All of you are nothing more than an example of the great might of Team Rocket before the whole world is ours."

"Oh please," Timothy rebukes. "If Team Rocket's might was so great, they wouldn't have you of all people in their ranks, Trent."

At this, Agent Basker grins again and laughs out loud maniacally.

"Wouldn't they?" He questions. "You don't even know how we remembered about the Gieldanstone or Mewtwo even after it erased our minds, do you?"

At this, Timothy's grin falters, recently admitting Agent Basker is right. The cyborg's evil grin grows as he points at his mechanical left arm and eye with his right hand.

"It was because of me," he boasts. "When you left me to burn all those years ago, causing me to lose my eye and arm in the process, Dr. Zager and his team build me mechanical ones, thinking they could still make use of me. For years, I was treated as nothing more than a slave working for the science team. But what they did not know was that I was learning all of the science stuff they were working on. Eventually, I started to tinker with my eye and arm when no one was around. It took some time, but I upgraded them where I can download information into my arm and record anything I see with my eye."

"Well, good for you," Timothy says.

"Oh, but it is good for me," Basker says. "You see, when they saw what I could do, I officially joined the science team and started to go on missions out on the field. Once my reputation began to grow, that's when I rightfully gave myself the name of Agent Basker. Very few called me by that name with respect. Even our leader would still call me by my old, wretched name. But then I was given an assignment revolving around the Gieldanstone, and I downloaded any information into my arm and recorded everything revolving around the operation. I had recordings for when I went to Kalos for some of their blueprints for Team Flare's brainwashing machine, creating our own machine the first time, all the way to when we had you surrounded before Mewtwo stopped us and erased our minds. We may have lost our memory, but I didn't lose any of my files. All I had to do was show everything to my leader so that we could regain the stone, brainwash the police and Mewtwo and use the police to rebuild our machine just so that we can strike after you lost to some boy half your age. And best of all, it's entirely your fault."

"My fault?" Timothy questions.

"Yes, your fault," Agent Basker replies. "If you hadn't interfered with my first operation all because you are so clingy to your Pokemon, I wouldn't have had to get those implants and use my intellect to get the very things we needed to take you all by surprise before we slowly but surely take over the world. Maybe we would have gotten our hands on the stone eventually, but if Mewtwo came to erase our minds regardless, we wouldn't have gotten it regardless if you hadn't left me to die. You are losing everything because of your attachment to your Pokemon."

Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Fenrir, Blitzwing, and Gengar all turn to Timothy, seeing the logic behind Agent Basker's claim. The man in the "H.A.K" shirt stares at his enemy with an expressionless look on his face while the other man keeps grinning evilly.

"That's quite the supposition you have there, Trent," Timothy comments. "Though let's say for the sake of the argument that you're right: that everything is happening because I care about the Pokemon who have all become my friends. Even if that's true, I wouldn't have done anything differently about that day, even if I knew what was going to happen. In the time since then, I have gained many friends close to me, both Pokemon and eventually people. There are friends of mine who are doing the best they can both out there on the battlefield and inside your fancy, big tower who are counting on me. There's someone close to me that I've known all my life that I miss so much now that she's gone. But you? You have always treated your Pokemon like tools. You never cared about any living being on this Earth. Not even your own parents back in Pallet Town. So what do you have that makes you so happy about yourself? What do you use to hide the fact that you're really alone? What could you possibly care about more than yourself?"

"Eternal recognition!" Agent Basker announces proudly. "After years of biding my time in the dirt whether I was wasting my time as a Pokemon trainer hunting you down or showing my worth to this great organization, I have always known that I deserve nothing more than praise and glory. And after everything I've done to get to this moment, even having the great Giovanni himself finally acknowledge me as Agent Basker, my time is about to begin. With the world under Team Team Rocket's control, my name and legacy will be known throughout the world for all of eternity."

After he finishes, nothing is said as the two men look at each other. The area grows silent apart from Arceus groaning inside the machine while the battle can be heard from a distance. Agent Basker keeps his proud stance while Timothy worries for his Pokemon. With Fenrir poisoned and the rest having used some energy to get to the island, he is unsure whether or not they will win. He shakes his head and smirks at Agent Basker, acting confident.

"In that case, Trent, you better be sure that your dreams of so-called eternal recognition will be of any use to you," he says. "Otherwise, my Pokemon are going to beat yours one final time, I'm going to free Arceus, and then you're going to watch your whole world fall apart as my friends and I take down Team Rocket once and for all. Maybe after that, I'll personally send you to your prison cell where you'll have a lot of time to think about whether or not it was all worth it."

"It will be worth it, Durbin!" Agent Basker barks.

"We'll see," Timothy taunts while gesturing his Pokemon to be ready. "My Pokemon and I are ready when you are."

Agent Basker glares at Timothy, fuming with anger. He turns to his Pokemon, who are standing a couple of feet behind him and snarls, "Take them down at any cost!"

Charizard, Steelix, Arbok, Nidoking, Machamp, and Victreebel all growl in acknowledgment. Timothy looks at his Pokemon, who are beside him on both sides and gives them a small smile.

"I know you're all a little tired, and I know your growing weak with that poison, Fenrir," he says. "But if we don't win this, then it will all be for nothing. So, fight with all of your hearts and don't lose faith. Remember what Serena likes to say: don't give up until it's over."

Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Blitzwing, and Gengar, nod at the same time without even looking at their friend. Fenrir takes a heavy breath before it nods, fighting through the poison. They all take battle stances and patiently wait for their six opponents to make the first move. Basker's Pokemon give deadly looks to Timothy's Pokemon before they all pounce at once.

The Arbok wraps its tail around Electchu and tightens its grip until Electchu makes it back away with Thunder. Steelix moves its snake-like body around, dodging Poliwrath's Hydro Pumps and Bubble Beams. Blitzwing easily dodges Victreebel's Razor Leaf while in the air. Machamp throws multiple punches at Odyssey with all four of its fists, but the aura Pokemon uses its speed to block all of them with Bone Rush. Gengar gleefully laughs at Nidoking while the drill Pokemon tries to use Drill Run and Fury Attack only for Gengar to just flatten its body and phase under Nidoking and use Lick from behind and flatten its body again to avoid the next attack. Charizard and Fenrir attack each other furiously with Dragon Claw and Crunch, respectively as if they want to cut each other into tiny pieces. As the Pokemon are fighting, Agent Basker glares at Timothy with his hands turned into fists, and his teeth clenched while Timothy keeps his eyes on his Pokemon, coaching them as they fight.

"Odyssey, block Machamp's fists with the sides of your bone, not the center! Blitzwing, don't get cocky that you can dodge Victreebel's attacks! Gengar, use your other attacks besides Lick! Don't wait until Nidoking is paralyzed! Fenrir, use your other attacks also! Poliwrath, wait for the right moment to hit Steelix! Electchu, focus on Arbok's tail and keep using Iron Tail to deflect Poison Sting!"

Basker pays no mind to Timothy ordering his Pokemon, confident that his Pokemon can crush their enemies without him needing to say a thing. But as he stubbornly keeps his eyes fixed on his enemy, Gengar listens to Timothy by appearing behind Nidoking again and using Sucker Punch to knock Nidoking off its feet. The drill Pokemon falls flat on its front, and Gengar uses Lick again, causing electric sparks to finally appear all over its body. Machamp uses Low Kick, and Steelix uses Iron Tail on Odyssey and Poliwrath, respectively, knocking both of them off their feet. Machamp and Steelix grin and begin to attack again.

"Odyssey, Poliwrath, switch opponents for a moment using Aura Sphere and Hydro Pump!" Timothy calls out.

Odyssey and Poliwrath look at their trainer while lying on the ground before they look at each other and nod. Before their opponents can carry out their respective attacks, Odyssey uses Aura Sphere on Steelix and Poliwrath uses Hydro Pump on Machamp. Both of Basker's Pokemon shout in pain and back away, giving Odyssey and Poliwrath the chance to get up and attack their own opponents again. Odyssey starts using Bone Rush again to hit Machamp's sides hard, keeping the superpower Pokemon disoriented through the sharp pain with each hit. Poliwrath creates a large wave of water and rides on top until it's closer enough for it jump into the air and hold onto Steelix's body before the wave hits it. Steelix roars is pain from the water move, but Poliwrath holds on to it and starts punching it with Dynamic Punch.

Meanwhile, Gengar constantly uses Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse on Nidoking, keeping the paralyzed Pokemon at bay as it grows weaker with every attack. Electchu uses Electro Ball repeatedly at Arbok, but the cobra Pokemon slithers back and forth to dodge them. Eventually, Victreebel grows tired from using Razor Leaf so much and starts panting. The Braviary grins as it begins charging at its opponent with Aerial Ace, not knowing that Victreebel isn't so tired that it can't use its other attacks. The flycatcher Pokemon uses Vine Whip to hit Blitzwing hard in the face, causing it to crash. The two vines wrap around Blitzwing's body and start slamming it into the ground repeatedly, much to Victreebel's twisted pleasure.

"Blitzwing, use Steel Wing to free yourself!" Timothy shouts.

Blitzwing opens its eyes and turns its wings into steel. Victreebel's vines lift it up, but before it could slam its opponent again, Blitzwing twists its body to cut the vines with its sharp, metal wings. The Braviary grins again, and it uses Aerial Ace one more time to ram into its opponent. Victreebel shrieks in agony as Blitzwing grabs its body with Crush Claw and starts flying up in the air, carrying its opponent.

Fenrir and Charizard keep slashing away at each other like mindless beasts. The flame Pokemon uses all its ferocity to overpower its opponent with Slash, but the giant Arcanine is so large that it eventually forces Charizard into the ground and starts biting it vigorously. Charizard roars in pain and in an act of desperation, uses Dragon Claw to swipe Fenrir's stomach, forcing it to back away. Charizard then begins flying up in the air, just in time to avoid another attack and grins as Fenrir starts using Heat Wave and Dragon Pulse in an attempt to knock its opponent out of the sky only for Charizard to dodge them. Timothy grows worried for his large Pokemon as it tries to hit the opponent with purple bubbles still coming out of its body.

Blitzwing carries Victreebel so high in the air that it lets go of its opponent and starts using Aerial Ace repeatedly as it falls. Victreebel starts screaming with every hit as its grass and poison type body grows weaker. After one more hit, Blitzwing let its opponent fall into the ground, knowing that its consciousness is starting to fade before it crashes into the ground.

Agent Basker glances at his fallen Pokemon and then turns back to glaring at Timothy for a moment before his eyes widen and completely turns to Victreebel in shock. Just as he is staring at it, Gengar drives Nidoking back until one last Sucker Punch knocks it off its feet, and it lands on top of Victreebel on it's back. Almost immediately after that, Odyssey uses Strength to lift Machamp off the ground and land in front of Basker, and Poliwrath uses Dynamic Punch on Steelix while still holding on to it one last time before it lets go and moves away, knowing that Sleetix is going to fall down - its head barely missing its teammates. Finally, Arbok fires Sludge Bomb at Electchu, only for the mouse Pokemon to knock it back with Iron Tail, hitting Arbok. The attack does little for the Poison-type Pokemon, but it distracts Arbok long enough for Electchu to finish it off with Iron Tail, Electro Ball, and Thunder.

But while most of Timothy's team is triumphant, Fenrir keeps trying to hit Charizard. The giant Arcanine kept trying determinedly, but ultimately, the poison took full effect, and it fainted. Timothy and the rest of his team frowned sadly for their fainted comrade before Timothy returns it to its Pokeball.

"You gave it everything you had, Fenrir. Well done," Timothy whispered to the ball before turning to Agent Baskar. "Looks like I'm about to win again, Trent. My remaining Pokemon outnumber your Charizard 5-to-1. There's no way you can stop us now."

But instead of acting upset, Agent Basker laughed mockingly, confusing Timothy and his Pokemon.

"I beg to differ, Durbin," he said. "Contrary to what you might think, I've learned to be a little more prepared than you remembered."

Agent Basker opens a piece of his robotic arm, revealing a keystone. Timothy's eyes widen, and he looks at his enemy's Charizard to find a band on its left horn containing a charizardite X. Basker presses the keystone and both stones glow brightly until Charizard turns blue and black with blue flames appearing from the sides of its mouth. Timothy and his Pokemon look at the lizard Pokemon in shock while their enemy grinned.

"Didn't think I had enough of a bond to do that, did you, Durbin?" Agent Baskar boasted. "You'd be surprised how Charizard and I have come to share our hatred against you and your Pokemon for 18 insufferable years. Your Pokemon are no match for us in their tired state."

Fear filled Timothy's mind, knowing that Agent Basker now has a chance to win. Not only is his Pokemon tired, but with Charizard being both a fire and a dragon type in its mega evolved form, none of his friends have any attacks that are super effective against it. Their moves only do normal amounts of damage except for Steel Wing, Iron Tail, Thunder, and Electro Ball, which Charizard is resistant to. He takes a deep breath and mentally prays that his Pokemon can still win with their numbers and remaining strength and calls out to them.

"Don't be afraid, guys!" he shouts. "We can still win this together! It's still just a Pokemon poorly trained by Trent! Just hold on a little longer!"

Agent Baskar laughs mockingly again and says, "That's just like you, Durbin; confident that training and strategy can win against power. Let's find out which one is superior once and for all!"

Mega Charizard takes Agent Basker's words as permission before it charges at its opponents with its hands surrounded in light green, claw-shaped energy. Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Blitzwing, and Gengar wait for the right moment until Basker's partner attempts to strike. When Mega Charizard is close enough, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Gengar use Thunder, Hydro Pump, Aura Sphere, and Dark Pulse respectively. All four ranged attacks hit their target, sending Mega Charizard back. Confident that Mega Charizard's reckless attack gave them the right advantage, Timothy's five Pokemon charge at it, eager to beat it to a pulp.

"No, wait!" Timothy calls out. "Stay away from Charizard! Keep using ranged attacks!"

But his Pokemon don't hear him in time. They all get ready to attack with Iron Tail, Dynamic Punch, Bone Rush, Sucker Punch, and Crush Claw, but Mega Charizard comes to just in time to move its wings in front of it, and they glow white just in time to block the attacks. The flame Pokemon then moves its wings back to fire a large, blue stream of fire, hitting its opponents without warning. The attack knocks Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Gengar off their feet, and Blitzwing is sent crashing into the ground. Timothy's worry grows as his Pokemon groan in pain with Odyssey taking the most damage because of its part-steel-type body. The Pokemon slowly start to get up while Mega Charizard prepares to unleash another Flamethrower.

"Poliwrath, Electchu, Odyssey, Gengar, use Hydro Pump, Thunder, Aura Sphere, and Dark Pulse together, quick!" Timothy shouts

The tadpole, mouse, aura, and shadow Pokemon barely use their moves that merge together and hit the Flamethrower, causing an explosion that cancels the moves out.

"Now, use ranged attacks again!" Timothy shouts.

Agent Baskar and Mega Charizard smirk before the latter blocks the moves with Steel Wing again. Unknown to the mega evolved Pokemon; however, Gengar decides to take the initiative and phases through the ground and slithers toward its enemy. When it's behind Mega Charizard, it comes up from behind, licks it, punches it with Sucker Punch, and throws a Shadow Ball. All three attacks land and Mega Charizard lets its guard down, allowing Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey to hit it again with their ranged attacks, while Blitzwing charges using Aerial Ace. But despite the damage, Mega Charizard fights through the pain to unleash another large blue stream of fire. Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey move away just in time, but the attack hits Blitzwing dead on. The valiant Pokemon plummets to the ground while Mega Charizard spins and hits Gengar, still using Steel Wing, knocking Gengar off its feet.

The flame Pokemon then starts swiping at Gengar relentlessly with Dragon Claw, making the ghost-and-poison-type Pokemon squeal in pain. Blitzwing slowly gets up with its body covered in burns to find Mega Charizard attacking its teammate. Before Electchu, Poliwrath, or Odyssey do anything to help Genger, Blitzwing flaps its wings and charges at Mega Charizard again, ramming into it's back. Mega Charizard roars in pain and turns around just in time to see Blitzwing's glowing claws crush down at its chest. The valiant Pokemon then flies up to avoid getting hit by another Dragon Claw, but its move makes Mega Charizard fly up to follow Blitzwing, eager to get revenge. As the two Pokemon fly up, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Gengar prepare to use ranged attacks again, but Timothy calls out to stop them.

"No! You might hit Blitzwing!" He shouts.

The four Pokemon reluctantly obey their trainer, knowing that he's right. Agent Baskar's evil grin grows, knowing that his enemy is powerless to help his Pokemon. Up in the air, Blitzwing dodges Mega Charizard's Flamethrowers left and right, but its wings grow weaker with so much energy used. At the right moment, it stops flapping its wings for a moment to rest them, but it gives Mega Charizard a clear shot to hit its opponent. The poor bird-like Pokemon can do nothing but scream for a moment before its consciousness disappears, and it plummets to the ground with its body severely burned.

"Blitzwing, no!" Timothy screams.

Agent Baskar cackles loudly as he watches the Braviary fall.

"If strength in numbers is how you can win, then you're in trouble, Durbin!" He mocks. "That pathetic bird did not have a chance while it was away from its friends."

Timothy glowers at the Team Rocket agent before he takes out Blitzwing's Pokeball and returns it before it hits the ground.

"And your Charizard took a few hits in the process," he counters. "It's growing weak."

"But not as weak as your remaining Pokemon," Agent Baskar taunts.

Indeed, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Gengar have burn marks all over their bodies. Timothy fights the urge to show any fear in his eyes as Mega Charizard flies toward his Pokemon again.

"Guys, range attacks, now!" He shouts.

Once again, the four Pokemon use Thunder, Hydro Pump, Aura Sphere, and Dark Pulse in attempts to shoot their opponent down. Mega Charizard is prepared for it, however, as it dodges the attacks before unleashing another Flamethrower. Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, and Gengar move away in time, but their focus on avoiding the fire-type attack distracts them long enough for Mega Charizard to scratch Poliwrath and Electchu with Dragon Claw, making them scream in pain. Odyssey defends itself with Bone Rush just in time, but Mega Charizard forces its bone back and smacks the Lucario with Steel Wing, knocking it off its feet despite being resistant to steel attacks. Mega Charizard prepares to unleash another Flamethrower that would finish the fighting-and-steel-type Pokemon, but Gengar runs over just in time to distract it by using its long tongue to lick it. The attack still doesn't paralyze the flame Pokemon and Mega Charizard turns around to use Flamethrower on Gengar. The attack hits before Gengar can dodge and it screams as it's sent crashing close to one of the machine's pillars and falls down unconscious. Timothy's heart sinks while Agent Baskar cackles again and his partner sneers. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt quickly puts Gengar back in its container, which only amuses his enemy more.

"Feel free to keep putting your Pokemon back in their Pokeballs, Durbin," he ridicules. "That just makes it easier for me when I've taken them all down."

But as he is boasting and Mega Charizard is focusing on its master mocking Timothy, Odyssey comes to, creates another bone of energy, and stands up to jab Mega Charizard from behind. The jab disorients the flame Pokemon, and the Lucario takes its next opportunity to ram Mega Charizard using Extreme Speed. Electchu and Poliwrath join in, using Iron Tail and Dynamic Punch. Timothy grins as his Pokemon gang up on their opponent until Mega Charizard spins and knocks them back using Steel Wing again. It then flies up to gain some distance from its opponents, making Agent Baskar frown.

"Don't fly away, you coward!" He barks. "Get over there and finish them!"

Mega Charizard groans, sounding reluctant to obey the cyborg man. Timothy notices the low growl and looks at Mega Charizard curiously. His eyes widen as he notices all the cuts and bruises around its body and a look of fear in its eyes. It's in this moment that Timothy realizes that Agent Baskar's last Pokemon has taken enough hits that it won't last much longer and the flame Pokemon knows it even if its master doesn't notice it. He then turns to Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey who are catching their breath as they struggle to stay awake. It becomes all too clear to the trainer that the next few seconds will determine who wins.

"Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, stay strong," he commands. "We almost got it."

Agent Baskar scoffs and says, "You must be in a state of denial, Durbin. Your weak Pokemon are no match for the power of mega evolution. Now, Charizard, finish them already! Do it now!"

Timothy's hope grows, realizing that Agent Baskar's pride has kept him from noticing his Pokemon's weak state. He turns to his Pokemon with a new idea.

"Okay, listen up!" he says. "I want the three of you to get in line with Poliwrath in the middle. Get ready to do exactly as I say when I say it! This might be our last shot!"

The three remaining Pokemon nod and do as instructed with Electchu standing on Poliwrath's right side and Odyssey on its left. The three of them and their trainer wait patiently until Mega Charizard dives down and then flies toward the opponent.

"Poliwrath, use Surf!" Timothy commands.

Poliwrath raises its hand, and a large wave of water heads toward Mega Charizard. Agent Baskar's Pokemon sees the wave quick enough to fly up, but Timothy expected it to do that.

"Now, Electchu, use Hyper Beam, and Poliwrath and Odyssey, use Hydro Pump, and Aura Sphere repeatedly!" Timothy shouts.

Agent Baskar doesn't understand what is happening until it's too late. Mega Charizard flies over the large wave of water only to be met with balls of aura and a stream of water hitting it directly on its chest. The wave crashes down in front of Agent Basker, revealing the tadpole Pokemon shooting water from its stomach and the aura Pokemon constantly throwing balls of aura energy. Beside them, the Raichu summons an orange ball of energy, getting ready to fire. The cyborg man expects his Pokemon to protect itself without him telling it to again, but the Pokemon is too weak even in its mega evolved form. Eventually, Odyssey and Poliwrath pass out, unable to hit their opponent any longer, but their efforts give Timothy's partner all the time it needs. With its target kept still in the air, Electchu unleashes its Hyper Beam, and it hits Mega Charizard hard, sending it flying into the air. Agent Baskar does nothing but watch in shock as his last Pokemon crashes into the ground with a loud thud, returned to its normal form.

Timothy smiles triumphantly as he rushed to his fatigued Pokemon's side while admiring the view of Agent Basker looking dumbfounded at the sight of his Pokemon beaten. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt pets Electchu, who is worn out from using Hyper Beam before turning to his arch-enemy.

"Surrender, Trent. I've beaten you again," he declares. "You were very close with three of my Pokemon knocked out, and two of them passed out, but I still won. You should have paid attention to your Charizard's wellbeing and see that it was in no state to keep going even with the power of mega evolution. Training and strategy win against power and you can do nothing else to stop me from doing what must be done."

Agent Basker keeps staring at his Pokemon lying on the ground for a few more seconds before his look of shock turns into an evil smirk.

"Oh, I doubt that very much, Durbin," he says before shouting. "Now!"

As soon as the words left Agent Basker's mouth, a blue outline appears around all six of his fallen Pokemon and lifts them all into the air. Odyssey and Poliwrath slowly come to and sit up just in time to see what is happening. Timothy and his Pokemon watch in confusion until the fainted Pokemon fly towards them.

"Look out!" Timothy shouts.

Timothy and his Pokemon duck down or move away just in time for the limp Pokemon to crash past them. The man in the "H.A.K." shirt and his Pokemon turn their heads to glare at Agent Basker only to look in shock. Standing in front of the cyborg man and the machine Arceus is trapped in is Shockwave. The Gardevoir stares at Timothy and his team blankly with its eyes glowing blue, ready to use Psychic again. Shockwave's friends look at it in shock while Agent Basker grins triumphantly.

"I don't know what you were planning to do to free Arceus, but even if your idea could work, I will stop you," he claims. "I have your precious Gardevoir, and I have commanded it to use Psychic on you or any of your Pokemon who dares to step foot toward Arceus. If you try to flee, I will order it to take your Pokemon before any of you can make it to the bridge. But if you give them to me willingly, I might spare you. Honestly, I think that's the best choice you have right now. You're too proud and stubborn to run, and you don't have it in your heart to attack your own Pokemon because you care about them so much. One way or another, I'm going to take your Pokemon before your very eyes."

Electchu, Poliwrath, and Odyssey look at each other worryingly, once again seeing the logic behind what the cyborg man is claiming. Timothy lowers his head with a frown on his face, looking defeated. Agent Basker lets out a low chuckle at the sight of Timothy's look of despair, his heart racing with revenge within his grasp. The area remains quiet again apart from Arceus still moaning in agony inside the machine. All eyes stay on Timothy except for the brainwashed Gardevoir as he stays silent before he turns to Odyssey.

"Odyssey, use Bone Rush on Shockwave."

The Lucario turns to its trainer, unable to believe what he just said. The rest of the Pokemon are appalled that he would tell Shockwave's close friend to attack it. Odyssey gives Timothy a pleading look, hoping he's not serious, only for the man to turn to it with a glare.

"Do it!" He commands.

Odyssey looks devastated to hear Timothy confirm the order so seriously. It turns to Shockwave, struggling to obey its master and attack its friend despite knowing the Gardevoir is brainwashed. Eventually, with a heavy heart, it creates another bone of energy, and with a loud battle cry, it charges at the brainwashed Pokemon. Odyssey makes it halfway to Shockwave before the later lifts it up in the air with Psychic. Agent Basker covers his mouth for a moment before he bursts into a fit of laughter, bending down and holding on to his gut.

"I...I can't believe you did that!" he exclaims in mid laughter. "I mean, you've always been persistent beyond reason, Durbin, but this is too much! You would rather have your Pokemon try to take out your other Pokemon to get to me than to just admit defeat. I'm going to remember this moment for years to -"

But when Agent Basker is lifting his head to look at Timothy, he stops in mid-sentence to see the man in the "H.A.K." shirt throw something high into the air. Basker looks in confusion before he looks up to find that Timothy seems to have thrown something small and circular. He turns around and looks close enough to see that it looks to be some sort of Pokeball heading toward Arceus. What kind of Pokeball it is or what specific properties it contains he doesn't know, but he doesn't realize what is about to happen until it already hits Arceus' face.

"NO!" he screeches.

The ball opens, and Arceus' body turns into a multicolored beam before it is sucked into the ball, and the ball falls to the ground, leaving the machine to fire electricity at the area where Arceus used to be. Suddenly, Shockwave falls down on its side, and Odyssey rushes to its side, released from its friend's psychic grip. From a distance, Agent Basker can see all the psychic Pokemon in the battlefield falling down as if they abruptly lost consciousness. All other eyes are on the Master Ball as it moves back and forth for a few seconds before it stops and sparkles coming out of the center with a loud "ding!" Agent Basker stares at the ball in horror as Timothy stretches out his hand, and the ball flies straight to his hand before shrinking to the size of a ping pong ball. Timothy looks at the Master Ball for a moment before turning to Basker with a smug look.

"What do you know? I guess I caught Arceus," he says mockingly. "I'm not going to lie to you, Trent, I would never have expected to do that today."

Agent Basker stares at his enemy and starts whimpering like a little child. He gets on his knees and lowers his head while Timothy walks toward him with Odyssey, Poliwrath, and Electchu, who has slightly regained its energy.

"You know, Trent, I may have a bad habit of being prideful, but I've also learned to use people's own arrogance against them over the past 18 years, whether its people like Tucker, Barbara, or Brandon. And it's all thanks to you," he says. "You kept losing every time you tried to take away my Pokemon because I learned to find ways to use your pride and desperation against you. Even if I supposedly made you 'Agent Basker,' you made me the person I am first. The robotic eye you made because of me gave Team Rocket the Gieldanstone and Arceus, but the talent I gained because of you took Arceus away from Team Rocket while my friends destroy the organization once and for all. You are the most vain person I have ever had the displeasure of knowing, and it warms my heart to see you on your knees, utterly defeated."

Agent Basker lifts his head and gives Timothy a pleading look.

"What are you doing to do?" he snivels. "You're not going to beat me, are you? S-s-s-surely you don't have the heart to do that because you are a good person. You won't sink to my level by wanting vengeance, right?"

Timothy glares menacingly at his fallen enemy, making Basker more afraid. Timothy keeps it up for a moment before his glare melts away.

"You're right, Trent," He says. "I don't want to sink into your level."

Agent Basker lets out a big sigh of relief, feeling like a culprit who barely managed to get away with his evil deed. His moment of relief is short-lived, however, when Timothy speaks again.

"But I make no promises for my Pokemon whom you kidnapped and tortured."

Basker becomes horrified, and the pupil in his non-robotic eye shrinks. He turns over to Electchu and Poliwrath, who grin with looks up vengeance. The mouse Pokemon's tail is already turned into iron while the Poliwrath cracks it knuckles slowly to build the tension. The area is quiet apart from the machine still running until Electchu and Poliwrath let out vengeful cries before attacking the cyborg man.

Agent Basker screams before Electchu and Poliwrath hit him hard in the stomach with Iron Tail and Dynamic Punch. He holds on to his gut and only has a moment to whine in pain before the two Pokemon continue beating him. Basker holds his hands in defense in vain as Electchu and Poliwrath keep hitting him all over his body with their tail and fists respectfully. Eventually, Poliwrath grabs Agent Basker's robotic arm and crushes it with its strong grip before ripping it out of his arm socket like it's made of paper. The man screams out in pain from the mechanical arm being harshly ripped from his body before Electchu's tail hits him square in the face. Finally, Electchu gestures Poliwrath to back away and starts storing as much electricity into its cheeks as possible before unleashing a powerful Thunder at Agent Basker. The man lets out an unearthly scream that is drowned out by the booming sound of large amounts of electricity coming from the mouse Pokemon and hitting his body all over, destroying his robotic eye in the process.

When Electchu is finished, Agent Basker is lying on his side, crying. Timothy looks at him with no look of pity in his eyes. The fallen servant of Team Rocket stays on the ground, weeping as he rubs the areas where his robot parts where. He then uses his remaining arm to push himself back up and look at Timothy venomously.

"You may have caught Arceus, Durbin, but my leader still has the Gieldanstone," he says with his voice cracking. "When he finds out what you've done, he's going to make it come out of that Pokeball and use it against your friends. You have bought them a minute or so of reprieve at best. But you won't be conscious to watch them all die!"

He pulls back his hand back and throws the best punch he can muster only for Timothy to easily catch it with his hand. Agent Basker looks at his enemy fearfully again and is about to cry out in panic before it's cut short by Timothy punching him hard in the face, knocking him out. Basker falls to the ground, and Timothy stares at his unconscious opponent with a satisfied smile on his face. He turns to Electchu and Poliwrath, and the three of them smile at each other, feeling at peace.

The moment is soon broken, however, when they hear the sound of Shockwave getting up and groaning as if it is waking up from a deep sleep.

"Gggaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr."

Timothy, Electchu, and Poliwrath's eyes widen before they turn to see Odyssey slowly helping Shockwave up. The Gardevoir lifts its head to look at Odyssey, who smiles brightly to see its dear friend free from Team Rocket's control. Timothy and the rest of the remaining Pokemon don't hesitate to run over to the two of them with Timothy hugging Shockwave tightly from the side, alarming it.

"Gardevoir?" It asks, confused.

"It's okay, Shockwave. You're okay," Timothy says with tears in his eyes.

Odyssey nods and hugs its friend from the other side. Shockwave blinks in confusion and looks at the other Pokemon who are smiling in relief. Meanwhile, Coovers, Agatha, Koga, Gary, Jessie, James, Meowth, Looker, and the rest of the International Police are exiting from the front entrance of the Team Rocket Tower with Dr. Zager, his team, Butch, Cassidy and the other guards following behind in handcuffs. They walk around the machine just in time to see Timothy and his Pokemon having their moment with their rescued friend while Agent Basker and his Pokemon are lying on the ground. Coovers smiles brightly and runs over to Shockwave just in time for Timothy and Odyssey to back away, having finished their hug.

"Shockwave, you're alright!" He explains as he hugs the Gardevoir from behind.

Shockwave looks at Coovers, weirded out by its friends appearing to be spontaneously happy towards it from its point of view. Coovers' team and Looker smile at the sight of Shockwave free before Looker walks over to Timothy.

"I take it you freed Arceus with the Master Ball?" He asks.

"Sure did," Timothy takes, showing the Master Ball to him.

"Good," Looker says, before looking past Timothy. "And it looks like that's turning the tide of the battle."

Everyone looks at the direction Looker is facing to find that he is right. From a distance, they can see psychic Pokemon starting to angrily attack Team Rocket. Others run or fly away, heading to their own homes, including Celebi, the three Deoxys, and the Lugia with its child. Everyone smiles at the sight of this before Coovers frowns and turns to Timothy.

"Let's hope that Ash and Serena will have destroyed the Gieldanstone before Giovanni uses it to force Arceus out of the Master Ball," he comments.

"If they haven't yet, then they will," Timothy says confidently. "They have ways of overcoming the situation."

"Maybe so, but I would like them to have some help with Mewtwo and Mew in the picture," Looker says.

Almost as soon as the words leave Looker's mouth, a loud call is heard, and everyone looks up to see the other Lugia flying toward them with Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. The Lugia lands in front of everyone with a smile on its face while the legendary birds stay airborne above it.

"_A warm welcome to all of you,_" it greets telepathically with its psychic powers. "_Tell me, who do I and the other psychic Pokemon have to thank for our freedom?_"

"That would be me," Timothy answers, showing the Master Ball to Lugia. "I used this Pokeball to free Arceus from the machine behind me that Team Rocket was using to control you."

Lugia turns to Timothy and says, "_You have my sincerest thanks, young man._"

"Thank you, Lugia, but it's not over yet," Timothy says.

"He's right," Coovers says, stepping in. "The leader of Team Rocket has the Gieldanstone which can control Arceus, and our friends, Ash and Serena might be up there to destroy it."

Lugia turns to Coovers and asks, "_Ash is up there?_"

"Yes, but Mewtwo and Mew are up there so they might be in danger," Timothy says. "We need you to get up there as quick as you can. You and Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno might be their best chance of getting past Mewtwo and Mew so that they can destroy the Gieldanstone."

"_Understood,_" Lugia says seriously.

Lugia turns to the legendary birds and lets out a loud, commanding call to them. The three other birds nod to Lugia before the four of them fly straight up to the top of the building. As all the humans and Pokemon on the ground watch them, Timothy finally notices Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Hey, what are these three doing here?" He asks angrily.

The trio become scared at the way he's looking at them menacingly until Coovers steps in.

"Easy, Timothy. They've defected," he says.

Timothy and his Pokemon look at Coovers skeptically.

"Really?" Timothy says, unconvinced.

"Really," Coovers says. "They surrendered their Pokemon to me and gave us the information we needed to attack Team Rocket's lab."

"And they directed Serena to Ash's cell through the communicator," Koga says.

Timothy's eyes widen, and he asks, "So Ash is free?"

"Yeah, and last they told us, they are on their way to face da boss," Meowth says.

Jessie, James, Coovers, Gary, Koga, Agatha, Looker all nod to confirm what Meowth is saying. Timothy smiles and nods back with this information.

"That's good," he says. "Then let's hope that with Lugia's help, they will finish this."

Behind every one of the International Police, Dr. Zager, Butch, and Cassidy secretly grin, believing Ash and Serena will fail. But as for everyone else, they look up at the Tower, hoping that Lugia, Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres will be there in time to aid the two teenagers and Pikachu on their own quest to save the world.


	80. Chapter 80

Ash is still sitting down at the corner of his jail cell, hugging his legs and waiting to be rescued. He can hear something is going on outside despite having no window in the entire room, and he hopes it's his friends fighting to stop Team Rocket. He tightens his grip on his legs, feeling anxious because he can't do anything to help while he's stuck in his cell. Second by second, he begrudgingly waits for an opportunity to get out of his cell and stop Team Rocket.

"Pika, pi!"

"Braixen!"

"Ash!"

Ash's eyes widen, and he immediately gets on his feet. He runs over to the metal bars of his cell and stares at the door on the other side, waiting to hear the voices again.

"Pika, pi!"

"Braixen!"

"Ash, where are you?"

"Serena! Pikachu! Braixen! I'm over here!" he shouts. "I'm inside this room!"

Ash waits a moment until he hears footsteps coming toward him. Before long, Serena bursts through the door with Pikachu on her shoulder and Braixen following behind. Serena and Pikachu's eyes immediately meet Ash's, and they smile brightly. Ash smiles back before Serena sees the lock on the cell door and points at it.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail on that lock!" she commands.

Without hesitating, Pikachu jumps high into the air from Serena's shoulder and smashes the lock into pieces with Iron Tail. Ash wastes no time to open the door and get out of the cell, happy to be free. Pikachu jumps into his arms, and the two of them joyously hug each other, laughing as Ash spins his partner.

"It's so good to see you again, buddy," he says, squeezing his friend. "I missed you."

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu squeals.

Ash smiles at the mouse Pokemon before he feels two arms grab him tightly from behind. He turns his head to see Serena hugging him with her eyes shut and a look of relief on her face.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she sighs quietly. "I was so worried about you."

Ash blinks, taken aback by her demeanor before he smiles warmly. He lifts his arms so that Pikachu can climb up to the top of his head before turning around to hug Serena back.

"I knew you'd come," he says. "I never doubted you once."

Serena lifts her head while still holding Ash tight and smiles brightly. Her heart is filled with exhilaration from hearing him express his confidence in her.

The moment of bliss is interrupted, however, by the sound of Jessie taking through the communicator in Serena's coat pocket.

"_Hey, twerpet - uh, I mean Serena, did you find him yet?_" She asks.

Serena reluctantly breaks the hug and takes the communicator out of her pocket to reply.

"Yes, Jessie. I found him," she confirms.

"Hold on. Jessie helped you?" Ash asks, surprised.

"She did. So did James and Meowth," Serena answers. "Coovers is downstairs with them along with Gary, Koga, Agatha, Looker, and the rest of the International Police."

"Gary is here?" Ash asks.

But before Serena can reply, Coovers' voice is heard through the communicator.

"_Serena, you need to hurry!_" he says impatiently. "_Timothy could be charging his way to Arceus any second now!_"

Serena turns serious and takes out the communicator saying, "Right. We're on our way. Where is the nearest staircase from the cell?"

"_If I remember correctly, it should be at the end of the other side of the hall from where you came from,_" James replies. "_Just take a left from there, and there should be a door leading to the staircase._"

"Copy," Serena says before turning to Ash. "We need to go now."

"Where?" Ash asks.

"To the top of the tower," Serena answers. "We need to destroy the Gieldanstone before Timothy frees Arceus."

"The what?" Ash asks.

"I'll explain everything along the way, but we need to go," Serena says as she grabs Ash's hand, pulls him out of the cell room, and leads him to the end of the hall with Pikachu and Braixen following behind.

Giovanni is still sitting on his chair and petting Persian while he watches the battle continue from down below. Even though he can't see everything that is happening from the top floor, he can tell that all four fronts of his enemies are starting to slowly break under the strength of his army. He takes pleasure in seeing the legendary birds and the legendary beasts fighting the battle, excited to see them under his control when the fighting is over. He turns his head to Mewtwo and Mew, who are still floating in the air above him with blank looks on their faces.

"Isn't it marvelous, you two?" He says. "Their forces grow weaker by the second. Their cards are used up and the strength of their Pokemon is depleting. It's only a matter of time before they have completely lost and I can begin the next step in taking over the world."

"Don't count on it!"

Giovanni frowns and stands up from his chair to see Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Braixen standing from the other side of the room. The two trainers and their partners glower at the leader of Team Rocket while Giovanni sighs uncaringly.

"Can't keep one person from freeing the boy and reaching to the top. Zager, you fool," he mutters.

"We're here to stop you, Giovanni!" Serena announces.

Giovanni looks at the honey blonde girl for a moment before he bursts into laughter.

"Stop me? You think you can stop me?" He asks as he roars in laughter. "I don't think you realize the gravity of the situation, you silly girl. Your friends are going to lose the battle in a matter of minutes, you each have only one Pokemon, and I have the two most powerful Pokemon in the entire world by my side. All I have to do is say the word, and they will obliterate you before you can move a muscle."

"You can, but you won't," Ash claims.

Giovanni stops laughing and smirks at the raven-haired boy.

"Oh, really? Why not?" He asks.

"Because if you want to feel like you deserve to take over the world, you should face me in a Pokemon battle," Ash says.

"Ha! Don't be ridiculous," Giovanni says. "You are getting delusions of grandeur just because I kidnapped you as a precaution. I have nothing to fear against the likes of you."

"If that were true, then you wouldn't rely on Mew or Mewtwo to keep me from doing anything to stop you like a coward!" Ash exclaims. "You said yourself that I might be a big threat against your plan to take over the world. If that's the case, then you should be battling me face to face with your own Pokemon to show I am inferior to you even with Serena here to support me."

"Pika!" Pikachu shouts.

Serena glances at Ash with a sweet smile before Giovanni gives a low chuckle.

"I don't care what you say," he says. "You couldn't beat me last time, and you won't be any match for me now."

"Prove it!" Serena shouts, stepping in. "If you are so sure you can best Ash without relying on brainwashed Pokemon to do your dirty work, then face him like a real Pokemon trainer. Or are you going to rule the world remembering you felt even a little threatened by Ash and did nothing to prove you could beat him."

Giovanni frowns at the way Serena challenges him. He resists the urge to still rebuke the children, but in his mind, he can't deny that he feels provoked into proving himself to them.

"Fine," he snarls as her stands up from his chair and he and Persian walk around his desk to face their enemies. "If you want to witness the might of Persian and me again, we'll have ourselves a little battle. It will at least pass the time while my army wipes out your little band."

Unknown to anyone in the room; however, a herd of quadruped Pokemon are charging through Team Rocket's forces, heading to the bridge that leads to the tower and Arceus.

Ash smirks and takes a couple steps forward with Pikachu. Giovanni stands in front of his desk with his hands in his pockets while Persian gives Pikachu a menacing grin. Pikachu steps in front of Ash and makes a battle stance with sparks coming out of its red cheeks. Serena puts her hand on her ribbon while she looks at Ash with a serious look, eager to see him win. Braixen stays beside its partner, ready to cheer Ash and Pikachu on with her.

The room stays silent for several seconds before Ash makes the first call.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" He shouts.

"Oh please," Giovanni says. "Slash."

Pikachu charges at its opponent, but Persian's claws come out, and it slashes at Pikachu just it's about to ram it. Pikachu is hit by the attack and is sent rolling back to Ash's feet.

"Now use Shadow Claw," Giovanni says plainly.

Persian's left claw becomes surrounded in a black aura with a purple outline shaped like a claw. It runs toward Pikachu, who is slowly getting up.

"Quick, Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu turns its tail into iron and quickly uses it to deflect Persian's attack. It then jumps into the air and smacks its opponent hard in the face.

"Now, use Electro Ball!" Ash commands.

Before Giovanni can say anything to get Persian to avoid or counter the attack, Pikachu takes advantage that its opponent is still inches away from it and flings a ball of electricity right at it. The attack hits the classy cat Pokemon and sends it rolling back a couple of feet before standing up with a few scratches on its body. Giovanni is slightly taken aback to this, and he begins to glare at Ash.

"Okay, Pikachu, now use Electro Ball again!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Dark Pulse," Giovanni growls.

Pikachu throws another Electro Ball at Persian, but it jumps away, easily missing the attack. Persian fires a beam of dark purple circles at Pikachu while it's still in midair, and the mouse Pokemon is sent flying high into the air. Ash runs over to where Pikachu is falling and catches it in the nick of time.

"Are you okay, Pikachu?" He asks.

"Pika," Pikachu says with a nod even though it has a couple of scratches on its body.

Ash smiles before putting it down, and Pikachu gets down on all fours, still ready to fight Persian. Giovanni smirks in amusement as he looks at Ash.

"You have lasted longer than before. I'll give you that," he says, "Use Power Gem."

The gem on Persian's head glows red, and it fires a pale pink beam of energy with a bright white energy around it.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to counter!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu stores up the electricity in its body and unleashes a large bolt of electricity toward Persian's attack. The two moves collide and create an explosion that shakes the floor and covers the area with smoke.

"Now use Thunderbolt right where Persian is standing," Ash shouts.

Pikachu fires another Thunderbolt straight at the area where it last saw Persian. Giovanni and his pet have no idea what is happening until the Thunderbolt hits Persian hard. The leader of Team Rocket begins to grow impatient as the smoke clears.

"Use Shadow Claw," he snarls.

"Dodge using Quick Attack!" Ash commands.

Persian shakes off the pain from Thunderbolt and charges towards Pikachu, ready to use Shadow Claw again. Pikachu races toward Persian and, with its incredible speed, dodges Persian's claws and rams it by its side, causing Persian to fall on its side. Giovanni's irritation grows, inflamed that the boy is getting the upper hand. Anxious to deal with the matter quickly, he comes up with a foul idea.

"Alright, Pikachu, use Electro Ball!" Ash shouts.

"Dodge and use Power Gem on the boy," Giovanni orders with a low growl.

Pikachu jumps into the air and flings Electro Ball at Persian, but it dodges the electric attack with ease. Persian then fires another pale pink beam from its gem. Pikachu prepares to dodge it, but the beam flies over its head and heads toward Ash.

"Ash, look out!" Serena cries out.

Ash tries to move away, but the attack hits him hard in the chest. He lets out a loud "Augh!" as the attack knocks him off his feet and sends him slamming against the wall. Serena's heart drops as Ash falls down like a plank of wood.

"Ash!" She screams with her and Braixen running to Ash's side.

Pikachu turns its head to see what happened and shouts, "Pika, pi!"

"Now Shadow Claw," Giovanni says, grinning again.

Persian also grins and strikes Pikachu while its back is turned. Pikachu is sent flying into the air and hitting the wall before falling down on top of Ash.

"Pikachu!" Serena shouts.

Giovanni scoffs and gestures Persian to return to his side. Serena kneels down beside Ash, vainly shaking his body in hopes of somehow wake him up. Ash only replies with a soft groan, barely conscious before Serena turns to Giovanni and stands up angrily.

"How dare you attack him with your Pokemon!" She yells. "Have you no shame as a trainer?!"

Giovanni sniggers and says, "Pokemon trainers. Pokemon battles. What do I care about little formalities like that are going to fade out of existence? After all, when the world is mine, there will be no Pokemon trainers or need for any Pokemon battles. People will merely serve me and all of Team Rocket to no end with all the Pokemon in the entire world at my disposal to make sure no one will ever defy me. What do I care about looking dishonorable to some little girl like you just because my Persian knocked out your boyfriend?"

Serena's anger grows upon Giovanni's reply. In any normal situation, she would be blushing over Ash being called her boyfriend, but the honey blonde girl doesn't even flinch at the title. Her hands turn into balls of fists, livid by the extent of the Team Rocket leader's dishonesty.

"You...you really are afraid," she mutters.

Giovanni frowns and growls, "What did you say?"

"I said you're afraid!" Serena barks. "You're afraid that you will never be as purely strong as Ash Ketchum! I can see in your eyes that you have never once experienced what it means to care about anything but yourself! Ash, on the other hand, cares about both people and Pokemon! He can be stubborn and childish, and sometimes he fails to think things through before he acts, but no matter his faults he will never stop being there when his friends need him the most! Even when he's at his lowest, he can always count on the people and Pokemon in his life to be there for him because his strength comes from everyone he cares about! But you?! You will forever be alone even if you gain the entire world! Behind the brainwashed Pokemon and every person fearing you, you'll be hiding the fact that you have no honor or benevolence or anyone in your life who truly have a hint of care about your wellbeing! You have no true strength! You're nothing but a power-hungry coward who can't even have a fair battle with a great Pokemon trainer less than half your age! You're weak!"

At this point, Giovanni is even angrier than Serena is as he barks, "I'll show you who's the weak one here! Mewtwo, Mew, dispose of these annoying pests!"

Mewtwo and Mew starts floating towards Serena, Braixen, Ash, and Pikachu, getting ready to attack, but Serena doesn't show a hint of fear.

"You're not going anywhere near Ash!" She shouts. "Braixen, use Hidden Power on Mew and then use Fire Blast on Mewtwo!"

Immediately, Braixen forms a light blue ball of energy in front of its hands and fires it in front of Mew. As soon as the attack is thrown, Braixen takes out its stick and forms a 大 - shaped yellow and orange fire from the tip of its stick. Giovanni smirks in amusement as both legendary psychic Pokemon easily use Psychic to knock away both of Braixen's attacks. But what neither of them realize is that Serena was using Braixen's attacks as a distraction to take out her other Pokeballs.

"Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, Absol, come out now!" she shouts, throwing all four of her Pokeballs into the air.

The rest of her team come out with serious looks in their eyes, feeling the same sense of anger and determination that is flowing all over their trainer's body. Giovanni laughs out loud at the sight of the honey blonde girl and her Pokemon looking ready for battle.

"Are these all the Pokemon you've got?" He mocks. "None of your Pokemon are fully evolved, and your Absol is the only one that can't be affected by psychic-type moves. I doubt you've trained them well enough to give either Mewtwo and Mew a single scratch even if you land a hit on them. Do you honestly think you have a chance against two of the greatest Pokemon in the entire world?"

"Only one way to find out," Serena replies before pointing at Mewtwo and Mew. "Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, use Fire Blast, Stone Edge, and Fairy Wind on Mewtwo! Poliwag, Absol, use Water Gun and Feint on Mew!"

Braixen fires a stream of fire, Pancham slams its fist on the ground, causing blue pillars to emerge from the ground, and Sylveon releases pink wind at Mewtwo while Poliwag shoots a stream of water from its mouth and Absol disappears. Mewtwo summons a bright blue barrier around its body, and Braixen's Flamethrower and Sylveon's Fairy Wind just hit the barrier with no effect. Then a blue pillar emerges underneath Mewtwo only for the top of it to break upon impact. Mew uses Psychic to stop the Water Gun, but because it only focuses on Poliwag's attack, allowing Absol to hit it from behind. Serena smiles brightly at the sight of Mew getting hit, but Giovanni sneers at the optimism.

"You are a fool if you think that little hit will help you before Mewtwo and Mew wipes out your Pokemon," he says.

Before Serena can reply, Mewtwo and Mewtwo both unleash Shadow Ball at her Pokemon. The two balls are so large that they hit all five Pokemon and send them back a couple of feet. The ghost attack gives their targets severe scratches. Even Absol, despite being resistant to ghost attacks takes a lot of damage from Mew and Mewtwo's great power. Serena looks at her friends worriedly as all of her Pokemon except for Absol become surrounded in a blue outline and are lifted into the air. Absol slowly gets up, while Serena looks at her trapped Pokemon until she looks at Absol and gets an idea.

"Pancham, use Dark Pulse! Absol, use Night Shade!" She shouts.

Absol grins and charges at Mew with its horn glowing purple while Pancham quickly fires a beam of dark purple circles at Mewtwo. The Dark Pulse hits Mewtwo, and Absol jumps into the air to slash Mew with its horn, causing both of them to release their psychic grip on Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag. Serena grins at hitting both Mewtwo and Mew despite neither one of them looking like they have been hurt at all.

"Now, everyone use Hidden Power, Dark Pulse, Swift, Hydro Pump, and Night Slash!" She commands confidently.

All five Pokemon use their respective attacks, but Mewtwo and Mew simply protect themselves with a blue and pink barrier respectfully. The barriers knock back Hidden Power, Dark Pulse, Swift, and Hydro Pump while Absol jumps high in the air again, but it's simply bounced back upon impact of Mew's Barrier and hits the ground. The two psychic Pokemon quickly release their barriers and use Psychic on Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag again and slam them against the wall behind Serena, before the honey blonde girl has a chance to counter their attack. She and Absol quickly rush to their sides while Giovanni lets out a low chuckle.

"Your confidence and persistence is quite mirthful," he says. "But I have a legion of people and Pokemon who are crushing your friends as we speak, Arceus is mine, and you're nothing but a mere trainer trying to take down the most powerful Pokemon in the world. You will never win with whatever power your Pokemon possess."

Serena feels her heart sink, disheartened by Giovanni's words as she stares at her injured Pokemon. She turns to Ash and Pikachu, who are still lying on the ground, wishing they could get up and help her, but then she feels a paw hold her hand and turns to see Braixen giving her a small smile while still lying down with scratches all over its body. Pancham, Sylveon, and Poliwag roll over to smile encouragingly at their trainer, and Absol licks her hand while giving its mother-like figure a supportive look. Serena looks at all of her Pokemon and smiles back, knowing what she needs to do. Without a word needed to be said to her friends, she stands up and looks at Giovanni with a confident look.

"You're right," Serena says. "I'm not very powerful, but that won't stop me from trying. When all looks lost, I remember not to give up until the very end. You'll have to beat me and all of my Pokemon down if you want to stop me for good. Besides, you're wrong about one thing."

"And what is that? " Giovanni asks.

Serena smirks proudly as Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol take battle stances again.

"I'm not a mere trainer. I'm a performer," she says before pointing at Mewtwo and Mew again. "Braixen, Pancham, use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse in front of Mewtwo! Sylveon, Poliwag, use Swift and Bubble Beam in front of Mew!''

Giovanni frowns, unsure of what the honey blonde girl is planning as four of her Pokemon carry out their attacks. Braixen and Pancham use Flamethrower and Dark Pulse, and they both collide just inches in front of Mewtwo while Sylveon and Poliwag use Swift and Bubble Beam, which collide in front of Mew. Both combinations explode into fireworks of various colors, startling both Giovanni and the psychic Pokemon.

"Now, Pancham, Absol, Poliwag, use Dark Pulse, Night Slash, and Ice Beam at maximum power!" she shouts.

Pancham fires a bigger beam of dark purple circles, and a large light blue ball appears in front of Poliwag's mouth before the tadpole Pokemon releases a light blue beam at Mew from the ball. Disoriented from the fireworks, Mewtwo and Mew get hit by the two attacks. Mewtwo briefly grunts as Dark Pulse distracts it before Absol pounces with Night Slash. The second Dark-type move hits it with enough force to force it crashing into a wall. Mew squeaks and struggles before its body is completely frozen in a giant block of ice and crashes into the floor. Serena smiles brightly at the sight of Mew trapped, glad that all of her training with Poliwag's Ice Beam paid off. For the first time, Giovanni is stunned with what is happening, but then his shock disappears almost as quickly as it came.

"Is trapping Mew supposed to intimidate me, child?" He mocks.

Serena frowns and says, "What do you mean? I took it down."

Giovanni laughs out loud and says, "Oh, please. You got lucky, and even then, Mew is nothing compared to the might of Mewtwo."

Serena looks at the leader of Team Rocket flabbergasted and asks, "Are you so uncaring about the wellbeing of Pokemon that you will discard them for failing you?"

Giovanni sneers again and says, "Of course. Pokemon have always been nothing more than tools for people like me. Mew, in particular, is nothing more than a collector's item - a means to an end. And besides, if you were so concerned about Pokemon, you would have paid attention to what Mewtwo is doing."

Serena looks at him confused until she looks up to see Mewtwo back in the air and conjuring a larger Shadow Ball. She gasps and tries to tell her Pokemon to look out, but Mewtwo already throws the ball at them before either of them realizes what is happening. The impact once again knocks Serena and her Pokemon off their feet, and Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol are knocked unconscious by the powerful move. Serena grunts in pain while she pushes up to a sitting position, glaring at Giovanni, who just smirks at her with Persian.

"I must admit you lasted longer than you should have," he says. "That said, I'm hardly surprised that all of your Pokemon are beaten. I feel I should thank you for giving me some entertainment while waiting for the battle outside to end. Either way, you and that boy have failed utterly. You said you won't give up until the end, so let me assure you that this indeed the end."

Serena keeps glaring at Giovanni, refusing to believe his words. But the silence is suddenly broken when everyone hears two groans behind Serena. She turns to the right, and the honey blonde girl's heart leaps at the sight of Ash and Pikachu slowly getting up.

"Ash! Pikachu!" Serena exclaims.

"Serena?" Ash asks, rubbing his head. "Is it over?"

Giovanni cackles before he answers Ash's question.

"It's all over, boy," he bellows. "Your girlfriend tried to defeat both Mewtwo and Mew only to fail. Now they will dispose of you both once and for all."

Fully aware of what is happening, Ash steps in front of Serena defensively while he and Pikachu glower at the leader of Team Rocket.

"You are not laying a finger on Serena!" He shouts.

Serena is taken aback at Ash before she looks at him sweetly again.

Giovanni waves his hand and says, "And what makes you think you two have a prayer with just your Pikachu? You can't try to best Mewtwo using Ice Beam again."

Ash looks at Giovanni, confused until he notices Mew lying on the ground in a block of ice before turning to Serena.

"Did you beat Mew with Ice Beam?" He asks.

Serena smiles and nods.

Ash smiles back, impressed, and says, "Nice job, Serena."

Serena's cheeks turn pink, but he moment is interrupted with a sneer, and they turn back to facing Giovanni.

"Yes, yes, she managed to beat Mew. I'm sure you are astonished," he says impatiently before he turns to Mewtwo and shouts. "Now destroy them already!"

Mewtwo turns to Giovanni and gives him a robotic nod before turning back to Ash, Pikachu, and Serena. Serena returns Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon, Poliwag, and Absol back into their Pokeballs before she and Ash look seriously at Mewtwo with Pikachu taking a battle stance. Mewtwo puts its hands together and forms another black ball of energy with blue sparks appearing all over it. Mewtwo slowly spreads its arms, and the ball grows bigger, making the two teenagers and the mouse Pokemon uneasy with how they will counter it. Giovanni smirks and starts petting Persian as the two of them watch Mewtwo prepare to attack.

But suddenly, Mewtwo freezes in place. Everyone looks at it, confused as they watch it groan, and its eyes grow heavy. It struggles to keep control of the large Shadow Ball and starts wobbling back and forth on the air.

"Mewtwo, what on earth are you doing?!" Giovanni barked angrily. "I said destroy -"

But at that moment, Mewtwo spins around and flings its Shadow Ball at Giovanni and Persian. Their eyes widen, and they run away from the line of fire as fast as they can. The ball hits Giovanni's desk and causes a massive explosion that obliterates the desk and destroys the bottom half of the large window. Giovanni is knocked off his feet with the explosion destroying the back of the top half of his suit as he falls down face first. Persian, on the other hand, barely manages to avoid getting blown away while the frozen Mew is sent flying to a wall. Ash, Pikachu, and Serena turn around to cover themselves with Ash still in front of Serena.

When the smoke clears, Ash, Pikachu, Serena, and Persian turn around to see a gaping hole in the window, and the edge of the floor destroyed. Nothing remains of Giovanni's desk except for splinters and pieces from where his computer stood all over the floor. They turn to Mewtwo, who is lying unconscious on the floor.

"What just happened?" Serena asks.

"I don't know," Ash replies.

Giovanni groans, and he slowly gets up. Persian walks over to his side as he realizes the back of his coat and buttoned shirt are destroyed. He growls in irritation as he takes both of them off, leaving nothing but his undershirt and the Gieldanstone strapped to his chest. Serena gasps as she looks at the white jewel, realizing she and Ash have a chance to destroy it.

"Ash, look!" She shouts, pointing at it. "It's the stone!"

Ash turns to Giovanni and sees the shining stone strapped to his chest. The leader of Team Rocket realizes that the children are trying to take away his prize and wraps his arm around it as if it is a fragile egg.

"Persian, get in front of me!" He orders.

Persian jumps in front of him and growls in a threatening tone. Serena glares at the leader of Team Rocket again until Ash stretches out his hand in front of Serena, confusing her as he looks at her with a smile.

"Serena, leave this to me," he says. "Pikachu and I started this battle with him and Persian, and we must finish it."

Serena stares at him for a moment before she gives him a smile for support.

"Okay," she says. "You got this. I believe in you."

Ash nods before turning to Giovanni and Persian. Pikachu keeps its battle stance on all fours, its eyes fixed on the classy cat Pokemon. Ash smirks confidently at Giovanni, who stands up with his arm covering the Gieldanstone defensively.

"Let's finish this," the raven-haired boy says as he turns his hat backward.

Giovanni grows uneasy, knowing that his pet is all he has to protect himself and his prize. He hides his worry with a hateful glare while nodding at Ash.

"Let's finish this," he agrees before he looks at Persian and barks, "Dark Pulse!"

"Pikachu, counter with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Both Pokemon release their attacks, and they collide, covering the room in a cloud of smoke again.

"Now, use Thunderbolt again!" Ash shouts.

"That won't work again, boy," Giovanni snarls. "Move away and then use Slash followed immediately by Shadow Claw!"

Persian jumps away just in time to avoid Pikachu's Thunderbolt and charges straight through the smoke. Pikachu is surprised when Persian suddenly emerges from the smoke and strikes the mouse Pokemon with Slash and Shadow Claw, causing it to roll a couple of feet away close to Ash.

"Pikachu, can you keep going?" Ash asks.

Pikachu has several more scratches on its body, and it moans for a moment before it slowly gets up, still ready to fight. Ash smiles at his partner while Giovanni frowns, disappointed the mouse Pokemon is not down.

"Use Dark Pulse," he commands.

Ash realizes that Giovanni is having Persian attack while he is distracted and shouts, "Jump up and use Electro Ball!"

Pikachu jumps into the air, easily missing Persian's attack and does a flip as it throws an Electro Ball that hits Persian. The classy cat Pokemon groans as it takes damage, while Ash smirks confidently.

"Now use Iron Tail!" He shouts.

"Counter with Shadow Claw!" Giovanni orders.

Pikachu jumps and flips again, prepared to hit Persian in the head with Iron Tail. But before it can hit its opponent, Parsian blocks its tail with Shadow Claw on one paw before knocking Pikachu back using Shadow Claw on the other. Pikachu rolls in the ground again, but quickly gets up, still able to fight.

"Pikachu, use Electro Ball again!" Ash shouts.

Giovanni grins and commands, "Use Power Gem while it's in the air!"

Persian grins, automatically knowing what it's master has in mind. It waits until Pikachu has jumped into the air and releases a pale pink beam at it. Pikachu does a flip, preparing to use Electro Ball again, but as it does, the pale pink bean hits it hard and sends it flying higher into the air. Ash and Serena watch and shock as Pikachu slams into the ground with many more scratches all over its body.

"Pikachu!" Ash and Serena scream.

The two of them rush to Pikachu's side, and Giovanni lets out a low cackle, believing he has finally won.

"Pika…" it says quietly.

"Come on, Pikachu. You can do it," Ash begs.

"You've got to get up, Pikachu," Serena says.

"Oh, just look at the two of you," Giovanni mocks. "You can't even stop yourself from worrying if even one of your Pokemon falls. This is why it's foolish to treat them as equals."

Serena turns to Giovanni and shouts, "Better to treat them as our equals than to treat them like inanimate objects."

"That's right," Ash says. "None of us would trade the friendships we have with our Pokemon for anything."

Giovanni raises an eyebrow and says, "Is that so? Well, then I know just what to do with all of you when this is over. I'm going to have Mewtwo create a few more cells in our prison floor and lock you up in each of them. You and your Pokemon will have your own jail rooms so close to each other that you will be mere yards apart at best. But you will never see each other or be able to hear each other. While Team Rocket rules the world, you will spend the rest of your miserable lives knowing you failed to save your friends, and you will never see each other ever again for the rest of your days."

Ash and Serena, look at Giovanni angrily while he and Persian grin evilly at all of them. But then they hear a soft groan, and they turn to see Pikachu get up on all fours again. The mouse Pokemon walks past its friends until it's standing in front of them. Ash smiles at his partner while sparks come out of its red cheeks.

Giovanni rolls his eyes in annoyance and shouts, "Seriously?! After every beating it has taken, it manages to get up?! Why won't your stupid rodent stay down?!"

"Because it's not going to let you separate us from each other," Ash says. "You see our bonds with our Pokemon as weakness when it's really our strength."

"That's right," Serena says. "No matter what rare Pokemon you have or how strong your Persian is, you won't stop us because what we have for each other is stronger. This is how we are going to win."

Giovanni growls, frustrated with their persistence. But underneath his anger, there is also a twinge of fear. Deep inside him, he starts to realize that Ash is right when he told him that his friends are his power. Witnessing the way the two teenagers and their Pokemon have stuck through the entire time despite the odds makes him understand how the raven-haired boy could have had a part in taking down all of his rival crime organizations. The fear begins to fester as it hits him how the boy is truly a threat to his plans and shouts in an act of desperation.

"Persian, use Shadow Claw now!" He screams.

Ash smirks, knowing that his enemy's confidence is fading and shouts, "Pikachu, dodge using Quick Attack!"

Just like before, Persian charges with a dark aura shaped like a claw, but Pikachu uses its great speed to avoid the attack and ram Persian by the side, using its head.

"Now, use Iron Tail multiple times!" Ash commands.

Pikachu's tail turns into iron and begins hitting Persian in the face repeatedly with it. With every harsh blow the mouse Pokemon delivers, the Team Rocket leader's timidity grows.

"Use Dark Pulse now!" He yells.

"Dodge and use Electro Ball!" Ash commands.

Pikachu stops hitting Persian, and the classy cat Pokemon takes the moment of relief to unleash a beam of dark purple circles only for Pikachu to dodge it easily. Without a moment of hesitation, Pikachu summons another ball of electricity and spins around to hit Persian on the side again, knocking it off its feet. Persian lands on the ground on its other side and meows in agony,

"What are you doing?!" Giovanni yells, panicking. "Get up and fight!"

Persian lifts its head to look its master and, with a pleading look, says, "Mmmmeeeeoooowwww."

"I said, get up!" He shouts. "I am your master, and you will do as I command! Now get up and take down that rodent now!"

Persian winces at his harsh words and slowly gets up out of fear of Giovanni's fury. It makes its best battle stance despite its weak state and countless scratches on its body, and Giovanni grins, thinking he still has a chance.

"Now, use Power Gem!" He screams.

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash shouts.

Persian fires Power Gem again, but it uses it slow enough that Pikachu can dodge it with ease.

"Use Power Gem multiple times!" Giovanni barks. "And don't stop until it's down!"

Ash and Serena both smirk, knowing that Giovanni has made a grave mistake.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack, and wait until it's tired to hit it again!" Ash instructs.

Pikachu nods and uses its speed to dodge Persian's attack again. The classy cat Pokemon desperately keeps using Power Gem, aiming at Pikachu. Pikachu starts circling around its opponent, and Persian starts firing in all directions. Unknown to anyone; however, Persian's Power Gem hits the edges of the floor, connecting to the walls closest to the window. The impact of Persian's attack is so strong that there are holes in the floor that start to produce cracks all over the room.

Finally, Persian begins to tire, and the rate that it unleashes its attack, it all becomes slow. It isn't long before Pikachu notices and grins, seeing its opportunity to attack. Still using Quick Attack, Pikachu dodges Power Gem one more time and rams into Persian right in the face.

"Now, use Thunderbolt and give it everything you've got!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu stores up the biggest amount of electricity it can muster since its battle with Electchu and unleashes it on Persian. The classy cat Pokemon screams in pain as a hundred thousand volts flow all over its body. Its body grows weaker and weaker until it no longer has the strength to stay standing. Pikachu finishes its attack, and Persian stands in place until it lets out a soft groan and faints.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheers.

"Good job, Pikachu!" Serena praises.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu says cutely to its friends.

The three of them look at each other, smiling for another moment before they turn to the leader of Team Rocket, who looks at his beaten Pokemon in shock.

"It's over," Serena announces. "You're defenseless. Hand over the Gieldanstone now."

Giovanni keeps staring at his Pokemon until he clenches his teeth furious, glaring at the teenagers.

"Never!" He screams, hugging the stone defensively again. "You won't take it from me! And even if you could, Arceus is still mine. It can't get out of the machine even if you order it too!"

But as soon as he finishes his sentence, the holocommunicator in his pocket starts ringing. He huffs before he takes it out and presses a button, revealing a hologram of a horrified Matori.

"What is it?" He barks.

"_Sir, we've got trouble!_" Matori shouts, panicking. "_The psychic Pokemon are attacking us!_"

"What?!" Giovanni shouts. "Where is Arceus?"

"_I don't know!_" Matori shouts. "_One minute, it was on the machine, and then the psychic Pokemon suddenly collapsed, and I turned to find it is gone! The next thing either of us know, the psychic Pokemon came to and started attacking us! We're overrun! We need -_"

Suddenly, a Psybeam hits Matori in the back, and the hologram disappears. Giovanni's pupils shrink, and he starts pressing the button on his holocommunicator repeatedly. Ash and Serena look at each other, realizing that Timothy succeeded in freeing Arceus. Giovanni keeps pressing the button until he sees the two teenagers and Pikachu getting ready to attack.

"One last chance," Ash says. "Give us the stone."

Giovanni clenches his teeth again and puts his hand on the Gieldanstone.

"Arceus, where are you?!" He screams. "Get over here and -"

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouts.

Pikachu shoots a bolt of electricity again, and it hits Giovanni. The leader of Team Rocket yells in pain, and he stands in place disoriented when Pikachu is done. The next thing he knows, Serena runs over to him and tries to pull the Gieldenstone out of its secure place. Giovanni pushes Serena back with his hands, but Ash gets behind him and pulls his arms away from Serena. The honey blonde girl keeps pulling as hard as she can until the jewel pops out, and she falls down on her back. Giovanni tries to free himself from Ash's grip, horrified that the stone is no longer in his possession, but Pikachu steps in front of him threateningly with its cheeks sparking electricity. Serena quickly stands up and holds the stone close to her.

"Arceus, stay where you are!" She orders. "Do not do anything unless your trainer tells you to no matter who is holding the Gieldanstone!"

Ash smirks and says, "Great job, Serena! Now destroy it!"

Giovanni's eyes widen, shocked that his enemies planned to destroy his prize the whole time. He tries to free himself from Ash, who is still holding him back from behind.

"Wait!" He begs to Serena as he struggles. "Please don't destroy it! I'll do anything! Whatever your wildest dreams and deepest desires are, I'll give it to you! Just give me back my stone!"

Serena looks at the desperate man with a serious look and bluntly says, "What my dream is you're trying to take away, and what I deeply desire you can't give me."

With that, she holds the stone with both hands, lifts it high above her head, and throws it into the ground. The Gieldanstone breaks into tiny pieces upon impact as if it is made of glass, and Giovanni's pupils shrink in horror.

"NO!" He shrieks.

Ash lets him go, and the leader of Team Rocket gets on his hands and knees and starts collecting pieces of the shattered jewel, thinking he can put it back together in his state of shock. Ash and Pikachu walk over to Serena's side, and they all look down at the devastated man.

"As I said, it's all over," Serena says coldly. "You'll never take control of Arceus or any other Pokemon again, and your organization is crumbling as we speak."

Ash nods and says, "Face it. Team Rocket is gone forever."

Giovanni keeps his head low, with his eyes still fixed on the remains of the white stone. But then he slowly lifts his head with a threatening look in his eyes.

"Fools! I am Team Rocket!" He shouts.

He springs back up, and charges towards them with his arms stretch out with his eyes fixed on Serena.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash shouts angrily.

Pikachu doesn't hesitate to jump high in the air and smack Giovanni hard in the face with Iron Tail. Giovanni holds his face as he takes a couple of steps back and glares at the teenagers and Pikachu.

But before he can make any threats or charge at them again, the floor begins to break at the center of the room, creating a line of cracks between Giovanni and his enemies. The next thing anyone knows, half of the floor closest to the destroyed window slopes down, and Giovanni loses his balance and falls on his back before slowly sliding down the steep surface. His eyes widen in fear as he watches himself slide toward the edge.

"Help! Help!" He screams.

Suddenly, Giovanni stops sliding and is lifted into the air. He looks around in confusion to find his body surrounded in a blue outline and Mewtwo standing up with its eyes glowing blue. The leader of Team Rocket looks at the Pokemon in awe as the genetic Pokemon gently puts him down close to the slope side of the room using Psychic.

"You...you saved me," Giovanni says, dumbfounded. "Why? You had the chance to be rid of me just like all the scientists you killed when you were awoken."

Mewtwo shakes its head and says, "_Yes, I killed the people who created me in my anger, and if we were in the same scenario back then, I wouldn't have hesitated to let you fall. But now I know how valuable life is and how important it is to preserve it, and none of that would be possible if it wasn't for Ash and his friends._"

Ash, Serena, and Pikachu smile at Mewtwo, who smiles back warmly at them. Giovanni turns his head back and forth to look between Mewtwo and its friends before his look of surprise melts away into a grin and he reaches into his pants pockets.

"Oh, Mewtwo. Even you believe in their pathetic dogma," he bellows.

Ash looks at Giovanni, confused until he sees him takes out a Pokeball with a black top and a red "R."

"Mewtwo, look out!" He shouts.

But by the time Mewtwo hears Ash, Giovanni has already pressed the button on the ball, enlarging it before he throws it at Mewtwo. The ball hits the Pokemon, and Mewtwo gasps in alarm before the ball opens and sucks it inside. Ash, Serena, and Pikachu's eyes widen as the ball falls to the ground and it starts to move back and forth until it finally stops and sparks come out of the center with a "Ding!"

"Mewtwo!" Ash and Serena shout.

"Pika!" Pikachu cries out.

Giovanni lets out a cruel cackle as he walks over to the Pokeball and picks it up. He turns to the two trainers and Pikachu and holds the Pokeball up in the air like a trophy.

"I may not have my army or Arceus, but I still have the most powerful Pokemon of all in my hand!" he roars "Mewtwo was created to serve me years ago, and now it is forever mine! With its incredible power, I will smite everything and everyone that dares to oppose me, and the world will still be mine once and for all!"

But as he is saying that, the floor beneath him begins to crack, and Giovanni panics as he drops the Pokeball, loses his balance, and falls onto the steep floor again, causing the Pokeball to roll down the slope and fall off the edge.

"Mewtwo!" Ash cries out again.

Giovanni looks at the edge in horror as he slowly but surely slides down again. He whimpers fearfully as he moves his arms and legs in a desperate attempt to climb back to safety.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Giovanni cries out hysterically as he slides towards the edge. "Save me! Save me, please!"

Serena looks at the cruel man with a look of compassion and asks, "Isn't there anything we can do to save him?"

Ash shakes his head and says, "Mew is still frozen, we have no other Pokemon available apart from Pikachu, and he just captured the one Pokemon willing to save him. With Mewtwo trapped in that Pokeball that just fell off, there's nothing we can do. He doomed himself just to capture the Pokemon he wanted for himself."

Giovanni's eyes widen in horror as he realizes what Ash just said. The fact that he's about to die in roughly the same manner as Lysander scares him more than death himself. Eager to save himself from the humiliation, he moves his hands and legs more rapidly in a desperate attempt to climb back up to safety.

"No! No, please, no!" He shrieks. "Not like this! Not like this! NOT LIKE THIS!"

But the more he struggles, the faster he slides down. Serena looks away, unable to watch while Ash and Pikachu watch Giovanni whine hysterically as he slips. Finally, his feet touch nothing but air and the leader of Team Rocket screams at the top of his lungs as gravity pulls him down.

"NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The two trainers and Pikachu stay silent for several seconds with Serena still disturbed by what just happened. She turns around to look at the steep slope and turns to Ash worriedly.

"Now, how are we going to get out of here?" She asks.

Ash frowns and says, "I don't know. If we can't go down to the bottom of the building, then we probably have to wait until someone rescues us with a big flying type Pokemon or something."

Serena frowns, uneasy with the situation. But then she glances at Mew, who is still lying on the ground, unconscious and smiles widely.

"I know. What if we free Mew and it can use its psychic powers to fly us down here?" she says. "I'm sure Team Rocket has some kind of medical equipment somewhere on the lower floors from here. So let's grab Mew and find some."

Without giving Ash a moment to reply, she runs over to the Mew to pick it up. But as she's running, Ash's eyes widen, realizing that Mew is close to where half of the floor collapsed.

"Serena, wait!" He shouts.

But by the time he calls out to her, she kneels down to Mew's side before the floor beneath her breaks. Serena's eyes widen in fear as she falls down on her stomach and screams as she slides down the slope.

"Serena!" Ash yells.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu yells.

Serena stretches out her hands, hoping in vain that someone will save her from falling. But no matter what she does, she inevitably reaches the edge and falls off. Without even thinking about it, Ash runs over to the slope, slides down with his feet, and jumps off the edge with Pikachu crying out to him. He dives face first with his eyes fixed on Serena, who is still screaming in terror.

"Serena!" He calls out again.

Serena stops screaming and sees Ash falling towards her. Her pupils shrink, and she gasps loudly, horrified with what Ash has done.

"ASH, NO!" She shrieks.

Ash catches up to Serena and wraps his arms around her before he does a flip so that his back is facing the ground below.

"Don't worry, Serena!" Ash shouts. "It's going to be okay! You're going to be okay!"

Serena is shocked by what Ash is trying to accomplish, but deep down she knows that neither of them will make it. With tears coming out her eyes, she wraps her arms around the boy she adores, squeezes him with all of her might, and buries her face with Ash's shoulder with her eyes shut.

"Oh Ash," she sobs with her voice muffled by Ash's shoulder.

The two teenagers hold each other tightly as they fall toward the ground. Not a word needs to be said, for they both know what fate lies in store at the bottom. The next thing they know, however, they abruptly stop falling and feel they are lying on top of something. Ash and Serna open their eyes at the sound of large wings flapping to realize they are lying on something with pale silver-white skin, and they lift up their heads to see a familiar face.

"Lugia!" Ash shouts with a bright smile.

The diving Pokemon flies in the air while carrying the two teenagers and turns its head to Ash with a warm smile.

"_Hello, Ash,_" it greets telepathically. "_It is good to see you again._"

"It's good to see you too. Thanks for saving us," Ash says as he and Serena sit up.

"Yes, thank you so much," Serena says, smiling before she realizes something. "But what about Pikachu and Mew? They're still on top of the tower."

"_Do not fear. Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno are on their way to retrieve them,_" Lugia replies.

Ash and Serena stare at Lugia for a moment before they look up to see the legendary birds flying up towards the top of the building. The two of them smile, relieved that their Pokemon will be brought back safely. They then get in a sitting position with Ash holding on to Lugia and Serena, wrapping her arms around him from behind and then look down below to see that the battle has ended. All the members of Team Rocket who aren't unconscious are returning their Pokemon, lifting their hands up and getting down on their knees in surrender. Ash and Serena smile brightly as they watch dozens of Officer Jennys and other policemen start cuffing them and taking them away while everyone else down below cheers victoriously. From behind, they can see the terrible storm out in the ocean has disappeared. Serena closes her eyes and rests her head on Ash's shoulder from behind, feeling a sense of bliss flowing all over her body.

"We did it," she sighs. "We won."

Ash turns his head to see Serena so happy while resting on his shoulder. He smiles, happy to see the honey blonde girl smiling again.

"Yes, Serena," he says. "It's over."


	81. Chapter 81

Lugia lands on the ground near the bridge, and Ash and Serena get off. The two of them only have a moment before they suddenly feel arms wrapping around them and pulling them toward something. They are taken aback until Ash realizes that it's Misty and Max who are hugging him, and Dawn and May are hugging Serena.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're safe," Misty says in relief.

"Me too," Dawn says with a huge sigh. "I don't know what I would have done if my two besties were harmed."

"Me neither," May says.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps behind Dawn.

"Oh, you guys," Serena chortles as she hugs May and Dawn with both arms.

"We're okay, guys," Ash says with a warm smile.

"I'm glad to hear that, Ash," Max says.

"Me too."

The five teenagers turn around to see Timothy, Coovers, Gary, Koga, Agatha, Gary, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Looker, and the rest of the International Police walking towards them with Dr. Zager, Butch, Cassidy, and the other Team Rocket scientists and grunts cuffed. While some of the police drag the members of Team Rocket away with two of them carrying an unconscious Agent Basker, Timothy, and Coovers smile as Ash and Serena run over to hug both of them.

"I take it this means the stone is gone?" Timothy asks.

"That's right," Ash says, breaking the hug. "Serena destroyed it."

Serena breaks her hug with Coovers and gives Timothy a nod.

"And I assume you also freed Arceus?" She asks.

Timothy smirks and takes out the Master Ball in his pocket. Gary looks at the man in the "H.A.K." shirt in shock.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that Arceus is in your Pokeball?!" He exclaims.

"That's right," Timothy answers.

"Wow, so you captured Arceus! That's awesome!" Ash says.

"You got that right," Coovers says excitedly. "And I can't wait to see how Timothy uses it in battle. Not to mention all the ladies we'll attract together."

Everyone chuckles at Coovers until Timothy lifts the hand, holding the ball to look at it.

"Actually, Coovers, I already have something in mind that you're not going to like," he says.

Everyone looks at him curiously as he presses the button, making it expand. He then holds it up, and the ball opens with a light blue energy coming out to reveal Arceus. The alpha Pokemon has its eyes closed until it slowly opens them and looks down at Timothy.

"_You have released me,_" it states in a curious tone.

"WHAT?!" Everyone but Timothy screams while Timothy's Pokemon all let out their own calls of shock.

"Timothy, how can you do that?!" Coovers shouts.

"Raichu!" Electchu shouts in agreement.

"Yeah, think about all the Pokemon leagues you can win easily with Arceus," Gary says.

Timothy turns to all of his friends with a smirk and says, "I know, but I don't want to accomplish my dream with a Pokemon as powerful as Arceus. It just wouldn't feel like I've earned my dream that way. I may find another powerful Pokemon worthy of using the Master Ball on someday, but as long as I still have a dream to accomplish with my other Pokemon, it's not going to be someone like Arceus."

Everyone else is still flabbergasted with what Timothy has done until Agatha speaks.

"He's right," she says. "If his dream is to win every league and beat every champion in the world, it should be done with the hard work between him and his Pokemon and nothing else."

"Agreed," Koga says plainly.

Coovers turns to the gym leader and the member of the Elite Four as if they said something ridiculous before turning to his best friend.

"But...but...but...but what about attracting the ladies?!" He shrieks. "Think of all the gorgeous women that could be fawning over both of us because you have captured the Original One, and I'm your best friend!"

Timothy chuckles and says, "Well, that's your dream and not mine, Coovers. And even then, I think the ladies would be focusing more on me than you just because I caught it and I don't think you'd like that. And I'm sure you would prefer that you find someone who likes you for you and not just because I'm your friend."

Coovers thinks for a moment before he reluctantly admits that Timothy is right.

"Plus, for once I agree with Brandon on something," Timothy begins, turning to Arceus. "It would be cruel for you to have to serve a new master just to be free from another one.

All eyes turn to Arceus, wanting to hear a response from it. The alpha Pokemon looks upon all of them before it closes its eyes and nods.

"_You are right,_" Arceus answers. "_I do not wish to be any person's Pokemon. Besides, I am needed in my dimension and I've been away for much too long."_

Ash smiles and says, "Okay. Take care, Arceus."

"_You as well, Ash,_" Arceus says with a friendly nod. "_I wish all of you well._"

Everyone smiles and waves at Arceus as it flies off and disappears inside a portal in the sky. At the same time, Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno are flying towards the group and land right beside Lugia. Pikachu is on Zapdos' back before it hops off and runs over to Ash. The raven-haired boy holds his partner tight while Pikachu snuggles its head against his chest, thrilled that Ash is alive. Articuno lowers its head to reveal Persian and Mew lying on its back. Looker and Coovers walk over to Articuno and take the two Pokemon off its back.

"We'll be sure to heal both of them," Looker says to Articuno. "We might imprison Persian because it is Giovanni's Pokémon, but we'll make sure it gets back in good health first."

Articuno nods in approval before Serena steps in.

"Actually, it _was_ his Pokemon," she corrects.

Everyone but Ash looks at her, confused until they realize that Giovanni is not around.

"Where is he?" Timothy asks.

Serena and Ash look at each other before Ash turns to Timothy.

"He fell," he says. "He caught Mewtwo with a Pokeball before he fell off the edge with none of us able to do anything to save him. And we have no idea where Mewtwo is because its Pokeball fell off the edge too."

Everyone else's faces turn grim at news of Giovanni falling to his doom. But at the mention of Mewtwo, Moltres lets out a brief caw and raises its right talent to reveal it holding something. Everyone looks at a curiously until it opens its talent, dropping a Team Rocket Pokeball.

"You found Mewtwo," Ash says with a bright smile. "Way to go, Moltres."

Moltres nods and caws a few times, making Lugia frown.

"_Moltres found the Pokeball lying on the ground next to where the machine for Arceus was,_" it says before it hesitates and says, "_And there was a body lying next to it._"

Everyone looks away from each other, uncomfortable with this news. Everyone stays silent until Ash clears his throat and picks up the Pokeball.

"Well then, I guess we better go ahead and free Mewtwo," he suggests.

Everyone nods in agreement, and the raven-haired boy tosses the Pokeball high into the air. The ball opens to reveal Mewtwo floating in the air and shaking its head with its eyes closed. Ash smirks at the sight of seeing his friend free before he catches the Pokeball and turns to Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" He shouts, tossing the ball into the air again.

Pikachu grins as it climbs on top of Ash, jumps high in the air, and uses Iron Tail to chop the Team Rocket Pokeball into pieces. Mewtwo turns to everyone just in time to see the remains of its former container and turns to Ash with a small smile.

"_Thank you, Ash,"_ it says. "_This makes it twice now that you've saved me from Team Rocket._"

Ash gives Mewtwo a toothy grin and scratches his nose.

"No problem. I'm happy to help," he says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

"It's good to see you, Mewtwo," Misty says, stepping in.

Mewtwo turns to Misty and nods before saying, "_And you as well._"

May and Dawn look at each other, confused before the former asks, "You know this Pokemon that Team Rocket used to kidnap you, Ash?"

Ash turns to the two girls and chuckles nervously.

"It's kind of a secret," he says.

"Yeah, but it looks like the secret is out," Misty says, turning to Mewtwo with a concerned look.

"_So it would seem,_" Mewtwo says, frowning. "_And given that I appeared publicly, I doubt I can erase the memories of everyone who has seen me ever since I was brainwashed._"

"Yeah, that sadly happens when you appear on TV at the end of a Pokemon league for a lot of people to see," Coovers says, giving the genetic Pokemon a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, but not many people know much about you apart from what you look like or that you are a psychic-type," Ash points out. "There are Pokemon in the world who have only been seen at most, and that's all people have to go on. Right now, only everyone here along with Brock are the only ones who know who you are."

"Indeed," Looker agrees. "As long as we keep your identity a secret and make sure everyone in Team Rocket can't say anything while they are being locked up, your identity will be safe."

"That's right," Serena says with a smile. "Though if it's not too much trouble, Mewtwo, would it be okay if Ash tells me how he knows about you? I promise from the bottom of my heart, I won't say a word about it."

"Yeah, me too," Dawn says.

"Me three," May says.

"Same here," Max says.

Mewtwo looks at the teenagers and thinks for a moment before he gives them a brief nod.

"_Very well,_" it says. "_I know that you are all honest trainers who will do what you say for me as long as you only speak to people you can trust._"

Serena, Dawn, Max, and May smile, and the honey blonde girl says, "Thank you, Mewtwo."

Mewtwo gives Serena another brief nod and turns to Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers. The three of them smile and nod at the rare Pokemon, and Mewtwo gives them a small smile.

"So have you found peace with Team Rocket gone?" Timothy asks.

Mewtwo nods and says, "_I confess I would rather see their leader be taken alive, but I suppose he was bound to doom himself in his grasp for control. All things considered, though, I am content. But what about you? I heard about your own past with Team Rocket when I was spying on you. Does their defeat bring you peace?_"

Timothy thinks for a moment and turns to Electchu and Poliwrath and smiles.

"Yes, I think it did," He says. "There are still plenty of bad people in the world, but I think I can continue pursuing my dream better knowing that Team Rocket is gone for good and that Trent Lane will truly never enter my life again."

Mewtwo nods again, content with Timothy's answer.

"_I'm glad to hear it,_" it says."_In the meantime, however, we must look into how we should return all of these Pokemon back from where they came._"

"Hmmm. That's a good idea," Looker says. "Though how are we going to do that?"

Everyone hums in thought, unsure of how to answer Looker's question. But as they are thinking, something pops up behind Ash and Serena with a childish grin.

"_Ash! Serena!_"

The two of them, along with Pikachu and Absol, jump in alarm and turn around to see Hoppa floating behind them.

"Oh, hey, Hoopa," Ash says with a smile. "How are you?"

"_Better now that I'm not controlled by another powerful force,_" Hoopa replies with a smile. "_But enough about me. I couldn't help but overhear that you need all of these Pokemon brought back to where they were._"

Serena smiles with her mouth open and says, "That's right. Can you help us?"

Hoppa giggles like a little child and says, "_Just watch me!_"

With that, the golden rings hanging on its horns fly up in the air and begin to expand into two giant portals. Everyone but Ash, Pikachu, and Serena look in awe, making Hoopa giggle again.

"_Where you sup -_" Hoppa begins boastfully before Looker steps in.

"Wait a minute, we can't bring those Pokemon back yet," he says. "Many of them likely need medical attention."

Lugia nods and says, "_You're right. Many need healing before they can be brought back to their trainers or their homes in the wild._"

Everyone mutters words of agreement while Hoppa grumbles silently, bitter that Looker and Lugia stepped on its moment.

"Well, if that's the case, then why don't we use these portals to bring some Nurse Joys and doctors from other regions here?" Coovers suggests.

"That's a good idea," Max says. "With so many medical equipment and supplies destroyed, we can hardly heal any Pokemon who were fighting Team Rocket much less any Pokemon that were forced to fight for them."

Looker scratches his chin and says, "That could work. Now that Mewtwo's storm is gone, we can contact Pokemon Centers and hospitals in other regions first so that they can gather what equipment and supplies they have before they are transported through Hoopa's rings."

"Great," Misty says with a smile. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's gather every fainted Pokemon we have out there so that they can be helped."

"Right," Ash, Serena, May, and Dawn say simultaneously.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheers.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

Lugia nods and says, "_Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno, and I can help_."

The three legendary birds nod, and together with Lugia, they fly up and start picking up unconscious Pokemon with their talents. Ash, Serena, Misty, May, and Dawn follow suit with their Pokemon and Hoopa, leaving Timothy, Coovers, Mewtwo, Looker, Gary, Koga Agatha, and Timothy's Pokemon alone.

"_I shall remove Team Rocket's building and bring back New Island in its rightful place,_" Mewtwo. "_I will return to assist bringing all of the Pokemon back._"

Everyone else nods in approval while Mewtwo flies toward the Team Rocket tower.

"Well, it looks like we know what to do next," Timothy says.

"Indeed," Koga says.

Everyone else nods in agreement until Gary frowns.

"Wait a minute," he says. "Where are those two Team Rocket guys with the Meowth?"

Looker, Agatha, Koga, and Coovers frown and look around in confusion.

"Come to think about it, I don't think I've seen them since we crossed the bridge," Koga says.

Looker frowns and turns to Coovers.

"Do you still have their Pokeballs with you?" He asks suspiciously.

"Yes, I do," Coovers says, reaching into his coat pocket. "They're right -"

But as he's reaching into his pocket, Coovers' eyes widen. Looker looks at Coovers disapprovingly while the man from Unova stutters frantically.

"Well?" Looker asks in a low growl.

"I-I-I-I swear I left them in here," Coovers pleads. "There's no way they could have taken them without me noticing."

"And yet here we are with both them and their Pokeballs gone," Gary says, crossing his arms.

Koga and Agatha look at the leader of their former squad disapprovingly with Looker while Timothy frowns and turns to Electchu.

"Guess they're not quite as reformed as they led us to believe," he assumes.

"Raichu," Electchu says with a nod.

Timothy nods back and looks out at the field where everyone else are gathering fainted or injured Pokemon and says, "Still, I wonder what they're going to do now with Team Rocket gone."

Over on the other side of the large grassy field, many members of Team Rocket are put inside police cars and trucks. Two Officer Jennys are forcing Dr. Zager, Butch, Cassidy, Matori, and Agent Basker, who is now conscious and has an eye patch covering his broken robotic eye into a truck. The former cyborg whimpers quietly like a child, devastated that he will never get another chance for revenge for the rest of his life. One of the Officer Jennys looks at the former Team Rocket members inside her truck and smirks before turning to the other one.

"I don't know about you, cousin, but I've been waiting to see all of Team Rocket behind bars for the longest time," she says

"You and me both, cuz," the other Officer Jenny says as the two of them close both doors to the back of the truck.

The two officers get inside the front of the truck, with one of them turning it on. As they start to dive away, Butch and Cassidy look out the door windows and hold on to the bars with comically sad faces.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off one last time!" They wail.

"Oh, shut up!" Matori shouts.

Unknown to the officers sending the rest of Team Rocket to jail, Jessie, James, Meowth, and Wobbufet are watching from a distance, wearing coats and hats to disguise themselves. The three of them resist the urge to laugh out loud at the sight of their former rivals being taken away.

"It always is a pleasure to see Butch and Cassidy sent to prison," James says.

"Not to mention how seeing that Matori behind a police truck just soothes my soul," Jessie says blissfully.

"And I have no idea where that good-for-nuthun Persian is, but I betcha it won't be in a place as comfortable as being beside da boss," Meowth adds.

"Yes, and while the police didn't see us, we snatched Goirgeist, and Inkay's Pokeballs," James says. "And while we were heading downstairs after helping them, we were able to snag our Pokeballs for Seviper, Yanmega, Mime. Jr, and Carnivine while they were so focused on destroying the Gieldenstone."

"Exactly!" Jessie exclaims cheerfully. "And after finding you safe and back to normal, dear Wobbufet, we are all together again!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbufet says, cheerfully.

All four of them sigh in content before Jessie frowns.

"Still, with Team Rocket gone, we're out of a job with no boss to try to please by stealing Pokemon," she says.

James and Meowth both frowns as the former says, "You're right. Even though we defected from Team Rocket, I doubt the authorities will let us off without a hitch."

The three of them slump down sadly until Meowth's eyes light up.

"Hey, didn't da boss give us a really fat check before we moved out of our headquarters?" Meowth asks.

Jessie and James' eyes light up, and they start giggling like children.

"That's right. He did," James squeals.

"Oh, there's so many things we can do with all of that dough!" Jessie shouts in a high-pitched voice. "I can open my own fashion salon, where everything revolves around me and my beauty."

James and Meowth look at each other, worried that Jesse will waste all of their money on her idea. Luckily, James snaps his fingers and steps in.

"Tell you what, I hear that there is a tropical region full of clear skies, nice beaches, and cool water," he says. "Why don't we take a nice vacation there, and then we can figure out how else we can spend our cash."

Jessie's eyes light up, and she squeals, "Oh, that's a wonderful idea! Let's all go right now!"

"Wobbuffet!" Wobbufet agreed.

James and Meowth secretly sigh in relief before Jesse grabs their hands and start dragging them away toward the nearest airport with Wobbuffet following them, skipping with glee. As James and Meowth are forcefully dragged away, the two of them can't help but share Jessie's joy as the three of them and Wobbuffet all believe that nothing but bliss awaits them.

For the next several days, everyone has been working together to bring things back to normal. Looker was able to contact the other regions who have nurses and doctors get what they needed before they were transported to the remains of the battlefield through Hoopa's rings. Mewtwo used its powers to wipe Team Rocket's tower and machine from existence before sending New Island back in its place. Later it brought Giovanni's body to Looker, who had it taken away to be cremated. Afterward, Mewtwo flew away to seek a new purpose while Lugia, Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune go back to their respective domains.

Day by day, more Pokemon who were brainwashed are healed and sent back to their homes or their trainers through Hoppa's rings. Sabrina and Anabel were thrilled to be reunited with their psychic Pokemon. Max and the other trainers who were part of Timothy's cavalry were relieved to see their Pokemon healed after everything that happened. Clemont was shocked while Alain was livid when they found out that Bonnie and Mairin could have been hurt when Spenser's Claydol attacked the medical camp. Alain, in particular, was so mad that Marian had to hold him tight while she and Professor Sycamore slowly helped him calm down. The rest of Ash's Pokemon ran towards him and practically ran him over, they were so happy to see that he is safe. Serena was happy to see the boy she admires reunited with his Pokemon even though she still disapproves of the way Charizard and Garchomp display their affection.

As for Brock, he has been working nearly non-stop at the medical camp, healing every injured or unconscious Pokemon he catches his eye on. Holly, Iris, Cilan, Dawn, Misty, May, Mairin, Professor Sycamore, Erika, Bonnie, Clemont, and Serena have been working hard to help him throughout the week. While Brock works, however, he glances at Holly every chance he gets. Neither of them have had a chance to talk the entire time they've been working. Whenever Holly has a chance to take a break or eat or sleep, Brock tries to take a break or sleep at the same time as her so that he can talk to her. But whenever he tries, it's always during a medical procedure or helping a Pokemon that needs a treatment that takes a while to finish. The more it happens, the more the tan-skinned man grows afraid that he will never have a chance to talk to her.

Finally, late afternoon on the ninth day, the camp comes closer to finish healing all the Pokemon. The area is less crowded with injured Pokemon and trainers. Brock tries to stay focused on what he's working on, but his hands start to shake, eager to finish so that he can talk to Holly. Eventually, everyone is done except for Brock, who is tending to an Unown. He sprays a Super Potion on the poor Pokemon, and it slowly opens its eye before floating in the air. Brock and all the doctors and nurses around him smile warmly at the wild Pokemon.

"Okay, now, Hoopa is going to take you home now, okay?" Brock says.

The Unown nods while Hoopa uses one of its rings to create a portal to its home. Unown happily goes through the portal, and the ring shrinks before returning to Hoopa's horn.

"Nice job, Hoopa!" Bonnie praises.

"Yes, thanks so much," Clemont says.

Hoopa giggles like a child and says, "_My pleasure. I guess I better get back to my home too. Baraz and Meray are probably worried about me_."

Serena nods and says, "That's a good idea. You should say goodbye to Ash before you go. He's with his Pokemon right now."

"_I sure will,_" Hoopa says with a grin. "_Goodbye, everyone!_"

"Bye, Bye!" Bonnie shouts.

"Tell Baraz and Meray we said hi!" Clemont calls.

Everyone else among the camp, including Brock, Mairin, Professor Sycamore, Iris, Cilan, May, Dawn, and Erika, wave and call out 'goodbye' to Hoopa. Once the Pokemon is out of sight, Brock turns around to find Holly, but his face falls to see that the auburn-haired woman is nowhere in sight. He starts looking around frantically only to ultimately find her walking away already half a mile away from the camp. Brock starts to run to her when suddenly a Nurse Joy steps in front of him with her hands behind her back and a soft smile.

"Hey, Brock," she says shyly.

"Uh, hey," Brock says awkwardly. "Can I help you?"

Nurse Joy frowns slightly and says, "Don't you recognize me, Brock? I'm the Nurse Joy from Celadon City. You said none of the Nurse Joys are as beautiful as me."

"Yeah, of course, I recognize you," Brock says honesty, unsure of what she's getting at.

Nurse Joy looks away bashfully and says, "I wanted to say that I really appreciate all the hard work you've done to take care of the injured Pokemon."

Brock smiles and says, "Oh, don't worry about it. I was just doing what needed to be done."

He takes a step to move past Nurse Joy, but she steps in front of him.

"Yes, but I really admire how you kept your cool and stayed focused the entire time," she says. "Not many doctors can do that - leastways not when they constantly have as many patients as we had over the last several days."

Brock nods smiles again politely before taking another step to go past Nurse Joy only for her to step in front of him again.

"In fact, I was wondering what you're doing later tonight," she says. "Because I was thinking maybe I could take you up on your offer a while back about assisting me at my Pokemon Center and getting some dinner."

Brock loses his focus and turns to the nurse, finally understanding what she's doing. Before he can make a reply, however, he feels someone grab his left arm. He turns around to see another Nurse Joy looking at him with her cheeks heating up.

"Hey, Brock, I was wondering if you're free the rest of the day," she says.

The first Nurse Joy frowns and says, "Hey, back off, cousin. I'm already asking him out."

The second one pouts and says, "So? That doesn't mean he said yes."

"But he didn't say no either," the first one counters.

Then a third one comes up from behind and says, "Hey, hold off, you two. He was working with me the most, so he should be going on a date with me."

"Working with you the most?" A fourth Nurse, Joy rebukes. "I was in the same spot as him for days healing a lot of Pokemon."

"Oh please," says a fifth Nurse Joy. "I'm from the Pokemon Center in Pewter City, so I've known him the longest. If anyone has a claim to court him, it's me."

The next thing Brock knows, he is surrounded by a couple dozen Nurse Joys. All of them are arguing over who should be going out with him. Brock doesn't know what to do with so many of them crowding around him. Then suddenly, a loud whistle is heard, and the nurses and Brock turn around to see an Officer Jenny looking at them seriously.

"Step away from Brock," she orders.

"Why?" The Nurse Joys ask at the same time.

"You're crowding around him and making him uncomfortable," Officer Jenny says, walking towards Brock as the nurses back away. "I will not have you harass this poor man by fighting over who should go out with him."

Brock sigh in relief, glad to have a moment to breathe. His moment is short-lived, however, when the Officer Jenny steps in front of him and give him a flirtatious smile.

"Besides, I would like to hear him tell me how he took down that powerful Claydol over dinner," she says in a soothing voice.

Brock's mouth drops, and the Nurse Joys look at Officer Jenny looking both flabbergasted and angry with what she just said. Before either of them know it, another Officer Jenny puts her hand on Brock's shoulder from behind.

"Now hold on, cousin," she says. "Who says you can just ask him out like that?"

Another Officer Jenny steps in and says, "Yeah, you probably don't know a good place to have a proper dinner with someone as brave as Brock."

A fourth Officer Jenny comes in and frowns disapprovingly at the other officers with her hands on her hips.

"Now, why would he care about where to go for dinner when there's a woman like me who can make him a meal he will never forget?" She boasts.

Several more Officer Jennys step in making similar claims. Brock becomes uneasy again while the Nurse Joys start to argue with the Officer Jennys.

"Back off! We were here first!" A Nurse Joy barks.

"No, you back off in the name of the law!" An Officer Jenny shouts.

"The law doesn't say you can claim who you can date!" A Nurse Joy yells.

"Will everyone just back off already!" The Nurse Joy from Celadon City shouts. "I made a move on him before any of you!"

"I still know him longer than any of you because I'm from Pewter City, where he lives!" The Nurse Joy from Pewter City yells.

"I'm from Pewter City too!" One Officer Jenny barks.

"So what?" The Nurse Joy from Pewter City. "He visits me more often so that he can heal his Pokemon!"

"Will you all just get out of my way?!" A Nurse Joy shouts from behind the crowd of nurses. "I want a chance to talk to him."

"And you're never going to get a chance once I get my date with him!" An Officer Jenny shouts.

"I STILL ASKED HIM BEFORE ANY OF YOU!" The Nurse Joy from Celadon City screams.

Before Brock knows it, all of the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys are crowding him so much that he has no space to move. All of them are angrily yelling and screaming their heads off at each other like children. Some of them grab hold of Brock with one Nurse Joy wrapping her arms around him and snuggling her head against his right shoulder while an Officer Jenny also wraps her arms around him and rests her head on his left shoulder. The women create such a commotion that everyone else in the medical camp turns to see what is going on. Brock stands in place completely shocked to see so many beautiful women - many of which he has attempted to pursue in the past, fighting over him as if he's a rare, valuable item that they would do anything to possess. He blushes furiously the more the women closest to him begin to tug him back and forth or hug him tightly, and for the briefest moment, he begins to smile brightly, realizing his biggest fantasy has turned into reality.

But the moment his eyes turn back to Holly with her figure growing ever smaller in the distance, his childish joy disappears as quickly as it came. In his mind, the countless women bickering all around him are not there, and only Holly remains. His heart is aching to see her leaving him without a word for the third time, and he takes a large breath before he screams at the top of his lungs.

"STOP!"

Immediately, all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys stop fighting and turn to Brock. The women grabbing hold of Brock let go and step away while they all look at him. Brock stays silent for a moment before he speaks calmly.

"Listen, ladies, I'm flattered by your interest in me," he begins. "But, I already have someone."

All the women look at him, shocked and disappointed by this news. Brock sees this moment as a chance to make his way through the crowd and start running toward Holly as fast as his legs can carry him, desperate to reach her. When he gets close enough, Holly stops walking - hearing the sound of footsteps, and turns around to see the tan-skinned man running over to her. Brock's heart skips a beat at the sight of her looking at him again as he finally catches up with her.

"Brock, what are you doing here?" She asks.

Brock puts his hands on his knees and pants heavily for a few seconds before he looks up to Holly with a desperate look.

"Holly, please don't go," he says.

Holly frowns and says, "Why? You're with Lucy now and -"

"No, I'm not," Brock interrupts.

Holly looks at him, confused.

"You're not?" She asks.

"Of course not," Brock says. "I don't care about that bet the two of you made. It won't change the way I feel about you."

Holly frowns sadly and looks away.

"Maybe it should," she says. "I barely defeated one of Timothy's Pokemon, unlike someone like Lucy. She's clearly a better battle partner for you."

"Then why did you come back?" Brock counters.

Holly is silent for a moment before she answers, "I didn't learn about everyone coming to fight Team Rocket until you were already close to their base. Even though I didn't think I would be of much use, I wanted to fight for the sake of the world. But when I saw that Claydol destroying the medical camp and you were in trouble, I couldn't stop myself. I was so worried about you that I had to do something to help. I'm ashamed that I didn't get there sooner."

"Holly, that's not your fault," Brock says with a small smile. "I don't blame you for what happened. No one does. There are Pokemon we were still able to help because of you. If we didn't take down Spenser's Claydol, then we wouldn't be able to give Timothy what he needed to get to Arceus. For that matter, it was you and me working together to stop Claydol to save the camp. Don't you see? You are the right partner for me. You always have been."

Holly is surprised by Brock's words before she looks away ashamedly again.

"I'm sorry, but I don't see it that way," she says. "Why would you think so highly of someone like me when there are women like Lucy, who would be better suited for a wonderful man like you?"

Tears begin to form in Holly's eyes, unable to say anything else. But then she feels Brock grab her by both shoulders, and she looks up just in time to feel him press his lips against hers. Her eyes widen, and she lets out a sharp gasp that's muffled by Brock's mouth. She doesn't understand why he's kissing her, but eventually, she closes her eyes and embraces the moment. After several seconds, Brock slowly moves his head back and stares at Holly for a couple of seconds before he breaks down, gets on his knees and rests his head on Holly's stomach while wrapping his arms around her waist. Holly looks at him in disbelief as he cries softly.

"Holly, I don't care about Lucy or any other woman," Brock says. "I don't care if you're the strongest or weakest trainer on the planet, I don't care that you lost, I don't even care that you competed at all. All I care about is you. If you had let me speak to you before your match against Timothy, then you would have learned that I choose you over Lucy."

Holly looks at Brock, shocked by his declaration. The tan-skinned man tightens his hug around her waist as he continues.

"Holly, my heart belongs to you," he says. "Everything that I am is yours. I'll do anything for you. Just say the word, and whatever you want is all yours. I swear I will never pursue another woman for as long as I live."

Hot tears begin to run down Brock's face as he finishes, whimpering, "But please...I beg you...never leave me again. I...I can't bear having to not having you in my life. Please, just stay with me forever."

Holly keeps looking at Brock flabbergasted as he cries quietly. To hear him say all of those things and see him in such a desperate and broken state shakes her to the core. Finally, tears begin to emerge, and her mouth quivers as she gets down on her knees. Brock lets go of her and lifts his head up just in time for Holly to put her hands on his cheeks and look at him as tears run down her face.

"Forever and ever?" She asks.

Brock smiles while still crying and says, "Please."

A small, sweet smile emerges from Holly's face, happy with his answer. She wraps her arms around Brock's head and pulls it toward her right shoulder. She rests her head against Brock's while petting his head with her left hand.

"I promise," she says. "I will stay with you until the very end."

Filled with indescribable joy, Brock doesn't hesitate to wrap his arms around Holly and squeeze her. The two adults stay like this until Brock breaks the hug, lifts his head, and reaches into his pocket.

"If I may make on more request, I also ask that you don't take this off again," he says.

He takes out the pearl and rock necklace from his pocket, and Holly gasps again, covering her mouth with her hands. She snatches the necklace from Brock and kisses it before she puts it around her neck and looks at Brock happily.

"It'll never leave my side," she vows.

Brock smiles with his mouth open, and the two of them embrace again, still on their knees. Unknown to them, Serena, Bonnie, Dedenne, Clemont, Mairin, Chespie, Alain, Professor Sycamore, May, Dawn, Piplup, Iris, Cilan, and Misty are watching the two of them from a distance. Everyone smiles at what is happening with Misty giving Brock a tearful look.

"After everything that happened, they've managed to reconcile," she says, wiping a tear from her eye. "I can't believe it."

Serena, on the other hand, puts her hand on her heart with small tears of joy in her eyes and quietly says, "I can."


	82. Chapter 82

After everything is finished, everyone who is still near what remains of the battlefield began making their way to Viridian City. Ash says goodbye to Butterfree again before it leaves to return to its home with its mate. Pidgeot and Fearow fly ahead to guide their flocks back to Viridian Forest before going back to Professor Oak's laboratory with the rest of Ash's flying Pokemon. Brock and Holly happily hold hands while the group travels, but every now and then, Holly would hug Brock's arm possessively whenever a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny that is walking with the group glance at them with a sad look. Serena always walks beside Ash and Pikachu, which pleases Ash because he's glad to see her happy again. Misty walks behind them with a sad look, still worried about the honey blonde girl's hopes to stay with Ash.

Finally, Ash, Serena, Brock, Holly, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Clemont, Bonnie, Dedenne, Professor Sycamore, Professor Oak, Tracey, Gary, Agatha, Koga, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu all make it to Viridian City late in the evening. Ash and Timothy say goodbye to their Pokemon except for Pikachu, Electchu, Poliwrath, Odyssey, Shockwave, Blitzwing, and Gengar before Professor Oak returns all of them and sends them back to his laboratory through the transfer machine at the Pokemon Center. Once that is done, everyone comes outside, and Professor Oak, Gary, and Tracey turn to the group.

"Well, we must be heading off," Professor Oak announces. "I'm sure your Pokemon will want to be released and relaxing outside my lab again, Ash and Timothy."

"Yeah, my Pokemon would appreciate that," Timothy says with a smirk.

"Mine too," Ash says.

Gary then steps up to Ash and says, "By the way, Ash, nice job on winning the Indigo League."

"Thanks, Gary," Ash says with a smile.

Gary then gives Ash a competitive look and says, "But don't think that means you're stronger than me. The next time we see each other, I'll want a full-on battle with you, and I'm not planning to lose."

"I don't plan on losing either," Ash chortles as the two of them shake hands.

"Goodbye, everyone," Tracey calls out as he, Professor Oak and Gary leave.

Everyone waves their hands and say their goodbyes as the three of them leave for Pallet Town. But as they are leaving, Tracey looks at Misty and sees her looking sad. He wonders if there is something he can do to make her feel better, but he decides to let it be in hopes that he will get a chance in the future. Once they are gone, Koga and Agatha turn to the group smiling.

"I better go too. With Giovanni gone, I still have this city's gym until I can find a suitable replacement," Agatha says.

"And I should be heading back to my gym so that my sister isn't there battling challengers herself," Koga says.

"That makes sense," Max says. "Guess we'll see you all later."

"Yeah, catch you guys later," Holly says with a smile.

Once again, everyone says their farewells until Agatha and Koga are out of sight. Once they are gone, Professor Sycamore, Alain, Mairin, and Chespie turn to the group.

"We should get going as well," Professor Sycamore says.

"Are you heading back to Kalos?" Clemont asks.

"Nope, we're going to the Johto region," Mairin answers for Professor Sycamore. "While we were healing Pokemon after the fight, we heard that there are more Pokemon that can mega evolve there besides the Pokemon from the Johto Elite Four and Lance."

"Okay, take care of yourself, Mairin," Serena says as she and Bonnie hug Mairin.

Alain walks over to Ash and Timothy and says, "The next time I see either of you, I'll want another battle."

"Sounds good to me," Ash says. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too," Timothy says.

Alain smirks and shakes hands with them before he, Mairin, and Professor Sycamore leave. Once everyone is done seeing them off, Dawn clears her throat.

"So...is that it?" She asks. "No one else is leaving right now?"

Everyone chuckles before May answers her question.

"Well, Max and I are thinking about going to Johto as well for the Grand Festival and the Johto League, but I think we both want to hold that off while we're still all together,"

Dawn smiles and says, "Great. I want to do that too."

"Piplup," Piplup chirps happily.

"Same here," Brock says. "Holly and I have all the time in the world before we need to head back to Pewter City."

"We sure do," Holly says with a blissful sigh as she rests her head on Brock's shoulder and places her hand on her rock and pearl necklace.

"And I'll need to get back to my gym before my sisters do something crazy with it," Misty adds.

"Well, I'll have to fly to the Sinnoh region tomorrow," Coovers says. "Looker wants me back at headquarters while he's still sorting things out here."

"Same with Cilan and me," Iris says. "We've talked about flying back to Unova after all of this."

"Axew, ew," Axew says.

Cilan nods while Clemont says, "We'll have to fly too. Our dad is probably worried about Bonnie and me after what happened."

Bonnie nods but secretly glances at Max, wishing they didn't have to part ways.

Ash turns to Timothy and asks, "What about you, Timothy?"

The man in the "H.A.K." shirt thinks for a moment and says, "You know, I've been thinking about trying my luck at the Sinnoh League again."

"Oh yeah?" Serena asks. "You think you'll win that one next?"

"Hope so," Timothy replies. "What about you two?"

Ash and Serena both frown and look at each other, unsure of how to answer the question. But while they're thinking, a voice screams out the raven-haired boy's name.

"ASH! ASH!"

Everyone turns around to see Delia racing toward Ash. Before Ash can say anything, his mom hugs him so tightly that the air in his lungs are forced out of him in an instant.

"Do you have any idea how worried I've been, young man?!" Delia shouts hysterically. "I watch you win the Indigo League, and then Team Rocket abducts you and Mimey gets brainwashed and goes through a portal that suddenly appears in the middle of the living room?! What did I tell you about saving the world closer to home?!"

Ash eventually pushes himself away from his mom and chuckles while gasping for air.

"Mom, take it easy. I'm okay," he says. "Serena rescued me, Team Rocket is gone, Mimey and all the other psychic-type Pokemon are brought back, and the world is safe."

Delia pouts angrily at him before she sighs and gives Serena an appreciative look.

"That's true. Thank you, Serena," she says. "I don't know what I would do if something terrible happened to my boy."

Serena smiles and nods, saying, "Believe me, Mrs. Ketchum, I don't know what I would do either."

Everyone else gives Serena smug looks from behind except for Misty, who frowns and Ash, who just smiles at his friend. Just then, Ash feels at tap behind his shoulder, and he turns around to see a man holding the Indigo League trophy.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ketchum, but you left this at Indigo Plateau," he says. "Mr. Goodshow wanted it brought back to you once he learned that you were rescued."

Ash smiles and says, "Awesome. Thanks."

The raven-haired boy takes his trophy and looks at it happily with Pikachu until he notices that the man is still there.

"Uh, is there anything else?" He asks.

"There sure is," the man replies with a grin. "You see, I have a cousin of mine who sells raffle tickets for all sorts of big prizes, and he wanted me to give you these."

A man reaches into his pocket and takes out two tickets. He gives the tickets to Ash, who looks at them carefully.

"What is it, Ash?" May asks.

"It's plane tickets to some place called...Alola?" Ash answers, saying the last word in confusion.

"Alola? What's that?" Cilan asks.

"Alola is a region that is a tropical paradise," the man answers enthusiastically. "It's a place full of all sorts of ways to relax while also discovering Pokemon that I'm willing to bet you've never seen before."

Ash's eyes light up, and he exclaims, "Pokemon I've never seen before?!"

"Oh, boy. He's hooked," Dawn whispers to May, making them both giggle.

"That's right," the man replies. "Pokemon like your Pikachu can fly with you for free, so with these tickets, you can come enjoy a nice, relaxing vacation with a friend and meet all sorts of new Pokemon."

"Awesome!" Ash shouts.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeals.

"So, who are you going to take with you, Ash?" Brock asks.

"Oh, that's easy," Ash says, turning to Serena. "What do you say, Serena? Wanna go visit a new region with me?"

Serena's eyes light up, and she opens her mouth to accept Ash's invitation. But then she stops herself and her smile falters. Ash looks at Serena, confused while she turns to the man.

"Sir, do you know if Alola has any Pokemon showcases, or contests or anything like that?" She asks.

The man looks at her, also confused, and hesitates for a moment before he answers, "Well...no. Alola doesn't have any competitions like that. They don't even have a Pokemon league there."

Serena frowns, disappointed to hear that. She turns to Ash and gives him a sad smile.

"Ash," she begins. "I want to keep traveling with you. I really do."

Ash blinks before it hits him, and he smiles softly.

"But you want to keep persuading your dream," he says.

Serena nods and says, "You're going to have a wonderful time going to Alola and befriending all kinds of Pokemon, but you have a dream that you must pursue, and I have mine. I need to keep working hard to make people and Pokemon happy with my performances. So to do that, I need to compete in the Pokemon contests in the Johto region next."

Delia, Holly, Brock, May, Max, Dawn, Piplup, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Clemont, Bonnie, Dedenne, Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu all frown sadly with Serena's decision, knowing that Serena doesn't want to part ways with Ash. Misty gives Serena a look of pity, having witnessed what she knew was going to happen eventually between Serena and the boy they both adore. Ash sighs, disappointed before he quickly hides it with his signature, toothy grin.

"Then you keep on pursuing your dream no matter what," he says cheerfully.

Serena smiles and says, "I will. Promise."

Ash nods and turns to Delia.

"In that case, would you like to go with me to Alola, mom?" He asks.

Delia smiles cheerfully and says, "Of course, sweetie!"

"Great. Then it looks like we have everything planned out," Ash says.

"Yeah, I guess all that's left is me, and everyone else flying to get our tickets and get ready to fly tomorrow," Timothy suggests.

"Alright. Then after that, let's get rooms at the Pokemon Center and spend one last night together as a group," Max says.

"Yeah!" Everyone else exclaims.

For the rest of the night, everyone goes out for dinner as a group before they go to bed at the Pokemon Center except for Delia, who goes back home in Pallet Town with Ash's trophy to pack her things for Alola. The next day, Delia returns to Viridian City with Mimey just in time to join everyone else for breakfast. Along the way to the city, Professor Oak comes to her, having heard that she's going to Alola and asks her to bring a Pokemon egg to the region where his cousin lives.

Everyone shares stories and laugh and tease each other as they eat at the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. When they check out of their rooms, Brock has an awkward time returning the key to the room for him, Ash, Max, Clemont, and Cilan when Nurse Joy is looking sad that he is with someone else. It doesn't help that Holly steps in to hold his arm and stick her tongue out at Nurse Joy like a little child.

Once everyone is done checking out, they all head to the airport for Ash, Pikachu, Delia, Mimey, Bonnie, Clemont, Dedenne, Cilan, Iris, Axew, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers to start heading to their respective flights. The entire group walks together until they are at the escalator leading down to the boarding area, and they start to say their goodbyes.

"Give it everything you've got at the Johto League, Max," Ash says.

"I sure will, Ash," Max says before turning to Timothy. "And I plan to win and face the Elite Four right away."

Timothy chuckles and says, "Well, good luck with that. If you get that chance, though, be sure to contact me for advice. I may have beaten the Elite Four on the first go, but trust me when I say that they are not to be underestimated."

"Got it," Max says with a nod.

Max hears someone clearing their throat, and he turns around to see Bonnie looking down at the floor nervously with her hands behind her back.

"Um...good luck at the Johto League, Max," she says bashfully. "I'll be rooting for you."

Max blinks, surprised by Bonnie's shy demeanor before he smiles.

"Thank you, Bonnie," he says.

Bonnie looks up and smiles until she looks away again. Serena then steps in and gives Bonnie a teasing look that makes the little girl whimper and blush.

"Give it your all with getting contest ribbons for the Johto Grand Festival, Dawn," Ash says.

"You got it," Dawn says as the two of them high-five each other.

Coovers walks over to Brock with tears in his eyes, whining, "Don't let your lady go again, Brock. When I find my lady, I want us to go on double dates."

Brock tears up too, and the two of them hold both hands as the cries, "You got it, buddy!"

Holly snickers at the two men's childish behavior. Timothy rolls his eyes and shakes his head until he sees Serena walking toward him with a smile on her face.

"I just want to say that Grandma Judy would have been very proud of you for what you did to save the world," she says.

"Thank you, Serena," Timothy says appreciatively before he smirks. "Now, don't forget about our deal. Win any of the Grand Festivals, and I'll tell you what 'H.A.K.' stands for."

Serena giggles with her mouth closed and says, "I won't forget. Good luck at the Sinnoh League."

Timothy nods his as a way of thanking her while the two of them shake hands.

"_All passengers to flights for Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola, please proceed to gates A, C, D, and F. All flights will begin boarding in fifteen minutes,_" says a female voice from the speakers.

"That looks like us," Clemont says.

Misty frowns before she turns to Ash, Pikachu, and Delia with a soft smile.

"Have fun in Alola," she says.

"Thank you, Misty," Delia says cheerfully.

"Yeah, thanks," Ash says. "We're gonna have lots of fun, won't we, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agrees while on Ash's shoulder.

Misty's smile grows, uplifted slightly by Ash's optimism. Serena then steps in and gives Ash a warm smile. Ash smiles back, and the two of them just look at each other, smiling while everyone watches.

"Ash, I'm glad we got to travel together through Kalos and Kanto," Serena says with a cheerful and confident sound to her voice. "And I want you to know that you are my true goal."

Ash looks at Serena, surprised at what she just said. Everyone else looks at Serena, unsure of what she's going to say next.

"You're the kind of person I want to be," Serena continues. "I'm going to work hard to be someone like you, and I'll grow to become a more beautiful woman. That's when I'm gonna come after you."

Ash stares at Serena, having no idea what she just said. But then he smiles, nods, and says, "Right."

Serena giggles with her mouth closed and nods back. Ash then turns around and starts going down the escalator with Pikachu, Delia, Clemont, Bonnie, Dedenne, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers. Everyone else waves at them as they go down, and Serena keeps on smiling with her eyes on Ash. But as she watches the boy she adores leave, she feels a small ache in her heart, feeling unsatisfied with the way she left things with Ash. She then lifts her head and thinks for a moment before she looks down at Ash again just in time to see him make it to the bottom of the escalator.

"Ash, wait! There's one more thing!" She calls out.

Ash, Pikachu, Delia, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers all turn around to look up at Serena, having all gotten off the escalator. Serena runs down the escalator with her eyes still fixed on Ash. The raven-haired boy looks at her, unsure of what she's going to do as she makes it all the way down and walks toward him until they are inches apart.

The next thing anyone realizes, Serena puts her hands behind her back, lifts her feet up to her toes and softly presses her lips against Ash's.

Delia, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers watch the honey blonde girl hold on to the kiss in shock. Pikachu and Clemont stare at her with their faces turning red. From the top of the escalator, Brock, Holly, May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup watch with their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open. Misty lets out a sharp gasp as she watches Ash just stand there and let Serena kiss him, brokenhearted. Finally, Serena pulls back with her cheeks beet red and a merry smile on her face.

"Thank you," she says.

Ash stands in place like a statue for a few more seconds before he smiles back at Serena.

"Goodbye, Serena," he says.

Serena keeps smiling and replies, "Goodbye, Ash."

The honey blonde girl then turns around and goes up the other escalator. She keeps her eyes on Ash as he, Delia, Pikachu, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers walk away until they are out of sight. When she's back up the top floor, she turns to the rest of the group who are still looking at her in shock. They stay silent for a moment before May and Dawn squeal for joy and run over to hug their friend.

"You did it!" Dawn screams. "You had your first kiss with Ash!"

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" May shouts.

"Nice job, Serena," Max says with a smile.

"Thanks, you guys!" Serena says cheerfully.

"Atta girl, Serena!" Holly says with a smirk.

"Way to go!" Brock says.

Misty, however, stays silent, hiding her sadness with a soft smile.

"Okay, now that they're gone, what's the plan with the Johto region?" Max asks once the celebrating is done.

May thinks for a moment and says, "Well, I'm thinking you, me, Dawn, and Serena go together until we need to part ways for you to get your first badge while Dawn and Serena go to their first Pokemon contests. Does that sound good?"

"That sounds great," Dawn says happily before turning to Misty, Brock, and Holly. "So let's go outside and say bye to you three before we get going."

"Right," everyone else says.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

With that, everyone turns around and starts heading back to the entrance to the airport. Serena walks behind everyone so that she can secretly replay the moment of her kissing Ash in her head. Her moment is interrupted, however, when Misty decides to walk beside her and secretly speak with a concerned tone.

"Why did you do that?" She asks. "You knew you two weren't going to keep traveling together just like I said. He didn't feel the same, and yet you kissed him as if you thought there was hope."

Serena turns to Misty with a smile and shakes her head.

"I did it because I still have hope, Misty," she replies. "I told you that I'm never giving up on him, and I still haven't. Just because we're going our separate ways now doesn't mean it's over. Ash and I still have our whole lives ahead of us. We're going to keep pursuing our dreams for years to come no matter what. One day we will see each other again, and when we do, I will come after him like I said and I won't stop until we are together."

"You really believe that?" Misty asks.

"I do," Serena answers. "And I hope you will find someone who will make you happy the way he makes me happy. I really do from the bottom of my heart."

The orange-haired girl looks at Serena, taken aback by her sincerity. Serena puts her hands behind her back again and gives Misty a kind look on her face. The honey blonde girl then walks ahead of Misty with her head facing the ceiling as her mind goes back to thinking about her kiss. Misty looks down on the floor as she walks and begins to ponder what Serena said.

Ash keeps smiling as he walks with Pikachu, still on his shoulder. Delia, Clemont, Bonnie, Iris, Axew, Cilan, Timothy, Electchu, and Coovers are all looking at him as they walk down the hall, curious about what's going on in his mind. After a while, the ten of them make it to the end of the hall, where several gates are leading to different planes. Everyone stops in the middle of the hall, and Cilan decides to speak first.

"So Ash, how did you like that kiss?" He asks.

Ash turns to him and thinks about it for a moment and says, "Well, I was definitely surprised."

"And?" Bonnie asks.

Ash looks at Bonnie, confused, and says, "Well, it felt really nice."

"And?" Bonnie asks with more hope in her voice.

Ash looks around to see everyone having intrigued looks on his faces. He feels uncomfortable as he scratches the back of his head.

"That's kind of it," he answers.

Everyone groans loudly except for Pikachu, who just sighs and shakes its head.

"For goodness sake, when will my boy learn?" Delia moans.

"Good thing Serena isn't here to hear that," Coovers comments.

"Yeah, what a kid," Iris says.

"For once, I agree with you, Iris," Bonnie sighs.

"What? What did I say?" Ash asks, confused.

Timothy sighs before he walks over to his rival and places his hand on Ash's free shoulder. Ash looks at him intently while the man looks at him like a parent awkwardly trying to teach his child something embarrassingly obvious.

"Look, Ash, you're one of the most cunning trainers I've ever known," he begins. "That said, I think you should know by now that you might care for Serena as more than just a good friend."

Ash frowns and says, "First my mom says something like that, then Brock, then Coovers and Scott, and Anabel and now you? Why do you guys care about how much I like Serena?"

"Probably for the exact reason why Coovers, Spenser, and even Serena herself asked me what would I do if I ever completed my dream," Timothy says.

"And that is?" Ash asks.

Timothy hesitates, unsure of how to answer before he eventually says, "That there is something more important than things like being a Pokemon trainer."

Coovers smiles, happy with what his close friend just said. Electchu, on the other hand, looks at its partner befuddled while everyone else looks at Timothy approvingly. But Ash looks at Timothy in alarm as if he said something insulting.

"You really think that, Timothy?" He asks. "I thought you would never say something like that when you're working so hard to win every Pokemon league."

Timothy nods and says, "Yeah, you're right. I really want to accomplish my dream as much as you want to achieve yours, and I won't deny that a part of me is just as shocked as you are that I said that. But I think I'm starting to see that there may be something greater than even the bonds that many of us share with our Pokemon."

"How come?" Ash asks.

Timothy sighs and says, "Well, if I have to give one example, it would be how you and Pikachu defeated Electchu and me at the Indigo League."

Ash tilts his head and asks, "What do you mean? We used the right strategy to win."

"Yeah, but I think there's more to it than that," Timothy says. "You might have outmaneuvered us, but I think many would agree that Pikachu should have lost with it only using Thunderbolt against Electchu's Thunder.

Clemont thinks about what Timothy's saying for a moment before he interjects.

"I think he's right, Ash," He says. "Pikachu and Electchu may both be electric type and got hurt pretty bad before your last moves, but Electchu should have won because Thunder is a more powerful move."

Ash scratches his head and says, "Okay, so what does this have to do with Serena?"

Timothy thinks for a moment if how to put his explain into words and says, "The thing is, Ash, I don't think it was skill or power or the bonds you have with your Pokemon that is why you won the league. I think it was because you had a more important reason to win than just to prove you're the best. Something that you wanted so badly that it drove your Pokemon to triumph regardless of the odds."

"And...you think it was my desire to make my friend smile again?" Ash asks.

Bonnie scoffs and steps in saying, "Ash, we all know you would do anything for your friends, but even for you it's unusual to fight all the way to the finals at a Pokemon league and declare that you're aiming to win to make someone who is just a good friend happy in front of so many people."

"She's right," Iris says.

"Axew," Axew says from Iris' hair.

"It's clear that out of all of your friends, you have a passion for being with Serena and for seeing her be happy," Cilan says. "We all saw the way you were looking at her on the way here from the battle. You were glad that she was happy again out everyone who is relieved that Team Rocket is gone for good."

Ash blinks, still not following what everyone is saying. Timothy shakes his head with his hand still on Ash's shoulder and pats it, regaining the raven-haired boy's attention again.

"Think about it, Ash," he says. "Just know for now that we're all hoping the best for both you and Serena, no matter what happens."

When Timothy is done, he takes his hand off Ash's shoulder, turns to everyone else, and shrugs as if to say, "That's all I got." Delia smiles appreciatively and puts her hand on the man's shoulder.

"Don't worry, young man," she says. "He'll understand one day."

Timothy lets out a chuckle and says, "Well, it took a couple of people and a big battle in a Pokemon League to finally understand how important something like that is. Maybe it will take a few more people and another Pokemon League for Ash to realize what he needs to know now that he's experienced winning a Pokemon League for someone like Serena."

Delia nods and asks, "What about you?"

Timothy frowns and thinks about it for a moment before he shrugs again.

"I don't know," he answers. "I think it's too soon to say I really want something like that. I guess it would be nice if I found something like what Brock and Holly have or what Serena wants with Ash, but I don't know how I can look for that while still pursuing my dream. Maybe one day I'll find that special someone someday, but until then, I guess I should just keep moving forward."

Delia frowns and opens her mouth to speak when the female voice in the intercom speaks again.

"_Attention, we have now begun boarding for flights heading to Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola,_" she announces. "_All passengers please proceed to your respective flights_."

Ash smirks and turns to everyone and says, "Well, I guess this is goodbye."

Iris, Cilan, and Axew nod before Iris says, "Have fun at Alola, Ash."

"Yeah, have lots of fun," Bonnie says.

"De, ne, ne," Dedenne says.

"Don't you worry, you guys," Ash says. "We're going to have lots of fun. Won't we, Pikachu?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with a nod.

"Please call us when you get back and tell us all about it," Clemont requests.

"Ooo, yes. Please do," Coovers says excitedly. "And tell me how beautiful the ladies are in Alola while you're at it."

"Uh...I'll do my best," Ash says, chuckling nervously at Coovers' request.

Ash then turns to Timothy, and the two of them smile before they firmly shake hands.

"Best of luck with pursuing your dream, Timothy," Ash says.

"You too, Ash," Timothy says.

With that, everyone waves at each other as they head to their respective flights. When Timothy, Coovers, and Electchu make it to the gate for their flight, the man in the "H.A.K." shirt turns to watch Ash, Pikachu, and Delia enter the gate on the other side of the hall. He smirks before he enters the gate to his plane with his two companions. Once the three of them are seated in the plane, Timothy sighs, enjoying the comfy chair before Coovers speaks.

"So, do you really want to find your special someone?" Coovers asks with a hopeful grin. "Cause we could find two ladies who would like to have a double date with us while we're both in Sinnoh."

Timothy rolls his eyes and says, "Take it easy, pal. I may be starting to ease up for something like that, but that doesn't mean I'm looking for someone right away."

"Raichu," Electchu says, approving of its partner's response.

Coovers frowns and shakes his head.

"Do you at least think Ash will figure things out so that he and Serena will be together?" He asks.

Timothy looks at his friend silently before he turns to Electchu and pets it on the head. The mouse Pokemon lets out a high-pitched squeal as it enjoys the affection, and a small smile emerges on Timothy's face.

"We'll see, Coovers," he says plainly. "We'll see."


	83. Chapter 83

As soon as Ash, Pikachu, Delia, and Mimey landed on the Alola, the raven-haired boy was having a grand time in the tropical region. From the sunny beaches to the cool water, to meeting all kinds of new Pokemon, Ash was enjoying every single moment in Alola. Eventually, he came across a Pokemon school and met Mallow, Lillie, Lana. Kiawe, and Sophocles. After befriending the five of them, meeting their teacher, Professor Kukui, discovering the amazing power of Z-crystals, and a mysterious Pokemon named Tapu Koko who gave him a Z-ring, Ash and Pikachu decided to stay in Alola while Delia and Mimey went back to Pallet Town.

For the next several months, the raven-haired boy and his partner stayed at Professor Kukui's house while going to the Pokemon school. During that time, he captured a Rowlet, Litten, Rockruff, Poipole, and Meltan and befriended a Rotom inside a Pokedex. Eventually, the egg that Delia brought hatched into a Vulpix and an egg that Professor Oak's cousin, Samson Oak, found on Mount Lanakila hatched to reveal an Alolan Vulpix that his friend, Lillie caught, nicknamed Snowy, and thus learned to overcome her fear of Pokemon with her new partner.

Meanwhile, Jessie, James, and Meowth happened to be having their vacation in Alola and found themselves staying in the woods with a Bewear. Though they stopped trying to capture Pikachu and other Pokemon with Team Rocket gone, they would still have encounters with Ash while disguising themselves so that he never learn that they are in Alola. Eventually, Jessie captured a Mimiku, James caught a Mareanie, then the trio found the Bewear's Stuffel, and started running a food cart business. When everything was said and done, the trio and Wobbuffet slowly but surely became happy with where they are and feel safe and well off with their business, staying in the woods with a Pokemon that likes to feed them, and by staying together without worrying about stealing for Team Rocket again.

Ash, however, found himself going on several big adventures while in Alola. Wormholes started to open in the region, causing strange creatures called Ultra Beasts to appear. One of them possessed Lillie's mother, Lusamine, and she, Ash and their classmates had to travel to the world of the Ultra Beasts to save her. After that, Lusamine formed a special team with Ash and his classmates called the Ultra Guardians to capture Ultra Beasts, and send them back to their world. Over the few missions the Ultra Guardians did, Ash captured and released a Buzzwole, Stakataka, and a Pheromosa and ultimately had to release Poipole to be with its friends.

But when he wasn't on a big adventure, Ash found his life in Alola to be very laid back. Eventually, Professor Kukui married another Pokemon professor named Burnett. The two of them began living their married life in joy, and it has always been a pleasure for Ash and Pikachu to see them happy together after Professor Burnett moved to Professor Kukui's home. In his free time, Ash would happily play or train with Pikachu and his new Pokemon, and eventually, his Litten and Rockruff evolved into Torracat and Lycanroc, respectively.

While in school, Ash's class visited the Kanto region, where Misty and Brock were teaching them about gym battles. They traveled to Pewter City, where Ash found out that Holly is living in an apartment close to the Pewter City gym. It was all to clear to Ash and his new friends that Brock and Holly have been in high spirits ever since they officially became a couple. Later on, when Misty and Brock came to visit Ash in Alola, Brock took Holly with him, and the two of them spent most of the trip touring. At once point, Brock helped a Nurse Joy with healing Pokemon, and she gave him a Comfey. Holly was suspicious of the way Nurse Joy was appreciative of her boyfriend, but Brock was quick to hold her close to let everyone know that she alone has his heart. Ultimately, even though Ash still didn't understand it, he was glad to see his former companions be livelier together than they were before.

But even with all of the exciting and fun things happening in Alola, Ash was feeling like something is missing.

Later in the school year, Professor Kukui held a press conference at Aether Paradise to announce he was creating a Pokemon league for the Alola region. The Pokemon professor said that anyone can compete in the new Pokemon League, and so a hundred and fifty-one people, including Ash and his classmates were all too happy to sign up. But Kukui's former friend, Guzma, who is the leader of Team Skull, signed up for the league with some members of his gang. He aimed to win the tournament as a means to prove that Alola doesn't need a Pokemon league because he's the strongest trainer in the entire region.

Eventually, the Alola League began with a battle royal. All contestants had to battle each other with one Pokemon until only sixteen contestants remained. Ultimately, Ash made it to the top sixteen along with Kiawe, Sophocles, Lana, Mallow, Lillie, Jessie and James in disguise, Samson Oak, Guzma, Ash's rivals, Hau and Lillie's brother, Gladion, and a few others. The tournament moved on with Ash defeating one of Lysamine's employees, Faba, and Hau through strokes of luck in the first two rounds. He then faced Guzma in a two-on-two battle and defeated him, thus stopping his plans to destroy the Alola League.

Finally, it was down to Ash and Gladion to compete in the final round. Delia, Mimey, and Professor Oak were so ecstatic that Ash has made it to the final round in another Pokemon League that they decided to come to Alola to watch his battle against Gladion. The night before the battle, Meltan spontaneously summoned all of its friends, and the dozens of Meltan merge together, resulting in Ash's Meltan to evolve into a Melmetal.

The next day, the final battle began with Ash using his newly evolved Pokemon against Gladion's Silvally. Melmetal put up a great fight, but Silvally took down the hex nut Pokemon. Luckily, Melmetal damaged Gladion's Pokemon so much that Pikachu defeated Silvally soon after, and so Gladion chose his Zoroark disguised as his Lycanroc next. Zoroark and Pikachu fought until Gladion decided to use his dark Z-move to take down Pikachu. Ash retaliated by using his electric Z-move on Pikachu. The use of both Z-moves caused an explosion that covered the area in smoke, and when the dust cleared, both Pokemon were down. With both sides down to just one Pokemon, Ash and Gladion both choose their Lycanroc. The two wolf Pokemon ferociously battled each other with their trainers enjoying every moment of what was left of the battle. But when it came down to the last moves, Ash's dusk form Lycanroc defeated Gladion's midnight form Lycanroc, and Ash won the league. With the raven-haired boy as the first champion in Alola, Ash, Pikachu, Delia, Mimey, Professor Oak, and all of his classmates were overjoyed with his accomplishment.

He then got ready to compete in an exhibition match against the famous Masked Royal shortly after he won, but then there was a sudden invasion of Guzzlord all over Manalo Stadium. Ash and his Alola friends had to work together to drive the ultra beasts back into their wormholes, and in the process, his Poipole returned as a Naganade,l and Professor Kukui was revealed to be the Masked Royal.

Afterward, Ash and the professor had their exhibition match with both of them having a full team. The battle was more intense than Ash's other battles in the league combined, even compared to his battle with Gladion. Ash and the professor took advantage of the fact that substitutions were allowed by switching Pokemon multiple times. Near the end of the battle, Ash and Professor Kukui used their Firium Z to determine the victor between Ash's Torracat and Kukui's Incineroar, who were longtime rivals. After the Z-moves were used, Kukui's Incineroar was defeated and Torracat evolved into a Incineroar itself in the process before it passed out standing up.

With Ash having two Pokemon left while Kukui only having one, the Pokemon professor prepared to take out his last Pokemon, but his Pokeball was slapped from his hand by Tapu Koko who indicated that it wanted to battle Ash as Kukui's final Pokémon. Thus, the battle continued with Taku Kuko defeating Ash's Naganadel, before going up against Pikachu. Halfway through the battle between Pikachu and the legendary land spirit Pokemon, Tapu Koko summoned the other three legendary guardians of Alola, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, and Tapu Fini, and together they recharged Ash and Kukui's Z-power. Tapu Koko then gave Kukui a Tapunium Z, allowing it to perform its z-move, Guardian of Alola, while Ash and Pikachu fought back using Pikachu's z-move, 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. Ultimately, Pikachu's z-move overpowered Tapu Koko's and the legendary Pokemon was defeated, making Ash the winner of the match.

Sometime after that, Professor Oak, Delia and Mimey went back to the Kanto region, Naganadel returned to its homeworld inside Ultra Space, and Ash and his friends were reaching the end of the school year. During that time, Professor Kukui asked his students what they will do for the holidays. While Lillie, Sophocles, Lana, Kiawe, and Mallow all had plans, Ash had no idea what his next goal was. It wasn't until the night after he had one more battle with Kiawe and got some advice from Olivia, the Kahuna of Akala Island, about the outside world for a broader perspective, he decided to go back to Pallet Town before going on another journey. Thus, after Lillie leaves with her family in search of her father, Mohn, Ash said goodbye to his classmates and left his other Alola Pokemon to stay with Professor Kukui and Professor Burnett. Afterward, the two professors drive Ash and Pikachu to the airport for his flight back to the Kanto region.

But despite all of this, Ash still has a feeling that something is missing.

The sun has set by the time the group has entered the Alola airport, and Professor Burnet and Professor Kukui are walking ahead while Ash and Pikachu are walking behind. The married couple happily chat away while Ash thinks about what he's going to do next. The shirtless professor glances at Ash while still talking to his wife and smiles at how Ash is excited like a child looking forward to Christmas. But as they walk, Professor Kukui sees Ash's cheerfulness begin to fade. The raven-haired boy continues to smile with Pikachu by his side, but the professor can tell that something deep inside is holding him back from being completely happy. Kukui raises his eyebrow curiously, having seen Ash act this way several times before even when he won the Alola League and mentally decides to finally call the teenager out on the matter before he leaves.

Eventually, everyone finds rows of seats inside a large hall. Above the seats are TVs attached to the pillars supporting the ceiling, and on the other side of the hall are several food stands. Since the flight to Kanto isn't going to start boarding for a while, Professor Burnet decides to browse through the food stands for some snacks. Thus, she goes to the stands while Ash, Pikachu, and Professor Kukui sit down. Ash pets Pikachu who is sitting next to the seat left of him while the Pokemon professor sits on his right. After half a minute of silence, Professor Kukui clears his throat to get Ash's attention.

"So, are you looking forward to going back home, Ash?" He asks.

"You bet," Ash answers with a toothy grin. "And I can't wait to figure out where I'll go next."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says.

Professor Kukui smiles and nods before he asks, "Are you going to miss Alola?"

Ash gives him a sad smile and says, "Of course. After everything Pikachu and I have been through here in Alola with you, Professor Burnet, Rotom, Lana, Lillie, Mallow, Sophocles, Kiawe, and everyone else, things just won't be the same without all of you here."

Professor Kukui's smile grows slightly, glad to hear Ash's reply. Then his smile disappears, and he takes a deep breath before he speaks again.

"Speaking of things not being the same, I've noticed your stay hasn't entirely been as satisfying as you've led on," he says.

Ash and Pikachu look at the professor bewildered, and the former asks, "What are you talking about? Yes, it has. What could I possibly be unhappy with my time in such an awesome region."

"You tell me," Professor Kukui replies almost immediately.

Ash tilts his head in confusion. The two of them look at each other for a moment before Kukui sighs again.

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point," he says. "I know you've had a wonderful time here in Alola. I'd be a poor teacher and friend who you've been living with for several months if I didn't. But every now and then, I see a sad look in your eyes."

"You do?" Ash asks, shocked.

Professor Kukui nods and says, "Even when you defeated Gladion and me at the Alola League, you looked like you weren't completely satisfied with your achievements."

Ash frowns and says, "You noticed that, did you?"

"I did," Professor Kukui answers. "I know you won the Indigo League before you came here, but something was holding you back emotionally, and I don't think it's because it wasn't your first time winning a Pokemon league."

Ash stares at the man, still frowning until he sighs and looks down at the floor.

"Your right. It isn't," he says. "I am glad that I won after Melmetal, Pikachu, Lycanroc, Rowlet, Incineroar, Naganadel, and I gave it everything we got - especially against such strong opponents like you and Gladion. But I guess there was something special about competing in the Indigo League that the Alola League lacked. I don't know what it is, and I don't know why it would make me hold back on being as happy as I could be during my stay here. I just know that it's there, and I wish I knew what it was."

Pikachu looks at Ash sadly, understanding its partner's predicament. Professor Kukui hums thoughtfully before he speaks again.

"Well, let's think about it," he suggests. "What was special about the Indigo League?"

Ash looks up and tilts his head again before he scratches his chin in thought.

"Maybe it's how none of my rivals in Alola were strong trainers who have won a Pokemon League before like Timothy?" He asks.

"Hmmm. Perhaps," Professor Kukui answers. "Anything else?"

Ash thinks again and says, "Well, I competed in Indigo League to show how much stronger I am since the last time I competed whereas I competed in the Alola League because I wanted to have fun competing in the very first league in Alola. So, maybe I wasn't as challenged as before even though I went against trainers like Hau, Hala, Olivia, Nanu, Hapu, Gladion, and you?"

"Hmmm, I don't think so. I've seen you act a little sad long before you faced any of them or me," Professor Kukui says.

Ash nods, silently agreeing with the Pokemon professor. He scratches the top of his head, desperately trying to figure out what could be eating him inside. After a minute, his thoughtful face slowly melts into a look of realization as he quietly utters one word.

"Serena."

"What?" Professor Kukui asks, confused.

"Serena," Ash repeats. "Serena is a friend of mine from Kalos. We met when we were little during a summer camp back in Kanto, and I helped her when she was lost in the woods. When I came to Kalos years later, she left home and started her journey as a Pokemon trainer so that she could see me again. We started traveling together with our friends, Clemont and Bonnie, and we had a great time. Eventually, she decided she wanted to become a Pokemon performer and started competing in Pokemon showcases. She almost won the title of Kalos Queen but was defeated by Aria, the current Kalos Queen. After that, she decided to compete in Pokemon contests when she decided that her real dream is to make people and Pokemon happy with her performances. So we flew to Kanto together, and we ended up traveling through the Kanto region, where she started competing in Pokemon contests while I was rechallenging some of the Pokemon gyms."

Professor Kukui stares at Ash before he asks, "Okay, but what does she have to do with the Indigo and Alola Leagues?"

Ash smiles fondly, not looking at Kukui and says, "She was the reason I wanted to win the Indigo League. When Timothy challenged me to face him in the league, she was the one who encouraged me to use the Pokemon league to show how much I've grown and rechallenge most of the gyms in Kanto. Whenever I was having a battle, she was always there to cheer and give me some great ideas. And when I made it to the final round, I wanted to make her happy so much that I told the entire stadium that I was dedicating my battle with Timothy to her."

"Wow. You really did that?" Professor Kukui asks, surprised.

"Sure did," Ash says, turning to the professor with a smile. "She was feeling down after she lost the Grand Festival, and I started to miss her smiling so much that I wanted to make her happy again."

"So, you won a major Pokemon league just for Serena?" Professor Kukui asks.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ash says, scratching under his nose. "And I was so relieved to see her so happy when I won. She hugged me really tight and asked me to keep hugging her until they were bringing me my trophy."

Professor Kukui raises an eyebrow and smirks before asking, "Oh? How did that make you feel?"

Ash looks at Kukui, confused before he thinks about it.

"Well, it made me happy. Real happy, in fact," he answers. "I don't know how to explain it, but if I had to try, I would say it felt...right. The feel of us holding each other tightly and her resting her head again mine; I've hugged people and Pokemon before, but this felt more special."

Professor Kukui begins to smile warmly as he listens to Ash's explanation.

"And then when we were going our separate ways, I felt sad that she didn't come with me to Alola," Ash continues. "I know we have to pursue our dreams, but I didn't want us to part ways. I wanted to keep traveling together and watch her keep smiling and making other people and Pokemon happy. And then when she kissed me, it just felt nice at first, but then I kind of started to miss it. I don't know why since I didn't think too much about it back then, but now I do."

Ash, Kukui, and Pikachu are silent for several seconds until the raven-haired boy thinks about what he said and chuckles.

"I guess I was thinking she could be a big factor as to why I've been acting a little down even after winning the Alola League," he chortles. "That probably sounds crazy, doesn't it?"

"Nope. It doesn't sound crazy at all," Professor Kukui says. "As a matter of fact, that makes the most sense out of anything else you brought up."

Ash and Pikachu look at Kukui, dumbfounded.

"Really? How can that be?" Ash asks.

Professor Kukui chuckles at Ash's reaction before he places his hand on the boy's shoulder and gives him a soft smile.

"Ash, you are, by far, the most passionate trainer I have ever met. It's hardly a surprise that your first two guesses over what's been bothering you revolve around Pokemon battles or facing strong rivals," he says. "But out of the three guesses you made, you talked about Serena the longest without a second thought. You could have gone into detail over what you were trying to prove at the Indigo League or how great of a rival Timothy is, but instead, you focused on Serena. That tells me you have something very special with her that makes you miss her and wish you can stay by her side and hold her, kiss her, and make her happy, and I think you should pursue that."

"Why?" Ash asks.

Professor Kukui turns to where Professor Burnet is looking at the menu to a malasada stand.

"Because I'm the same way with Burnet," Professor Kukui answers. "Ever since we met, we developed such a bond that I knew I wanted her to always be by my side. Like you with Serena, she's someone who makes me happy, and I want to make her happy too. That's why I married her. And you know what, Ash? I'm happy to share completing my dream with you, Kiawe, Sophocles, Lana, Mallow, Lillie, and everyone else. But I don't think creating the Alola League would have been as special if Burnet wasn't there to experience my accomplishment with me any more than winning the Indigo League would have been for you without Serena."

"Wow, you really care about Professor Burnet that much?" Ash asks.

"I do," Professor Kukui answers. "So tell me, Ash, do you think going to Alola and winning the Alola League would have been better if Serena agreed to go with you?"

Ash stares at the professor for a moment before he looks down and starts thinking again. After another moment, the raven-haired boy turns to Kukui and smiles.

"Yeah, I think so," he says. "I believe if Serena came with me, she would have loved Alola. The beaches, the shops, the festivals, all the friends I've made both people and Pokemon alike; I think she would have had a great time here. And I think winning the Alola League would have been a bigger experience if she was there to cheer me on and watch me beat Gladion and you. I bet that she would have found a way to keep pursuing her dream without Pokemon showcases or contests too."

"Would you like to take her to Alola if you had another chance?" Kukui asks.

"Definitely," Ash says.

The Pokemon professor smiles and asks, "Would you ask her to go with you to your next journey if you could?"

"Of course, I would," Ash says without hesitation.

"Then I think you should tell her," Professor Kukui says.

Once again, Ash looks at his former teacher in confusion.

"Tell her that I want to travel with her?" He asks.

"Of course," Kukui answers. "If that's the way you feel, then you should tell her."

Ash frowns and says, "But she's competing in Pokemon contests all the way in the Johto region. She could be anywhere there."

"Then find her," Professor Kukui says. "If you want to always be with Serena, then you have to do whatever it takes to tell her. I love the person I always want to be with. What about you?"

Ash looks away and scratches the back of his head. He feels on the spot from the way Professor Kukui is trying to encourage him. A part of him wants to do what Kukui is suggesting, but the rest of him doesn't want to make such a sudden decision when he is still thinking about what his next journey should be. Pikachu looks at Ash with a look of concern, uneasy with how much the raven-haired boy is struggling.

"Here you go, boys!"

Ash's moment of debating with himself abruptly ends when he hears Professor Burnet calling out to him and Professor Kukui before she sits down next to her husband and hands each of them a small bag of malasada while Professor Burnet has one for herself. After Ash and Professor Kukui thank her, the group starts eating their fried snack with Ash sharing his malasada with Pikachu. When Professor Burnet is halfway through her treat, she turns to Ash with a cheerful grin.

"So, what do you look forward to the most about going home, Ash?" She asks.

"Seeing all of my Pokemon again, of course." Ash answers, quickly acting energetic again.

Professor Burnet giggles and says, "I thought so. You do love Pokemon."

"He sure does," Professor Kukui agrees.

"Pika, Pika," Pikachu says.

Ash nods and goes back to his malasada. But while he's eating, he feels a slight pain in his heart. He doesn't show any hint of it visibly, but in his mind, he is surprised that he felt like something was tugging his heart. He begins to wonder if it has something to do with how he answered Professor Burnet's question. He begins to ponder on it until he hears her speak again.

"Hey, look, the Johto Grand Festival!" She shouts.

"Yeah, it looks like they're playing recaps from earlier today," Professor Kukui said.

Ash turns to the professors in shock before he turns to the big TV on the wall to their right. His eyes widen as he immediately recognizes a coordinator performing.

"Hey, it's Dawn!" he shouts.

"Pika, ka!" Pikachu shouts cheerfully.

"Dawn?" Professor Kukui and Burnet ask.

"Yeah, she's one of my friends from Sinnoh, who is a Pokemon coordinator," Ash explains.

Professor Burnet smiles and says, "Well, how about that? Looks I noticed just in time."

"Yeah, no kidding," Ash says with his eyes on the TV.

The blunette girl is on a stage with Piplup, who is finishing its routine by flying around like a plane using Drill Peck. When the penguin Pokemon is done, the sound of a large crowd cheering is heard, and Dawn and Piplup take a bow. Ash smiles for his friend while the image cuts to a large screen shows that she has a ninety-four score. Ash's smile fades, and he looks at Pikachu, who is eating the last of his malasada.

"Pikachu, if Dawn's at the Johto Grand Festival, I wonder if Serena and May are there too," he says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, sharing its partner's curiosity.

The image on the TV cuts to another coordinator who steps into the stage and shows off her Bayleef using Razor Leaf. As the raven-haired boy watches, the possibility of whether or not a certain friend is in the tournament festers his mind. Finally, after the coordinator is done, the image cuts to Lilian.

"_And now, for the final contestant competing in the preliminary round, let's give it up for Serena!_" She shouts.

Ash's eyes widen, and he instantly jumps out of his seat and runs over to the TV with his eyes fixed on the screen. His heart leaps as he sees the image cut to Serena running towards the stage with a big smile and a Pokeball in her right hand. Professor Kukui, Professor, Burnet, and Pikachu walk over to join him as he stares intently at the honey blonde girl on the screen.

"_Poliwag, let's go!_" She shouts.

She tosses the Pokeball into the air, and the little tadpole Pokemon comes out with a cute smile. It does a couple of flips before it lands perfectly on Serena's hands, and the two of them smile brightly at each other before the honey blonde girl makes her next call.

"Now, Poliwag, use Bubble Beam!" She shouts.

Poliwag nods, and Serena lifts it up into the air as it spins around, firing multiple bubbles all over the stage. It then creates a large bubble almost at Serena's height and starts bouncing on it like a ball while the honey blonde girl starts happily dancing with its Pokemon. She jumps, twists, and twirls around the large bubble while the smaller bubbles spin around them like lights reflecting from a disco ball.

As Serena performs with her Pokemon, Ash watches her dance in awe as if there's nothing else to see but the girl. His heart feels warm the sight of her smile and the sound of her laughter through the speakers. Professor Kukui notices the way Ash looks at the screen intently, and a smile appears on his face as he pieces together what is going on in his former student's mind.

Serena and Poliwag stop dancing, and Poliwag hops back into Serena's hands just in time for all of the bubbles to pop into white and blue sparkles. The crowd is roaring through the speakers, and the honey blonde girl takes a bow while still holding her Pokemon. Serena then looks around the audience to see the countless people who are thrilled with her performance and beams. She returns Poliwag to its Pokeball and exits the stage before the image cuts to the large screen shooting that she gain a score of ninety-six.

"Wow, what a big score!" Professor Burnett comments.

"Indeed, she's sure to make it to the next round," Professor Kukui says.

"Pikachu," Pikachu agrees.

"_And now the sixty-four contestants who will compete in the main event with appear on the screen!_" Lilian announces.

Almost as soon as Lillian is done making the announcement, images of contestants start appearing on the screen. At the end of the top row is a picture of May before Serena and Dawn appear on the second row. Ash smiles brightly at the sight of Serena's image while the pictures of contestants keep on appearing, including Solidad's, Drew's, and Harley's. Once all sixty-four images are revealed, the image cuts to Lillian again.

"_Let's give a round of applause to the contestants who will be moving on!_" Lillian shouts before the crowd cheers. "_Stay tuned for tomorrow when we begin the main events of the Johto Grand Festival!_"

Ash's eyes widen at Lillian's announcement. He looks down and starts thinking hard about what to do. Slowly but surely, his eagerness to plan another journey melts away, and his desire to see Serena again rises. Pikachu and Professor Burnet look at him while Professor Kukui is still smiling. After twenty seconds of silence, Ash turns to everyone with a determined look on his face.

"I have to see Serena," he says plainly.

"What?" Professor Burnet asks.

"Pika?" Pikachu says, shocked.

"I can't go on another journey yet. I have to go to Indigo Plateau," Ash clarifies.

"But, I thought you want to figure out your next journey," Professor Burnet says.

"I do, but not until I talk to Serena," Ash says, shaking his head.

"But Ash, it's a long way away from where you will be landing in Viridian City," Professor Burnet says.

"Then I'll fly there," Ash says. "I'll call Professor Oak so that he can transfer Charizard from his lab to me when I land in Viridian City. Better yet, I'll have him transfer Pidgeot. Serena would like that if everything goes well."

"Ash, I don't understand," Professor Burnet says. "Why do you want to go all the way to Indigo Plateau just to see your friend, Serena?"

Ash's determined face falters, and he says, "I don't fully know yet. I'll have to figure it out on the way, but I need to see her now."

Burnet stutters and says, "Ash, what has gotten into you? First, you want to go home, and now you suddenly want to go all the way to Indigo Plateau just to talk to Serena? I know she's your friend, but you don't even know if she will still be competing in the Grand Festival by the time you get there."

"She will be," Ash says with his determination returning. "I know she will still be there by the time I get there, but I have to be there before the festival is over."

Professor Burnett opens her mouth protest again until Professor Kukui puts his hand on her shoulder and gives her a soft smile.

"It's okay, Burnet. Let him do this," he says. "I think what Ash wants to do is more important than going to a new journey right now."

Burnet looks at her husband, confused, surprised that he would support Ash in doing something that isn't going home to plan on another Pokemon journey. She hesitates before she sighs and gives Ash a soft smile.

"Alright," he says. "There are some video phones near here, and there's still ten minutes before your plane starts boarding, so you could contact Professor Oak now so that he can have your Pidgeot's Pokeball transferred to the Viridian City Pokemon Center for you to pick up when you land."

"Thank you, professor," Ash says before turning to Pikachu. "Pikachu, I know you want to go on a new journey as badly as I do, but I gotta do this buddy," he says. "The world isn't going anywhere, and we have plenty of time to go meet all kinds of other Pokemon. But I think I understand what everyone was trying to explain to me when we went on our journey with Serena and Brock and I want to see Serena really badly now that I do. So are you willing to wait?"

Pikachu tilts its head, still confused with what Ash is doing. Then it looks deep into his hazel brown eyes and slowly begins to realize that his claim to have understood what everyone was trying to come across is true. The little yellow mouse Pokemon smiles cheerfully, happy that Ash has finally realized what is in his heart.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaims.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash says. "Now, let's call Professor Oak, quick."

Without another word, the raven-haired boy and his partner run to the nearest video phone. Professor Burnet smiles while still visibly confused before she turns to Professor Kukui.

"What is going on?" She asks.

Kukui chuckles at Burnet's cluelessness before he wraps his arm around his wife. Burnet lets out a soft gasp, and her cheeks heat up, taken aback as he leans his head closer to her.

"Something wonderful, Burnet. Something really wonderful," he says.

Burnet tiles her head, still confused before she looks deep into Kukui's eyes and smiles. Though she still doesn't know exactly what is happening, the look on her husband's black eyes was enough to make her smile at his excitement. After a few minutes, Ash and Pikachu come back with the raven-haired boy looking ecstatic.

"You got everything ready for when you reach Viridian City?" Professor Kukui asks with a smirk.

"Sure do," Ash says with a toothy grin. "And I can't wait until I'm there."

"I'm glad to hear it," Professor Burnet says while her husband still holds her close.

Just then, a man's voice is heard on the intercom, saying, "_All passengers flying to the Kanto region, please proceed to gate B. We will begin boarding shortly_."

Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet frown, suddenly dreading the fact that Ash has to go. Ash and Pikachu share their sadness as the four of them walk all the way to the front of the hall leading to the plane with Pikachu hopping on Ash's back.

"That's the plane to Kanto. Don't mistake it," Professor Kukui says.

Ash turns to the professor and smiles, saying, "I won't."

The two adults smile, satisfied with his response. All of the smiling fades away, however, when Ash looks at Kukui and Burnet.

"Professor…?" he asks.

"What?" Kukui asks.

Ash takes a moment to think of the right words before he bows and says, "Please take good care of Rowlet and the others."

"Don't worry. They're our family," the professor answers.

"Kukui's going to bring them to the Pokemon School too," Professor Burnet adds.

Ash smiles and asks, "Then they'll be ready for Ultra Guardian missions any time, right?"

"Yeah," Professor Kukui says with a nod.

The three humans and Pikachu are quiet again for a moment, unsure of what to do next.

"Professor Kukui...Professor Burnet...I'm off," Ash declares reluctantly.

The two professors give sad looks, with tears starting to appear from the edge of Professor Burnet's eyes.

"H-have a nice trip," she says as she starts to cry.

"Give it your all," Kukui says,

Ash smiles at his former teacher and says, "Yeah," knowing that Kukui is talking about his pursuit of Serena.

"Don't forget, Burnet and I will always be here to give you a helping hand wherever you go and whatever you're doing," Professor Kukui adds.

"Kukui's right," Burnet says as she starts wiping tears from her eyes.

Ash only has a moment to smile before Burnet walks over to hug him. Ash smiles softly while Kukui joins in to hug him together with his wife. The raven-haired boy closes his eyes and thinks about all the wonderful things he's experienced with the two Pokemon professors. Even though he will miss all of his other friends in Alola, he accepts that he will miss staying with the married couple who may as well have been another father and mother to him.

"Thank you," he says quietly.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says with its face muffled by Professor Burnet's embrace.

For several seconds, the couple keeps hugging Ash and Pikachu until Professor Kukui pats both Ash and his wife before breaking the hug.

"Alright, off you go," he declares.

Ash smiles and nods, saying, "Yeah," again before he turns around and gets on the plane with Pikachu.

Before long, the plane takes off, and Ash and Pikachu watch the plane fly away from Alola. Ash quietly thanks the region for everything he and his partners have experienced. But as they fly away, Kiawe, Lana, Mallow and Sophocles wearing their Ultra Guardians outfits soar into Ash and Pikachu's view with Rotom and their ride Pokemon, to deliver a wave goodbye and good luck. Tears came out of Ash's eyes as he happily waves goodbye to them until they are out of sight. Ash then leans all the way back of his chair and sighs with his eyes closed, thankful for his experience in Alola. His moment is soon replaced with a look of determination, however, as he remembers that he's on his way to someone more precious than any fantastic moment he has ever experienced in the sunny region.

"I'm coming, Serena," he says quietly. "Keep giving it your all until I get there."


	84. Chapter 84

Serena looks down and watches her hands shake as she sits on a bench in the waiting room. It's the third day of the Johto Grand Festival, and the tournament is coming close to the end with the final contest battle. Serena has managed to make her way to the final round by beating Dawn during the quarterfinals and barely having more points than Solidad in the semifinals. At the same time, however, May has also triumphed against Harley and Drew during her battles in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Now the festival is taking a short break so that Serena and May's Pokemon can heal up before the final battle that will decide who will become Top Coordinator.

Serena sees two hands take hers, and she looks up to see Dawn giving her a frown while sitting on the bench opposite from hers.

"Come on, Serena. Get it together," she says. "You can do this."

Serena gives her friend a small smile and says, "Sorry, Dawn. I guess I can't help myself. I barely did a thing against May's Pokemon before she took down Braixen and Pancham just like that."

"But you have gotten so much stronger since then," Dawn points out. "You defeated Solidad just like May did last time."

"Yeah, barely," Serena says. "I didn't take out either of her Pokemon."

"And she didn't take down any of yours either," Dawn counters. "And besides, the goal isn't necessarily to take down your opponent's Pokemon, you can still win by having more points than May or get her to lose all of her points. If you can do that to Solidad of all coordinators, then you can do it to May. Got it?"

Serena takes a deep breath, and her hands stop shaking slightly.

"You're right, Dawn. I can do this," Serena says, feeling a little confident. "I'm going to win that trophy, and I'm not going to let May stop me."

"That's my girl," Dawn says with a smirk.

"Hey!" May barks, walking over to Dawn and Serena. "Why are you rooting for her and not both of us?!"

"Because I'm closer to her than you," Dawn says matter-of-factly. "Besides, you already got a nice, big, shiny trophy, so someone else should get one. And if that someone can't be me, then I want it to be Serena."

May pouts childishly before she smirks and turns to Serena.

"Well, I beat you last time, so I don't see this turning out any differently," she boasts.

Serena smirks and opens her mouth to counter until Dawn speaks again.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," the blunette girl claims. "The way I see it, if she can kiss Ash on the lips, then she can do anything."

Serena's eyes widen, and her cheeks turn pink.

"D-D-Dawn!" she stutters, embarrassed.

"You really think she's going to win because she kissed Ash?" May rebukes with her hands on her hips.

"Why not? It makes her braver than you are with Drew," Dawn says with a smug look.

May's face turns red, and she screams, "Knock it off with that already!"

The two of them start bickering like little children while Serena shakes her head at her two friends. She then looks down to look at her ribbon and smiles fondly. She starts to caress the blue fabric and think about the last time she saw the boy of her dreams. She closes her eyes and giggles slightly as she replays the moment she kissed him and told him how she feels. Ever since then, she has been feeling more cheerful during her journey through the Johto region. Even when she lost a contest, she didn't let it bother as long as she entertained the audience, and remembers that special moment with Ash.

And yet, in her heart, she misses him. Despite knowing she had to part ways with him, she wishes she can travel with him again. On occasion, she would video call Brock and Holly to see how they are doing, and she would smile to see how happy they are together. When she discovered from Brock that Ash is staying in Alola and is enjoying himself there, she was glad to hear it, but at the same time, she wishes she was there to explore the region with him. She wonders what kind of Pokemon he has befriended out there and maybe captured while going to school to learn more about the region. Above all else, however, she wonders if Ash ever thinks about her or the moment when she kissed him. She closes her eyes with her fingers still on her ribbon and tries to imagine seeing him again and hearing him say that he miraculously understands her feelings and feels the same way about her.

"Serena!"

Serena's eyes open at the sound of a raspy voice. She turns to May and Dawn, who have instantly stopped arguing and turns to her just as confused.

"Serena!"

"Pikachu!"

The three girls turn to the direction of where the voice is coming from, and their eyes widen, and their mouths hang open. Running down the hall that leads to the waiting room is none other than Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder. May and Dawn spring out their seats, dumbstruck that Ash is racing toward them.

"Ash?!" Dawn shouts in a high-pitched voice.

May and Dawn start walking towards the raven-haired boy heading their way while Serena sits still, unable to believe that he's there. When Ash and Pikachu are close enough to May and Dawn, the two girls open their mouths to ask what he's doing here only for Ash to run past them without even noticing them. Serena's pupils shrink as Ash stops running when he's only a couple feet away from her and gets down on his knees, panting. Pikachu hops off Ash's shoulder as Ash breaths heavily before he stands up to face Serena.

"Ash?" Serena finally manages to say while standing up. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Alola."

"I was," Ash says frantically. "I went to school there, I met new Pokemon, I faced a bunch of Ultra Beasts, I learned about Z-crystals and Z-rings…"

Serena looks at Ash confused and raises her hands, saying, "Ash, slow down. I have no idea what you're saying."

Ash takes a few breaths and calms down before he speaks again.

"Sorry," he says. "Anyway, long story short, I've been doing a bunch of things in Alola. I even competed in their new Pokemon league and became their first champion."

Serena's face brightens and says, "Really? That's great! You must be thrilled!"

"Yes, I am, but more than anything, I wish you were there to see it," Ash says bluntly.

Serena's eyes widen in shock. Dawn and May look at each other, unsure of what they just heard.

"W-w-what did you say?" Serena stutters.

"I wish you were there to see it more than anything," Ash says. "I wish you were there for all the things I experience in Alola. All the dangers, all the adventures, all the Pokemon trainers, all the fun I had, and I wish you were there so I could see you smile when I won the Alola League. What I'm trying to say is all the great things that happened when I was in Alola were not as special as they could have been without you there. In fact, now that I look back on my life, nothing I've experienced both good and bad before I went to Kalos was as special as they could have been if you weren't there with me."

May and Dawn stare at Ash even more flabbergasted than before. Even Pikachu is a little taken aback by the way Ash speaks about his feelings so passionately and freely. But out of all of them, Serena is the most surprised.

"A-a-Ash, w-what are you trying to say?" She asks.

Ash looks away and scratches the back of his head. He mutters incoherent sentences as he struggles to think of the best way to answer the honey blonde girl's question. Everyone else's shock begins to fade as they are unsure of what Ash is going to do. Finally, Ash turns to Serena, puts his hands on both of her shoulders, and looks at her dead in the eyes.

"Here, let me try it like this," he says.

Ash takes a deep breath before he slowly leans his head toward Serena. The honey blonde girl's cheeks heat up as she slowly realizes Ash is doing. Pikachu tilts its head in confusion until it hits the mouse Pokemon and its ears spring up. May and Dawn are huddled together, their eyes fixed on their two friends.

When Ash is close enough to Serena, he closes his eyes and slowly presses his lips against hers.

At this moment, Serena's cheeks are beet red. A soft whimper in her voice is muffled by Ash's mouth. Dawn covers her mouth while May stands still like a statue with her mouth wide open. At this point, Pikachu's ears are perked up until they are pointing directly at the ceiling. Ash, however, holds on to the kiss, trying to make it last as long as it has to express his feelings to Serena. Eventually, he pulls back and opens his eyes to see Serena completely stunned. It takes a few seconds before she blinks and starts breathing again while Ash smiles warmly.

"What I'm trying to say is you're someone special to me," he says. "I want to be by your side where we can cheer for each other always. I guess what I'm ultimately trying to say is...I love you, Serena."

The waiting room is completely silent. Everyone stands and place like statues as if time has stopped the moment Ash finished speaking. The last four words Ash said echo in Serena's ears as if he shouted them out loud proudly in front of her.

"You...you what?" She finally asks.

"I love you, Serena," Ash repeats. "I want to keep traveling with you always. I want us to keep pursuing our dreams together. I don't know where I'll go for my next journey, but it would mean a lot to me if you go with me. So, what do you say?"

Serena keeps staring at Ash speechless. Her heart is leaping with excitement, but her mind can't process how Ash suddenly told her everything she hoped he would say. Ash frowns slightly, growing worried that she might say no. May and Dawn are silently waving their arms and mouthing out, "Say, yes!" to their friend.

Finally, Serena opens her mouth to answer when an attendant comes in and clears her throat.

"May, Serena, we're about to get the final battle underway," he says. "Please start getting into positions."

Serena and Ash's hearts sink. Everyone in the room wishes the attendant didn't step on the moment just as Serena was about to reply. The honey blonde girl turns to the raven-haired boy and gives him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," she says.

Ash frowns in disappointment before he forces a toothy grin and says, "No worries. You go out there and give it your all. We can talk afterward, okay?"

"Okay," Serena says quietly while not meaning it.

Serena turns to the attendant, who gestures her and May to the hall leading to the stage. The two remaining contestants look at each other before they reluctantly follow him down the hall. Dawn walks over to Ash side and opens her mouth to wish them luck, but she decides against it, because it's not what she really wants to say. Ash lets go of his forced grin and lowers his head sadly. Pikachu walks to his side and looks at him sadly, sharing his fear of being rejected.

Meanwhile, Serena looks down at the floor, ashamed of where she left things off with Ash. Her insides are screaming to call out to him while another part of her thinks she has to wait a little longer. She shuts her eyes as she walks, fighting the two thoughts in her mind until one side overcomes the other, and she knows in her heart what she has to do.

"WAIT!"

Ash's eyes open, and he lifts his head, feeling a hint of hope in his heart. Everyone turns to Serena, who stays still for a moment before she turns around to face Ash with the most heartfelt smile he has ever seen. She runs as fast as her legs can carry her, and Dawn and Pikachu back away from Ash, before Serena stops right in front of him, puts her hands on his z-marked cheeks, and gives him a firm kiss. Ash's eyes widen as the girl he wants to be with lets out a soft moan and caresses his cheeks while she kisses him. Eventually, he gives in to the moment and wraps his arms around Serena and kisses her back. The two of them eventually part and Serena looks at Ash with her face red again.

"I love you too, Ash," She says with her hands still on Ash's cheeks. "I've always loved you."

Ash looks at her, surprised, and asks, "Really? Always?"

Serena nods happily before she says, "And I want nothing more than to keep traveling with you always."

By this point, Dawn is smiling with her mouth wide open, Pikachu is completely surprised again, the attendant is acting impatient, and May covers her mouth with both hands in shock. Ash stares at Serena in awe, taken aback that she has always had the feelings he has just realized for himself. Once his mind has fully processed the information, he beams at Serena.

"That's great," he says.

Serena giggles at Ash's joy with her mouth closed before the moment is interrupted by the attendant clearing his throat.

"Yeah, that's great and all, but we really need to get going," he says.

Serena turns her head to the attendant and says, "Okay," with a nod before turning back to Ash. The honey blonde girl pulls the boy she loves onto a tight hug, and he doesn't hesitate to hug her tightly back,

"Give it everything you've got," Ash whispers.

"I will," Serena whispers back. "Meet me back here when it's over. Okay?"

"You got it," Ash says.

The two of them break their hug, and Serena goes in for a quick kiss before she cheerfully walks over to May and the attendant.

"Good luck, Serena!" Dawn calls out.

May frowns and says, "Seriously? No support for me?"

Dawn rolls her eyes and says, "Fine. Give it your all, May!"

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

"Looks like Pikachu is cheering for both of you," Ash chuckles.

May smirks before she asks, "What about you, Ash? Do I get any support this time?"

"Nope. I'm going to be supporting Serena all the time from now on," Ash announced without hesitation.

May pouts childishly before she smiles and nods as she follows the attendant. Serena turns to the boy of her dreams with a sweet look as she walks and calls out, "Thank you, Ash. I love you!"

Ash gives her a goofy grin and waves his hand as he shouts back, "I love you too!"

Serena's heart leaps at the sound of Ash, saying he loves her again. She happily follows May in the attendant down the hall until they reach an entrance to the stage. The attendant turns to Serena and hand gestures her to the entrance.

"Serena, you'll be coming in on this side," he says. "May, follow me to the other side."

"Right," May says with a nod before turning to Serena. "See you out there, Serena."

"See you there, May," Serena says.

May then gives her honey blonde friend a competitive smirk.

"Don't forget now; you may have won Ash, but you're not taking my second ribbon trophy away from me," she warns.

Serena smirks back and says, "We'll see about that. I aim to win this time no matter what you throw at me."

May lets out an amused, "humph," before she follows the attendant to the other side of the stage. Once both of them are gone, Serena turns to face the entrance to the stage, still smiling. After fifteen seconds of silence, she closes her eyes, turns her hands into fists, and her mouth shakes, trying to contain what she's feeling. Then, she lifts her hands up in the air and lets an ear-piercing scream of joy.

"HE LOVES ME!" Serena squeals in a high-pitched voice as she starts twirling and jumping around the hall like an excited child. "HE LOVES ME! HELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESMEHELOVESME! ASH LOVES ME!"

Serena let's out another joyous scream before shaking her fists in the air and laughing out loud. After a moment, she calms down and puts her hand on her heart to feel it racing rapidly. Serena's hand then moves to her ribbon, and she giggles with her mouth closed. She puts her other hand on her lips, and her cheeks heat up, thinking of Ash kissing her. Finally, she takes a deep breath and forces herself to focus on the Grand Festival again with a determined look on her face.

The honey blonde girl enters the battlefield where already the audience is cheering to express their anticipation for the final battle of the tournament. Serena waves at the crowd as she walks to her side of the field with a smile. She tops halfway to see Ash sitting on one of the front rows with Pikachu, Dawn, and Max. The raven-haired boy is cheering his heart out for the girl he loves, and Serena smiles back and spontaneously decides to blow a kiss at him. She instantly feels butterflies in her stomach for displaying affection to the boy of her dreams that way for the first time, and Ash responds with a cheerful, toothy grin. Serena giggles with her mouth closed before she turns her head to face the field to find May standing on her side while Lilian stands in the middle with a microphone in her hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment we've all been waiting for has arrived!" She announces. "Many contestants have given it their all, and now it's time for the final showdown with May and Serena! Will May win her second Ribbon Cup in a row, or will Serena, the underdog triumph? Let's find out as both contestants take out their Pokemon!"

May and Serena nod before the former takes two Pokeballs and tosses them into the air, shouting, "Blaziken, Beautifly, come on out!

Her first two Pokemon come out ready to fight. Serena smirks and glances at Ash one more time before she takes out two Pokeballs and stares at them with a warm smile.

"You have been with me from the very beginning, and we've accomplished so much since then," she says to the Pokeball on her left hand before turning to the once on the right. "And you have always been there to cheer me up and remind me to hold on my feelings for Ash. I think it should be the two of you to battle alongside me on the final battle."

She throws the two balls into the air, and they open to reveal Braixen and Poliwag. Lilian smiles, knowing that both girls are ready.

"Let the final battle begin!" She shouts as the timer on the clock starts counting down.

"Alright, Braixen and Poliwag, let's waste no time!" Serena shouts confidently. "Use Flamethrower on Beautifly and Water Gun on Blaziken."

May lightly chuckles with her mouth closed and commands, "Beautifly, Blaziken, counter with Psychic and Fire Spin!"

Beautify fires a blue beam that collides with Flamethrower, and they explode into blue and yellow sparkles. Blaziken and Poliwag fire their respective attacks, and Poliwag's Water Gun is instantly overpowered by the powerful Fire Spin. The tadpole Pokemon jumps away before the fire attack could hit it, and the judges take away some of Serena's points.

"Alright then, use Ice Beam on Beautifly and Hidden Power on Blaziken!" Serena commands.

"Blaziken, dodge Hidden Power, then stand in front of Beautifly and use Fire Spin again!" May shouts.

Blaziken jumps away from Braixen's line of fire with ease and stands in front of its teammate just in time to get hit by Poliwag's Ice Beam. The blaze Pokemon unleashes another Fire Spin that burns through Poliwag's attack as if it was made of nothing, and Serena loses more points.

"Now use Blaze Kick and Ariel Ace!" May commands confidently.

Serena smirks, as Blaziken runs toward her Pokemon with the edge of its left leg on fire and Beautifly flies up in the air, getting ready to use its attack.

"Poliwag, use Ice Beam on the floor and Braixen, use Fire Blast!" She shouts.

Poliwag jumps into the air and turns the floor in Blaziken's direction into ice while Braixen shoots Fire Blast at Beautifly from the tip of its stick. Blaziken slips on the ice and panics as it struggles to stay in balance before it ultimately falls down on it's back. Beautify does a flip and zooms toward its opponents only to run right into the Fire Blast and plummet to the ground with its body burned.

"Now use Water Gun and Flamethrower!" Serena shouts.

"Dodge it!" May cries out worriedly.

Serena's Pokemon fire their respective attacks and hit their opponents effortlessly. Beautifly squeaks in pain upon impact of the fire attack, but the simple water attack only does some damage to the strong Blaziken. Despite the mixed results, Serena's spirits rise as the judges take points away from May.

"Alright, now use Bubble and Fire Blast!" Serena shouts.

May frowns and shouts, "Blaziken dodge by rolling over and Beautifly, fly up quick and use Morning Sun!"

Blaziken opens its eyes and rolls over to miss Poliwag's Bubble attack and roll its way off of the ice. Beautifly manages to fly up just in time to avoid Fire Blast and get high enough to collect solar energy.

"Oh, no, you don't," Serena says determinedly. "Braixen, Poliwag, use Flamethrower and Ice Beam on Beautifly!"

"Blaziken, jump up and protect Beautifly with Fire Spin!" May shouts.

Blaziken gets up and jumps high into the air until it is right in front of its teammate in midair. It unleashes another powerful Fire Spin that easily overpowers Flamethrower and Ice Beam before it hits Braixen and Poliwag, knocking them off their feet. Serena's confidence fades a little as she loses points, and Beautifly finishes healing with the burns in its body gone.

"Now, time our Fire Spin and Psychic combo!" May commands.

Serena frowns and shouts, "Braixen, Poliwag, use a Fire Blast and Ice Beam combo!"

Braixen and Poliwag get up, and Braixen shoots Fire Blast while Poliwag shoots a light blue beam that flies behind Braixen's attack. The two combos collide, but the power and speed of the Fire Spin and Psychic combo is stronger and so overpowers the Fire Spin and Ice Beam combo before having to its target.

"Braixen, Poliwag, move away!" Serena cries out.

But before Braixen and Poliwag can try to dodge, the combo hits them hard and knocks them off their feet. Serena looks at the scratches and burns surrounding her Pokemon's bodies while the judges take away more points.

"What another great Fire Spin and Psychic combo from Blaziken and Beautifly!" Lilian comments. "This battle might be over soon unless Serena thinks of something."

Serena grows worried, unsure of what she can do. Braixen and Poliwag are still trying to get up while the timer on the screen passes the 3-minute mark. But then she subconsciously places her right hand on her ribbon, and looks down to look at it. She then turns to where Ash is in the stands beside Pikachu, Max, Dawn, and Piplup. He's cheering his heart out just like during the Indigo Grand Festival, and Serena's heart melts, realizing he's supporting her out of love instead of as a friend this time. She smiles and sighs blissfully before she faces the battlefield with a determined look.

"I can do this. I can do this," Serena says to herself. "I've gotten much stronger since the last Grand Festival, and now I have Ash by my side always. That's all I need to keep moving on with a smile, knowing that Ash loves me and is there for me to remind me not to give up until the end. Ash is expecting me to give it my all, and I won't let him down."

Unknown to the honey blonde girl, Braixen and Poliwag overhear what Serena is saying to herself. Poliwag, in particular, is moved by its trainer's perseverance and joy that her feelings have for Ash have been returned. Uplifted by Serena's attitude, Poliwag's face turns focused, and its entire body starts glowing white. Everyone turns to the bright light, surprised as Serena's Pokemon grows a foot, and two arms appear on its sides. Serena stares at the bright light on awe until it fades away to reveal a Poliwhirl lying on the floor on its back.

"What a surprise!" Lilian shouts. "Serena's Poliwag evolved into Poliwhirl in the middle of the battle!"

It takes a moment before Serena processes what happened before she smiles brightly and shouts, "Poliwhirl, that's wonderful!"

"Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl shouts proudly as it gets up and offers its hand to Braixen.

The fox Pokemon smirks and takes Poliwhirl's hand before the tadpole Pokemon helps it up, and they turn to face their opponents again. May and Beautifly smile while Blaziken sneers, unimpressed.

"Congratulations, Serena, but I'm still going to win this!" May claims before turning to her Pokemon. "Beautifly, use Silver Wind and Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!"

Serena smirks and says, "Braixen, Poliwhirl, dodge Silver Wind and use Flamethrower on Beautifly and Ice Beam on Blaziken's legs."

Blaziken's fists glow blue and charges while Beautifly flaps its wings and when filled with silver crescents blow toward Braixen and Poliwhirl. Serena's Pokemon jump away before they unleash their attacks. Braixen's Flamethrower hits Beautifly hard, and the butterfly Pokemon struggles to stay airborne with its body covered in burns again. Poliwhirl's Ice Beam comes out bigger and stronger than it did before, and it successfully hits both of Blaziken's legs, holding them down on the ground. Blaziken's fists stop glowing, and it starts moving back and forth again with its arms flailing before it manages to stay in balance.

"Excellent. Now use Fire Blast on Beautifly and Water Gun on Blaziken!" Serena shouts.

Braixen points its stick at Beautifly again and hits it with Fire Blast again. But instead of using Water Gun, Poliwhirl spontaneously raises its hands, and a large wave of water emerges from the ground in front of it. Serena looks at the wave coming at May's Pokemon in shock before she smiles excitedly.

"Poliwhirl, you learned Surf!" She shouts. "Way to go!"

"Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl says cheerfully.

The brown-haired coordinator looks at the wave and the Fire Blast in horror before she calls out to her Pokemon.

"Beautifly, dodge! Blaziken, stop that Surf with Overheat!" She shouts.

Beautifly flies up to the left to avoid the Fire Blast while Blaziken takes a deep breath with its body glowing faint red and unleashes a white fire with red-orange flame spiraling around it. The mighty fire attack hits the wave of water, destroying it just in time, but some of the water still hits the blaze Pokemon, and it grunts in pain. As the judges remove points from May, Serena gets an idea.

"Poliwhirl, use Double Slap on Blaziken! Braixen, use Fire Blast followed by Hidden Power on Beautifly!" She commands.

Poliwhirl runs over to Blaziken and starts slapping it back and forth while it's distracted from getting partially hit by the water attack. Braixen uses Fire Blast again, and Beautifly dodges without May needing to tell it, but then the fox Pokemon fires Hidden Power right where Beautify is heading, and the attack hits it. May grows worries as she loses more points until she gets an idea.

"Blaziken, fight back with Sky Uppercut and then free your legs with Blaze Kick!" She shows before turning to Beautifly. "Beautifly, use Psychic, followed by Aerial Ace on Braixen!"

Blaziken catches one of Poliwhirl's hands and, with its other hand glowing blue, punches its opponent. Its feet then catches on fire, melting away the ice away before it kicks Poliwhirl hard, knocking it back all the way to the front of Serena's feet. Braixen, meanwhile, gets hit by Psychic and takes several feet back before Beautifly does a flip and slams the fox Pokemon into the ground.

May grins as her opponent loses points and shouts, "Now use Morning Sun, Beautifly!"

Beautifly rises up, and its wings glow white again. Serena frowns before she gets an idea.

"Poliwhirl, Braixen, use Bubble and Flamethrower on Beautifly!"

"Ha! I knew you'd try that again!" May call out. "Blaziken, protect Beautifly with Overheat!"

Once again, Blaziken jumps up high until it's in front of Beautifly in midair. The blaze Pokemon uses a weaker but still powerful Overheat that overpowers Bubble and Flamethrower, but Serena just smirks at what is happening.

"And I knew you'd that!" She calls out to May matter-of-factly. "Braixen, use Flamethrower on Beautifly again, and Poliwhirl, use Surf!"

May's eyes widen, realizing she's been duped. Poliwhirl summons another wave of water just as Blaziken is landing back on the ground, and it crashes on top of May's partner. At the same time, Braixen uses Flamethrower again, and it hits Beautifly while it's still healing, causing it to stop using Morning Sun and shut its eyes while struggling to stay airborne again.

"Now, Poliwhirl, use Ice Beam on Beautifly, full blast!" Serena commands.

"Beautifly, dodge it!" May cries out desperately.

But Beautifly is too distracted from the pain to hear May before Poliwhirl uses Ice Beam, and it hits its target. The butterfly Pokemon squeals before it is completely frozen in a block of ice. May's heart sinks as the block of ice trapping her Pokemon hits the ground hard, and the judges remove a large number of her points. The brown-haired coordinator considers telling Blaziken to free its teammate but decides against it, figuring Serena might use the attempt to attack her partner while it's not focused on them.

"Blaziken, can you continue?" She asks.

Blaziken groans and slowly gets up despite being in pain from the water-type attack. May smiles with a little bit of hope in her heart before she becomes determined again.

"Okay, Braixen, Poliwhirl, use Hidden Power and Ice Beam!" Serena commands.

"Blaziken, dodge them both, and then use Overheat!" May orders.

Serena's Pokemon fire their respective attacks, but Blaziken jumps away to avoid them before using Overheat. The fire-type move is weaker than before, but it effective enough for Braixen and Poliwhirl to take some damage.

"Now use Blaze Kick and then Sky Uppercut while they're disoriented!" May shouts.

"Braixen, Poliwhirl, watch out!" Serena shouts.

Blaziken grins and runs toward its distracted opponents. When it's close enough, it kicks Poliwhirl with fire at the edge of its leg and punches Braixen in the face with its fist glowing blue. Both Pokemon fall down, and the judges take away some of Serena's points.

"Now use Fire Spin on Poliwhirl and then Sky Uppercut again on Braixen!" May instructs.

"Poliwhirl, rollover to dodge and Braixen, use Hidden Power followed by Scratch!"

Poliwhirl rolls toward Serena, dodging the Fire Spin. Braixen gets up on its legs and fires a light blue ball that hits Blaziken from behind before it runs toward it and scratches Blaziken's back, making the blaze Pokemon groan in pain.

"Poliwhirl, use Surf!" Serena shouts.

May gasps and shouts, "Blaziken, move away, quick!"

But the blaze Pokemon is too close for it to dodge anything. Poliwhirl raises its hands up, summoning another wave of water, and Blaziken can do nothing but watch in horror as the wave rises up before crashing on top of it. May's heart sinks as she hears a cry from her partner before the water disappears with Blaziken lying on the floor and the judges pressing their buzzards.

"Blaziken is down for the count, and Beautifly is still trapped in the block of ice!" Lilian announces. "With both of May's Pokemon incapacitated or unconscious and just half a minute left on the clock, the winner of the battle and of the Johto Grand Festival is none other than Serena!"

The crowd screams in thunderous applause, and Serena stays still blankly before she fully processed what happened and smiles brightly.

"We won!" She exclaims before running to her Pokemon and hugging them tightly. "Braixen, Poliwhirl, we did it! We finally did it!"

"Braixen!" Braixen screams joyfully.

"Poliwhirl!" Poliwhirl shouts.

May frowns sadly before returning Blaziken and Beautifly back into their Pokeballs. She then walks over to Serena, who is still celebrating with her Pokemon. May clears her throat to grab Serena's attention, and the honey blonde girl and her Pokemon stop celebrating and turn to the brown-haired coordinator.

"Congratulations, Serena," May says, extending her hand. "You have finally beaten me at my own game."

Serena smiles at her friends and shakes May's hand, saying, "Thank you, May."

Lilian walks over to the two girls and Braixen and Poliwhirl, carrying a golden trophy. Serena turns to the announcer with a bright smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Serena," Lilian says, handing the trophy to Serena. "You are this year's Johto Top Coordinator."

Serena's smile grows as she looks at the trophy before turning she looks up to face Lilian again and saying, "Thank you so much."

Serena turns to the audience and holds her trophy high into the air. The audience applauds loudly again, warming Serena's heart at the sight of so many of people happy for her. She then turns to the front stands to see Ash and Dawn cheering with Pikachu and Piplup bouncing up and down while Max frowns sadly. Her eyes are on Ash, however, as she watches him cheering his heart out, jumping and shaking his fists in the air like a maniac. She one again giggles with her mouth closed at Ash's demeanor before looking at him with indescribable bliss, knowing that all of his support comes out of heartfelt love.

Eventually, Lilian says a few words before she announces that the festival has been concluded. Serena returns Braixen and Poliwhirl to their Pokeballs before she and May exit the battlefield and walk back to the waiting room. It isn't long after they enter the room before Serena's heart skips a beat at the sound of a raspy voice.

"Serena!"

Serena and May turn around to find Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, and Max racing toward them with Ash leading and Max running from behind. Serena smiles happily and hands her trophy to May before running into Ash's arms. The two of them hug each other with Serena giving Ash a tight squeeze before they move their heads back to face each other.

"Fantastic job, Serena!" Ash exclaims. "I knew you can do it!"

Serena giggles and says, "Lower your voice, Ash."

Ash chuckles and says, "Sorry. I'm just so thrilled. You won the Grand Festival."

Serena smiles sweetly before she leans in for a kiss. Ash chuckles with his mouth covered by Serena's lips before he pulls her in to deepen the kiss. Pikachu, May, Max, and Piplup stare at the display dumbfounded while Dawn puts her hands together and watches Ash and Serena kiss with a giddy smile.

"Boy, it's going to be a long time before I get used to seeing them like that," May says.

"Tell me about it," Max says. "First, Brock with Holly, and now Ash is actually in love with someone."

"Pika," Pikachu says with a nod.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps in agreement.

"Well, I think it's wonderful," Dawn squeals. "My two besties together at last!"

Ash and Serena part from their kiss and Serena looks at the boy she loves blissfully before she pulls him in for another tight hug.

"Oh, Ash, I love you," she proclaims, resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much. You don't know how happy I am to finally say it."

Ash grins and hugs Serena back with his eyes closed and says, "I love you too, and I'm happy that you're happy."

Serena's smile grows, and she rests her head against Ash's head with her cheeks warming up. The two of them pull their heads back again and stare into other's eyes before Ash speaks.

"So, here's what I'm thinking," he begins. "The two of us and Pikachu go back home and then find a new region to explore and see all sorts of new Pokemon together. We'll make new friends, catch more Pokemon - maybe there's a Pokemon league and maybe Pokemon contests or showcases or something like that, but either way, we'll both grow stronger together. How does that sound?"

Serena smiles and blissfully says, "That sounds perfect."

"Great. Then let's have your new trophy mailed to your mom, and then we can head out," Ash suggests.

"Great," Serena says.

With that, everyone goes to the Indigo Plateau's Pokemon Center so that Serena and have Braixen and Poliwhirl healed up. Serena and Ash call Grace to announce that she won and that the two of them are together. Grace is thrilled that her daughter one, but was dumbfounded for a moment when she learned about their relationship before saying she's happy for both of them. After the video call, Serena heads to the post office with, May, Dawn and Piplup while Ash calls Delia with Pikachu and Max's help. While having Serena's trophy set to be delivered to Vaniville Town, the three girls take a moment to scream and laugh in excitement over Ash confessing his love. Once everything is done, the group meets at the front of the Pokemon Center, with Ash running to Serena with Pikachu on his shoulder. He hands Braixen and Poliwhirl's Pokeballs to Serena from the Pokemon Center, and she takes them with an appreciative smile.

"You called your mom?" Serena asks.

"Sure did," Ash says. "She's looking forward to seeing us tonight."

"Tonight?" May asks with her, Dawn, and Serena looking at Ash shocked. "But how are you guys and Pikachu are going to get there?"

Ash gives his friend from Hoenn a toothy grin and takes out a Pokeball saying, "The same way I made it here from the airport before Serena and May's battle."

The raven-haired boy tosses the Pokeball into the air, and it open to reveal Pidgeot. Serena smiles brightly and hugs the large Pokemon.

"Oh, Pidgeot, it's so good to see you!" She exclaims.

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot says with a smile.

"I thought you'd like to see Pidgeot again, Serena," Ash says with a smirk.

Serena turns to Ash and gives him another sweet look. Ash grins back to the girl he loves before turning to the rest of the group.

"Well, we better get going," he says. "The sooner we get to Pallet Town the better."

Everyone nods understanding before Max walks over to Ash and Pikachu, and Serena hugs May and Dawn.

"Take care, you guys," Serena says.

"You too, Serena," Dawn says with a happy smile. "I hope you have the best time together with Ash."

"Me too," May says before giving her honey blonde friend a competitive look. "But if we face each other in a Grand Festival again, I'm going to beat you a second time. That's a promise."

"Same here," Dawn says with a wink

"And I'm making a similar promise to beat you in another Pokemon league, Ash," Max adds.

Ash and Serena give each other amused looks before turning back to their rivals.

"We will see,wou two," Serena says.

"I look forward to seeing you try, Max," Ash says.

May and Max smirk and nod in approval. Ash and Serena turn around, and Pikachu hops off Ash's shoulder and climbs on top of Pidgeot's head before Ash climbs up the bird Pokemon's back and helps Serena climb up and sit behind him. The honey blonde girl wraps her arms around the boy she loves, and Ash turns to her with a warm smile.

"Are you ready?" He asks.

Serena smiles back and kisses Ash's cheek.

"Ready," she replies.

Ash gives Serena a toothy grin and turns his head before saying, "Okay, Pidgeot, let's go!"

"Pidgeot!" Pidgeot replies

The large bird Pokemon starts flapping its wings and lifts itself from the ground. May, Max, Dawn, and Piplup wave their friends goodbye as Pidgeot rises up in the air before it turns around and flies toward Pallet Town. Pikachu holds on to Pidgeot's head while it enjoys watching the view, but for the two teenagers, the only thing that's on their minds is the joy they feel to be together at last.

**Author's Note: Don't go away guys! There's still two more chapters to go!**


	85. Chapter 85

Over the years, Ash and Serena's relationship grew as they traveled together. Some time after going back to Pallet Town, they ended up living in the Sakuragi Institute in Vermillion City. For a time, they traveled to various regions with a boy named Go as research fellows for Professor Sakuragi. Eventually, however, after visiting the Galar region a couple of times for the professor's research, Ash and Serena decided to part ways from the Sakuragi Institue to go on a journey through the new region. Together, they went on many more adventures with Pikachu from meeting/capturing new Pokemon and discovering new things such as the power of Dynamix Pokemon. Ash competed in the Galar League, and Serena competed in the Galar Pokemon contests. Ash only made it to the top 4 in the Pokemon League, and Serena lost at the final round of the Galar Grand Festival, but neither of them minded. They were happy to experience more about the world of Pokemon together.

After their first journey to Galar, Ash and Serena started traveling to many more regions and other places in the world. Every now and then, they'll revisit regions like Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, Alola, and Galar out of hopes that either or both will succeed in winning the Pokemon league or Grand Festival or the Pokemon Master Class. On the third year of their relationship, Serena finally defeated Aria in the Master Class, but when she was offered to stay in Kalos to carry on the role of Kalos Queen, she politely declined. When Aria and Palermo asked Serena why, she simply answered that she wanted to continue traveling with her boyfriend, where she can keep making all sorts of people and Pokemon smile all over the world. Aria was disappointed, having expected to finally hand the title of Kalos Queen to Serena, but Palermo understood, knowing that Serena's dream lies far beyond Kalos.

Things were also going well for Ash and Serena's friends. When Ash first took Serena to Alola, they found out that Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet had a child, much to their joy. It was also two years after Holly moved to Pewter City that Brock asked her to marry him. Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and all their friends met up in Sinnoh, where Holly wanted to get married so that her parents can be there. At the wedding, Ash was Brock's Best Man, and Serena was Holly's Maid of Honor. During the ceremony, Brock's mom had to calm down his dad because he was tearing up to see his eldest son finally get married. Soon after, Holly had their first child and true to their promise to each other; she and Brock stayed in Pewter City to always be there for their children, unlike Brock's parents, as they continue to have more children.

Some of their friends started getting together or getting married. It took a while before May confessed how she feels about Drew, and it turned out he felt the same and was waiting for her to say it. Dawn reunited her rival coordinator from Sinnoh, Kenny, and eventually, they also started a relationship after years of Kenny pursuing her. When Bonnie and Max where in their teens, the two of them traveled to Kalos together with May and Drew while Max was collecting badges for the Kalos League and May competed in Pokemon showcases. Halfway through their journey, Bonnie bluntly told Max how she feels about him, and it took a minute before he processed her spontaneous confession and admitted he feels the same way. Finally, when they were in their twenties, Alain brought it upon himself to admit that he has loved Mairin for years, making her very happy, and the two of them married not long after.

All in all, things were looking up for Ash, Serena and everyone they care about. The two of them have gone through ups and downs like any loving couple will, and sometimes they will win tournaments like a Pokemon League the Grand Festival, but most times, they will lose. But either way, their relationship grew stronger as they couldn't be happier as long as they are together supporting each other's dreams.

It is early in the evening at Lily of the Lake Island. Serena has recently competed in the Sinnoh Grand Festival for the fifth time and made it all the way to the semifinals before she was defeated by a red-haired woman named Olive, who ultimately won the tournament. Soon after, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu traveled from Lake Valley to the Lily of the Valley Island, where Ash is going to compete in the Sinnoh League again.

Ash and Serena are adults now, and Ash has gotten taller while Serena becomes more beautiful like she said she would. But even so, she is beautiful in Ash's eyes no matter how she looks, which warms Serena's heart whenever he says it. The two of them are out in the forest near the city, sitting under a tree where they can watch the sunset with Pikachu cuddled up in a ball while sleeping next to them. Ash is lying on his back against the tree while Serena cuddles next to him with her head lying on Ash's chest and her arm wrapped around her beloved boyfriend. The two of them have happy smiles on their faces as they watch the sunset under the ocean with the sky glowing yellow, orange, pink, and purple. Serena lets out a long, happy sigh as she enjoys the moment.

"Serena, are you alright?"

Serena lifts her head and looks at Ash, confused. The raven-haired man is looking at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Of course, Ash," she says. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you were sighing, and I was worried that you were devastated that you lost the Grand Festival," Ash answers. "You were really sure that you were going to win this time, so I thought you were really disappointed."

Serena blinks before she giggles with her mouth closed. She caresses Ash's cheek fondly while giving him a loving smile.

"You are so sweet," she says. "But that was a happy sigh, Ash. I am a little bummed that I lost, but that's hardly something to be upset about. I'm perfectly happy because I gave it my all, I learned new things, Olive was a talented opponent, I made so many people happy, and best of all, I have you."

This time, Ash looks at Serena, confused for a moment before he chuckles as if his girlfriend told him something silly.

"What are you talking about?" He chortles. "We're together. You'll always have me."

Serena's smile grows, and she leaned her head, so give her boyfriend a soft, tender kiss.

"I know," she says when they part. "But even after twelve years, I'm still thankful that you're mine and I'm yours, and I always will be no matter what. I just love you that much."

Ash smiles back warmly and says, "I'm glad to hear it."

The two of them lean in for another brief kiss before Serena rests her head on Ash's chest again. The raven-haired man puts his arm around the love of his life and smiles finally at her before he kisses her head. He rests his head against the tree again and watches the sun getting closer to set by the moment. But as they enjoy their moment, a thought enters Ash's mind, and he debates on whether or not to do it. He considers holding off what he's thinking of, but his heart wants to do otherwise.

After a moment of debating, he makes his decision, turns to Pikachu, and lightly pokes the mouse Pokemon in the head. Pikachu slowly wakes up with a cute yawn before turning to his partner. Ash mouths something to Pikachu and points to a pocket in his backpack lying next to the couple. It takes Pikachu a moment before its ears rise up, and it's smiles before nodding and walking over to Ash's backpack. The mouse Pokemon quietly unzips the side pocket in Ash's backpack to make sure Serena doesn't hear it and then takes out a small black box inside it. Pikachu then walks over to Ash, and Ash carefully takes the box with his free hand before clearing his throat, earning Serena's attention.

"You know, I've been thinking about a couple of things lately," he begins. "Mainly, how I'm also thankful to be with you, and how I'm glad that you are happy to be with me."

Serena sits up and smiles fondly at her boyfriend.

"In fact, I've been thinking about how happy some of our friends are together; Brock and Holly, Alain and Mairin, and Professor Kukui and Professor Burnet," Ash continues. "Especially how they love each other so much that they've taken their relationship to the next step."

Serena's smile slowly fades, unsure of what Ash is getting at.

"I was going to wait until after the Sinnoh League to ask this, but I don't want to wait anymore," Ash says, "I think we're ready for another big adventure together, and I want to see if you agree."

Serena keeps looking at Ash confused until she puts the pieces together, and her eyes widen.

"A-Ash?" She asks.

Ash smiles before he shows his girlfriend the black box in his left hand. Serena feels her cheeks heat up, and she lets out a soft squeak as Ash opens the little box to reveal a silver ring with a small diamond on top.

"Whaddya say, Serena?" Ash asks with a toothy grin. "Wanna marry me?"

Serena covers her mouth, and her face turns completely red. She stares at the ring, unable to believe that it's meant for her. She turns to Pikachu, who just smiles at the honey blonde woman, confirming that what is happening is real. She then turns back to Ash, who is giving her a look of hope that she will say yes. Once she has fully processed what is happening before her, tears begin to form in her eyes, and she smiles knowing what her answer is.

"Yes," she says softly. "Yes, I will marry you, Ash."

Ash, his eyes light up, and his heart skips a beat at the word yes.

"Awesome!" he exclaims.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouts.

Ash sits up and takes the ring out from the box and puts it on Serena's finger. Serena lifts her hand to looks at the ring on her finger as her heart races. She closes her eyes and tries to contain a fit of giggles before she bursts out laughing and throws herself at Ash. Serena smothers her fiance with kisses, making Ash laugh out loud as if she's tickling him. When the honey blonde woman finishes, she and Ash stare at each other with loving eyes while she caresses his cheek again.

"We're getting married," she says.

"We sure are," Ash says with another toothy grin.

Serena's smile grows, and she pecks Ash's cheek again before she says, "We need to tell our moms tonight."

"The sooner, the better," Ash agrees. "No doubt, they will want to help organize our wedding."

Serena's heart skips a beat, and she giggles with her mouth closed again at the words, "our wedding."

"It'll be a big wedding for sure," she says. "We have so many friends to invite."

"Not to mention all of our Pokemon will want to be there," Ash adds.

Serena nods and says, "I suppose there would be no room for a chapel or anything like that. It'll have to be outdoors."

"I thought it would," Ash says. "That's why I figured we'd have it over in Pallet Town. There's so much landscape there. We could even have it at the Oak Corral since our Pokemon are already there."

Serena looks at Ash sweetly, happy that her beloved has thought ahead. Her smile turns into a smirk.

"First thing's first, though," she says. "We call our moms tonight, and tomorrow you have the Sinnoh League to win."

Ash smirks back and says, "You're right. And now that I know we're getting married, I'm confident that no one is going to stop me from winning this time. Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu squeals cheerfully.

When Ash and Serena announced to Delia and Grace that they are engaged, they were ecstatic. The two of them demand that they organize the wedding just as the couple predicted. Neither of them wait to spread the word to all of Ash and Serena's friends while Ash competed in the Sinnoh League again. Every time Ash and Serena return to the Lily of the Valley Island's Pokemon Center after Ash has a battle, Nurse Joy informs the couple of multiple video phone calls of friends demanding to call them so that they can congratulate them and express their excitement. Ash asked Brock to be his Best Man, and for Gary, Clemont Tracey, and Max to be his groomsman, and they all said yes. Dawn happily agreed to be Serena's Maid of Honor and Shauna, May, Bonnie, and Aria agreed to be her bridesmaids. Finally, they asked Professor Oak to officiate the wedding, and he said yes with a warm smile.

Ultimately, after a big, lengthy battle against a strong opponent named Keanu, Ash won the Sinnoh League at last, much to his fiance's joy. Soon after, the two of them and Pikachu flew

back to Kanto to find both Delia and Grace, who flew from Kalos, waiting for them. Within the next three months, the two older women worked nonstop to prepare for the wedding. It wasn't long before many invitations came back with people saying that they are coming.

Finally, the day of the wedding came, and the Oak Corral is crowded with people and Pokemon. Some of the guests include Holly and all seven of her and Brock's children, Misty and her sisters, May and Drew, Kenny, Iris and Cilan, Lance, Palermo, Go, Professor Sakuragi, his daughter, Koharu, many of the gyms leaders Ash and Serena have befriended across the world, and Scott and the entire Battle Frontier. Lucy brought her sisters with her, and although seeing Brock and Holly with their children is unsettling, deep down, she is content that Brock is happy. Coovers announced that he is going to be late, but there is no sign of Timothy anywhere.

Serena is in one of the rooms inside Professor Oak's laboratory and Grace is helping her put on her wedding dress. Braixen, who is now a Delphox, Pancham, Sylveon, Absol, and Poliwhirl, who is now a Poliwrath watch Serena get ready, thrilled that she's soon to get married. Once the two women are finished, Serena turns to her Pokemon and spins around.

"What do you think, everyone?" Serena asks.

"Delphox!" Delphox exclaims happily.

"Pancham!" Pancham says with a thumbs up.

"Sylveon!" Sylveon squeaks cutely.

"Absol!" Excitedly shouts to its mother figure.

"Poliwrath!" Poliwrath answers with glee.

"I'm glad!" Serena answers with a smile.

"I'm glad you like it, dear, but I still wish you had let me pick something less plain.," Grace says with a look of concern.

"Coming from you, mom, that means it's perfect," Serena replies.

"Why did I even bother?" Grace mumbles to herself before she smiles and says, "Well, as long as Ash likes it, then it's all that matters."

Serena nods and looks at herself in the mirror.

"He's going to love it," she says confidently.

Her Pokemon nod in agreement. Grace's smile grows, and she walks over to put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and look at her in the mirror with her.

"I can't believe you are getting married," she says with a happy sigh. "I still remember that talk we had after your first Grand Festival, and you were worried that the two of you wouldn't always be traveling together."

"Hmmm," Serena says while she puts her hand on Grace's right hand. "And now here I am just minutes away from being united with him forever. My goal is about to be fully accomplished."

Serena's Pokemon nod, sharing the excitement with their trainer. The honey blonde woman and her mom and Pokemon remain silent until there's a knock on the door.

"Come in," Serena says.

The door opens to reveal Cilan in a nice suit.

"The ceremony is about to start in 5 minutes, Serena," he announces.

"Okay, thank you, Cilan," Serena replies.

Cilan closes the door, leaving the two women and the Pokemon alone again. Grace takes a large breath before she turns to her daughter.

"Are you ready?" She asks.

"Almost," Serena answers.

Grace looks at her, confused until Serena walks over to her purse and opens it to take out a faded blue ribbon. Her mother and her Pokemon smile as she ties it around her neck. The honey blonde woman looks at herself in the mirror and caresses the old ribbon fondly before she turns to Grace.

"Okay, I'm ready," she says.

Grace smiles, and she walks over to hugs Serena before handing her a bouquet of flowers. Grace then leaves the room to get to her seat outside while Serena and her Pokemon take positions. Delphox and Poliwrath hold the back of her dress while Pancham, Sylveon, and Absol stand in front of Serena.

"Alright, everyone. Here we go," Serena says.

Her Pokemon nod and they all exit the room and walk down the hall with the three smaller Pokemon leading. Iris is waiting for them in front of the door leading to Oak Corral, and she opens the door for them to exit the building. Outside, Serena can see two rows of people standing between a red carpet that leads to an altar. Behind them are all sorts of Pokemon that Ash and Seren have caught over the years, all happy to witness this moment. Everyone turns their heads to watch Serena walk down the carpet.

One of Brock and Holly's younger children, Sophie, steps in front of Serena and her Pokemon, carrying a basket of pink and blue petals and starts tossing them down the carpet as she walks ahead of the bride and her Pokemon. At the front of the altar is Professor Oak standing in the middle and Ash standing next to him on the left. Next to Ash is Brock, Gary, Clemont, Tracey, and Max in nice suits. Standing on Professor Oak's right side is Dawn, Shauna, Aria, May, and Bonnie in red, white, and pink dresses.

Serena feels goosebumps all over her body at the sight of Ash in a tuxedo waiting for her with a bright smile. It takes all of her willpower to keep herself from shaking as the reality of what is happening sinks in. Once she's at the altar, Sophie leaves to sit next to her mother, and her brothers and sisters, and Serena's Pokemon leave to stand next to the other Pokemon while Serena herself hands her bouquet to Dawn and stands next to Ash and the two of them hold hands. Everyone turns to Professor Oak, who clears his throat and puts his hands behind his back.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man and this woman," he announces. "As I look around, I see so many people and Pokemon from various parts of the world to watch these two be united in holy matrimony. Serena left home to see Ash again after years of being apart, and Ash ultimately held off his desire to find a new region to explore so he could travel all the way to Indigo Plateau to confess his feelings to Serena."

Serena and Ash turns to each other and smile lovingly while the professor continues.

"But whether they are together or apart, they bring out the best in all of us. Ash has traveled throughout the world to be a Pokemon Master, and Serena has pursued her desire to make all sorts of people and Pokemon happy. They both have a ways to go with both of their goals, but in the end, I think we can all agree that if it weren't for the two of them, none of us would be who we are today. Indeed, my old eyes can't deny how Ash and Serena have made such an impact with so many of us in big and small ways. They've been with us through moments of loss, victory, discouragement, growth, challenges, accomplishments, tears, laughter, and more. It comes to show how even if you have captured all of the Pokemon in the world, win every competition there is, and be praised endlessly by the whole world, what's more, important is the love and fellowship we have with one another."

Everyone apart from the bride and groom look at each other and smile and nod, wholeheartedly agreeing with Professor Oak. The old man then turns to Ash and smiles.

"So, in front of all of these loved ones, I ask, Ash, will you take Serena to be your lawful wedded wife?" He asks. "Will you love and honor her, to have and to hold in wealth and poverty, sickness and in health, for better or worse, from this day forward?"

"You bet I will!" Ash says proudly with a toothy grin.

Everyone laughs at Ash's enthusiasm. Serena covers her mouth to hide a giggle as Professor Oak turns to her.

"And Serena, will you take Ash to be your lawfully wedded husband?" He asks. "Will you love and honor him, to have and to hold in wealth and poverty, sickness and in health, for better or worse, from this day forward?"

Serena turns to Ash, and she squeezes his hand as she looks at him with her heart full of love.

"I will," she says with a blissful sigh.

Some members of the crowd "awwww" quietly, touched by the moment.

"Very well. May we have the rings?" Professor Oak asks.

Everyone turns to Pikachu, who is standing beside Delia at the end of the row of people closest to Ash. The mouse Pokemon walks on its back legs while carrying a purple pillow with two gold bands lying on top of it. Pikachu walks over to Professor Oak, who bends down and picks up the pillow before Pikachu goes back to standing beside Delia. The Pokemon Professor holds the rings out to the bride and groom, and Serena takes one of them and puts it on Ash's finger. The bride feels goosebumps all over her body again as she watches the love of her life take the other ring and give her a toothy grin before putting it on her finger. Her cheeks turn red as the two of them turn to face Professor Oak.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife," the Pokemon professor announces. "Therefore, let no man or Pokemon tear apart what has been brought together."

The old man then turns to Ash, and with a smile and a wink, he says, "Ash, you may kiss your bride."

Ash and Serena turn to face each other with Ash pulling his bride close to him, and Serena placing her hands on Ash's chest. The two of them stare at each other lovingly with their hearts racing, knowing that what they are about to do is the beginning of a wonderful new journey. After a brief moment, the two of them lean their heads and kiss each other. The sound of people and Pokemon cheering is drowned out by their moment of moving their lips against each other passionately. Serena can feel tiny tears of joy emerging from the side of her closed eyes while she kisses her husband. When the two of them finally part, they look at each other lovingly again and turn around to see everyone still cheering and applauding.

"And now it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you for the first time Ash and Serena Ketchum!" Professor Oak proudly announces.

Everyone cheers and applauds louder than before, and Serena's heart skips a beat, and she beams at the sound of her being called Serena Ketchum for the very first time. Ash gives everyone a happy grin before he picks up his wife bridal style and carries her down the carpet. Serena is alarmed by this at first, but then she gives in to the moment by wrapping her arms around her husband's head and laughs happily with him. When they're on the other side of the carpet, Ash puts Serena down, and they turn to the crowd and wave.

"Now, let's start the reception!" Ash declares.

Everyone else cheers loudly again, and they head further into the corral where food, tables are waiting for them.

For the next two hours, everyone is enjoying the festivities with cheer. After everyone had their fill during lunch, Ash and Serena cut their cake with is big enough for all of the people and Pokemon to enjoy. A couple of extra cakes were made to keep Snorlax and May and Professor Burnett's Munchlax from eating the main cake.

Once everyone is done eating, A DJ came to play a song for Ash and Serena's first dance. Since Ash can hardly dance at all, the married couple requested a very soft and soothing song so that they can simply move back and forth slowly with Ash's hands on Serena's waist and her arms wrapped around his head. The two of them stare at each other as they dance while everyone else happily watches them. Delia and Grace fight the urge to cry while they watch their children dance. Dawn. May, Mairin, and Bonnie blissfully sigh simultaneously while they stand and watch next to Kenny, Drew, Alain, and Max, respectively. Holly rests her head against Brock's shoulder while they watch their two friends. Even Misty watches Ash dance with his bride with a heart-warming smile. When the song ends, Ash and Serena kiss each other softly before they head back to their table.

The DJ then starts playing upbeat music, and people and Pokemon alike start dancing happily. Dawn, May, and Bonnie lead their boyfriends to the dancefloor, and Mairin gives Alain a pleading look that he can't resist before ultimately agreeing to dance with his wife. While their 11-year-old child dances with the other kids, Professor Kukui sweeps Professor Burnet off her feet as they dance together, making his wife blush furiously as he never looks away from her. Shauna and her Pokemon are dancing together with Lillie, Lana, Mallow, and their Pokemon as if they are in a showcase together.

As their friends happily dance, people line up to congratulate Ash and Serena. At the end of the line, Anabel is the third-to-last person to speak to the bride and groom.

"Congratulations, you two," she says. "I can feel the close bond that the two of you have created together for so long, and I know that it's only going to get stronger."

"Thank you, Anabel," Serena says kindly.

"Yeah, thanks," Ash says.

Anabel leaves and secretly holds her hand close to her, feeling content with what she senses between the couple. Miette comes next with her hands behind her back

"I gotta hand it to you two, I'm impressed," she says. "I know that you've been together for years, but I didn't expect you to finally tie the knot."

"Well, we sure proved you wrong," Ash says proudly with a grin.

"Indeed," Miette says before turning to Serena. "You better hold on to him, Serena. Don't want to lose him to somebody."

Miette winks and walks away just in time to not see Serena glare at her. Ash watches Miette walk away in confusion before he turns to his wife.

"What is she talking about?" He asks.

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Serena says while still watching Miette walk away.

Ash blinks in confusion before he decides to drop it just in time for Misty to approach the couple. Serena turns her head to see the orange-haired woman who gives her and Ash a soft smile.

"Congratulations, Ash, Serena," she says. "I'm happy for both of you."

"Thank you, Misty," Ash says with Serena nodding. "How are things at the Cerulean City gym?"

Misty's smile falters, and she looks down at the ground.

"It's going alright, but it gets lonely," she says. "All my sisters are married or engaged and living outside of Cerulean City."

Ash and Serena frown, and the former asks, "Have you thought about finding someone?"

Misty winces, disturbed that it's Ash of all people who is asking that. Even though Misty has accepted that Ash and Serena belong to each other together years ago, hearing him ask the question is a cruel irony for her.

"I don't have a lot of time to look," she answers. "I need to keep watch of the gym, and I don't think I'll find someone even if I try."

"I don't know, Misty," Ash says, putting his hand on top of Serena's. "No one thought I would return Serena's feelings, and now we just got married. Anything is possible."

Misty winces again, and Serena looks at her sympathetically, knowing that Ash is unintentionally doing more harm than good. But before she can speak to help Misty out of the awkward moment, Tracey walks up behind Misty and taps her behind the shoulder. She turns around to find him looking at her with a shy but warm smile and scratching his cheek before he speaks.

"Hey, Misty," he says.

Misty looks at him, confused, and asks, "Hey, Tracey, what's up?"

Tracey hesitates while still scratching his teeth.

"Well…it's been a while," he says.

"Uh...yes it has," Misty says.

Ash and Serena look at each other confused, unsure of what Tracey is doing before he speaks again.

"Look, Misty, I really wanted to that you that…"

He stops himself in the middle of his sentence, and his cheeks heat up. Serena's eyes widen, realizing what is happening while Ash and Misty are as clueless as ever. Finally, Tracey shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath before he lets it out.

"I just excited to say that you look very pretty tonight!" He blurts out. "I've always thought you look pretty and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't tell you now!"

Misty lets out a small gasp, completely taken aback. Ash and Serena are also surprised as Tracey continues with his eyes still shut.

"Would you like to dance with me?" Tracey asks with his voice squeaking at the last two words.

The four adults stay silent for a minute. Tracey still has his eyes shut, and his hands are shaking, afraid that Misty might refuse or even laugh at him. The orange-haired woman stares at him until her brain fully processes what her friend just said before she blinks and looks away, feeling a little bashful herself.

"Uh...okay," she manages to say.

Tracey's eyes snap open, and he looks at Misty, surprised. His mouth is agape, and he waits for her to give him a small smile as a way of confirming that she said what he heard. His mouth moves up to a happy smile as he offers his hand to her, and she takes it before they head off to go dance with the others. Ash and Serena are still staring at the two of them before Ash turns to his wife.

"I did not see that coming," he says. "Misty and Tracey?"

Serena watching Tracey and Misty start dancing together before she smiles and rests her head on her husband's shoulder.

"It's just like you said, Ash," says. "Anything is possible."

Ash turns this wife and smile before kissing the top of her head. He rests his head on top of hers, and the two of them enjoy their quiet moment until Ash sees five people walking toward them. He lifts his head, and Serena looks at him, confused before she looks at his direction and gasps.

"Coovers!" She shouts.

Coovers is walking toward the newlyweds with a warm smile. Behind him is a tall woman with light brown hair holding a nine-month-old girl and three identical eight-year-old boys. The woman is wearing a short, dark blue dress, the girl is wearing a white and pink dress, the boys are wearing black pants and white buttoned shirts, and Coovers is wearing a casual suit. Ash and Serena run over to Coovers, and Serena hugs him tightly.

"Looks like we missed most of the wedding," Coovers says with a sad smile. "Sorry, guys."

"No worries," Ash says. "The important thing is you're here. But who's here with you?"

Coovers turns to the woman and children and smiles proudly as he walks over to the woman and puts his hand on her back.

"Ash, Serena, this is my family," he says.

"Your family?" Ash asks, shocked.

Serena smiles brightly as she looks like the woman.

"You found her!" She exclaims.

The woman chuckles and says, "Yes, he did. I'm Erin, and this little one I'm holding is Ashley."

"Nice to meet you, Erin," Ash greets.

"Aww!" Serena coos as she walks over to look at Ashley. "She's so cute!"

Ashley shyly turns her head and buries her face in her mother's shoulders. The four adults laugh before Coovers turns to the three identical boys.

"These are our triplet sons," he says. "The one on the left is Scrooge, the one in the middle is Bob, and the one on the right is Marley."

"Scrooge, Bob, and Marley," Ash says. "Nice to meet you, boys."

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Ketchum," Scrooge, Bob, and Marley say simultaneously.

"Oh, no need to call me that. Just call me Ash," Ash chortles while scratching under his nose.

Serena is still trying to get Ashley to look at her until she realizes something.

"Hey, where's Timothy? Is he with you?" She asks.

"Uncle Timothy had to stay at home with Christopher and Aunt -" Scrooge begins before Coovers clears his throat.

"Scrooge, you know your mother and I were supposed to explain that," Coovers says in a fatherly way.

Scrooge looks away ashamedly while Ash and Serena look at Coovers devastated.

"He couldn't come?" Ash asks.

Coovers and Erin look at each other before the former gives the newlyweds a sad smile and says, "We were going to surprise you with both of our families."

"Both?" Serena asks, surprised. "You mean Timothy also…?"

Erin smiles and says, "They had just celebrated their fifth anniversary a month ago. Their son, Christopher, is three years old now, and they're expecting their daughter, Judy, in two months."

"Aww! They're naming her after Grandma Judy!" Serena coos happily again before she realizes something. "Two months? Does that mean…?"

"Yeah, that's why they couldn't make it," Coovers says, smiling sadly again. "They've been living in Galar since before they got married. Timothy hoped that she wouldn't be too far in to fly internationally, but the doctor said they would be pushing it at twenty-nine weeks."

Serena and Ash frown, disappointed.

"That's a shame. We haven't seen him since after the battle with Team Rocket," Serena says.

Ash frowns until he puts on a cheerful smile and says, "Well, now that we know that he lives in Galar, maybe we can visit him after our honeymoon so we can meet his family."

Serena turns to Ash and smiles, admiring his positive attitude before she says, "That would be wonderful. I would like to meet Mrs. Timothy Durbin."

"Oh, she would love that, believe me," Erin says. "She loves your performances and loves watching Timothy cheer Ash on whenever he's competing in a Pokemon league."

"Yeah, he says nice job on winning the Sinnoh League, by the way," Coovers asks.

Ash grins before he looks at Coovers curiously.

"But if he's staying in Galar, does that mean he stopped trying to win every Pokemon league and beat every champion anymore?" He asks.

"Of course not," Coovers says assuringly. "He's won a few leagues like you and has taken down a couple of champions, but he has also collected all the badges and such to qualify for all of the known leagues. He and his family go on trips for when he competes in a league again, but otherwise, they stay in Galar where they can raise their kids. So, I guess you can say he found something more important than his dream like you, Ash."

Ash smiles and puts his hand around Serena's waist to pulls her closer to him.

"I'm glad to hear it," he says. "Cause I don't know what I would be like without Serena."

"Oh, Ash," Serena coos, resting her head on his shoulder again.

Coovers and Laura nod before Erin remembers something.

"Oh, my goodness," she says in alarm before turning to Coovers. "Coovie Bear, the gifts."

"Oh, that's right. Thank you, Honey Raisin," Coovers says before reaching into his pocket. "Timothy wanted to make sure that his wedding gifts were at least able to come to the wedding."

Ash and Serena smile excitedly, curious about what their gifts are. Their looks of excitement turn into looks of confusion as Coovers takes out a Pokeball and a folded sheet of paper. The man from Unova gives Ash the Pokeball and Serena the paper. Ash examines the ball curiously until he recognizes the purple top with two pink circles and the white "M" in the middle.

"Hey, isn't this the Pokeball he used to free Arceus?" He asks.

"Yup. That's the Master Ball," Coovers confirms with a smirk. "Since Timothy's not going on any more journeys, he decided it should be given to someone who is. He figured that you'll eventually find another Pokemon to use it on."

"But how can I pick even if every rare and powerful Pokemon appears in front of me?" Ash asks. "There are so many of them."

"I guess that's something you'll have to discover for yourself," Coovers answers with a smirk and a wink. "You do want to be a Pokemon Master, after all."

Ash takes a moment to think about what Coovers says before he smiles and nods. He then turns to Serena, who has a fond look on her eye as she's looking at the paper.

"What's in the paper, Serena?" Ash asks.

Serena folds the paper and turns to Ash, saying, "Oh, just Timothy fulfilling his part of the deal we made a long time ago."

"Deal? What deal?" He asks.

Serena scratches her chin, pretending to think about it before she gives Ash a teasing smirk.

"You'll just have to find out when we go visit him and his family," she answers in a singing voice.

"What? Come on," Ash whines childishly. "We're married now. We shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other."

"Sorry, it's my wedding gift and not yours," Serena says, waving her finger at Ash.

Ash groans in disappointment before he reluctantly says, "Fine. But let's make this the only secret in our married life, okay?"

Serena's smirk turns into a sweet smile before she pecks her husband on the lips.

"Deal," she says.

Ash smiles, satisfied with her answer. Coovers also smiles at the moment with his family until they hear someone calling out his name.

"Coovers!"

Ash and Serena turn around to see Brock racing towards them with a big smile on his face while Holly and their children walk behind him.

"Brock!" Coovers cries out happily as he races toward his friend.

The two grown men run toward each other like star-crossed lovers and embrace with tears in their eyes. Everyone looks them uncomfortably as they cry comically.

"Y-y-you and Holly got married and had children!" Coovers sobs.

"Y-y-you found and married the love of your life and had children!" Brock whimpers.

"I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" They wail loudly at the same time.

Serena and Ash chuckle uncomfortably while Coovers' family looks at him embarrassed. Holly and her children walk over to them, and Erin turns to the auburn-haired woman.

"I've never seen my husband like this before, and I hope I never do again," she says, disturbed.

Holly chuckles and says, "Don't worry. They'll probably stop doing that now that they have us and our kids."

"I hope so," Erin says, unconvinced before she shakes her head and turns to Ash and Serena. "Anyway, before I forget, congratulations on getting married, you too."

"Thank you so much," Serena says, "Please join in. We still have lots of food, and we have people and Pokemon dancing over there."

Scrooge, Bob, and Marley turn to where the dancing is, and their eyes widen at the sight of the Pokemon.

"Whoa, check out the Charizard!" Scrooge shouts excitedly.

"Look at the Gallade!" Bob exclaims.

"Is that an Incinerator?" Marley asks.

Without another word, the triplet boys run toward where the Pokemon as if they are running to a Christmas tree full of presents. Erin runs behind them, calling out to them while still holding Ashley.

"Boys, not so fast!" She rebukes.

Ash and Serena watch Coovers' family running toward the Pokemon that are dancing, and they turn to Holly, who chuckles in amusement.

"Guess they don't see many Pokemon that aren't from Unova," she says.

"I guess so," Serena agrees. "I imagine they want to become Pokemon trainers when they grow up."

"Sounds great to me," Ash says with a toothy grin. "Maybe they'll want some advice on how to be a trainer when they are old enough. I'll make really strong trainers out of them in no time."

Serena giggles with her mouth closed and kisses Ash's cheeks while she wraps her arms around his right arm.

"I'm sure they would love that," she says. "I'm sure they would."

For another hour and a half, the festivities continue with Coovers and his family. Serena and Ash eventually join in the dancing, making everyone laugh at Ash for dancing weirdly and off-beat. The raven-haired man didn't mind as long as he is having fun, and Serena is glad that he's having fun. Finally, as the sky is getting dark and the time came for Ash and Serena to go back inside, Professor Oak's lab and get changed into their normal clothes before they head to the airport where they will be flying to Alola. By the time the newlyweds were done changing, all the people and some of the Pokemon lines up into separate lines and throw rice at Ash and Serena as they run toward Pidgeot. Once they make it to the bird Pokemon, they are about to climb on before Delia and Grace run toward them with Grace holding Serena's bouquet.

"Serena, you forgot to toss the bouquet," she says.

"Oh my goodness, I did," Serena says as she takes the bouquet and turns to the crowd and shouts. "Hey, all the ladies, let's do the bouquet toss!"

Misty, May, Dawn, Iris, Shauna, Aria, Miette, Bonnie, Mallow, Lillie, Koharu, and Lana all squeal excitedly and quickly huddle together before Serena turns around with her back facing her friends and tosses the bouquet high into the air. When the flowers get close enough, all of the women jump high into the air, desperate to catch the bouquet before it bounces off the tips of several fingers and lands right into Bonnie's hands.

"Hooray!" Bonnie screams up and down while the other women groan in disappointment. "I'm getting married next!"

Brock chuckles and gives Max who is standing next to him a playful nudge with his elbow.

"Better not keep your lady waiting, Max," he teases. "She'll probably expect an engagement ring pretty soon."

Max blushes furiously and looks away at Brock, shouting, "Knock it off, Brock!"

Everyone laughs at Max's reacting while Bonnie walks over to him and gives him a flirtatious look. When the laughter dies down, Delia and Grace turn to their children and hug them.

"Take care, dear," Delia says. "And remember, you are a married man now. Your wife comes first, no matter what."

"I will, mom," Ash promises.

Pikachu runs over to them and climbs up Ash's shoulder. Ash chuckles as the mouse Pokemon runs his cheeks against his.

"Take care of mom, Pikachu," he says while petting his partner. "We'll be back to travel together again after our honeymoon."

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, nodding before getting off Ash's shoulder.

Once Serena is done saying goodbye to Grace, she turns to her husband, who climbs up Pidgeot before extending his hand to help her up. The honey blonde woman wraps her arms around him tightly before they turn to their family and friends and start waving.

"Bye, everyone!" Ash calls out.

"Take care!" Serena shouts.

"Bye, you two!" Brock shouts.

"Take care!" Dawn shouts, waving at the couple with both hands.

"Bye, bye!" Bonnie calls out.

Everyone says their goodbyes as Pidgeot spreads its wings and starts flying away. Ash holds on to his Pokemon while Serena continues to hold him tight. The honey blonde woman rests her head on her husband's shoulder before she starts giggling giddily with her mouth closed.

"We're married," she says.

Ash smiles and takes Serena's hand where her wedding ring is and kisses it.

"We sure are, Mrs. Ketchum," he says.

"Mmmmm, Mrs. Ketchum. I love the sound of that," Serena says blissfully while she closes her eyes.

The two of them remain silent while Pidgeot flies toward Viridian City. Ash holds on to his wife's hand while looking at the view down below until he sees something.

"Serena, look!" He exclaims.

Serena's eyes open, and she lifts her head to see here Ash is looking. High above them is none other than Ho-Oh flying towards the sea. Ash and Serena watch in awe as the Rainbow Pokemon passes by without acknowledging them.

"Ho-Oh," Serena says, amazed.

Ash smiles and says, "It's been a long time since I've seen it. I hear having Ho-Oh fly by you brings good fortune."

Serena turns to Ash and shakes her head before firmly pressing her lips against his cheek.

"I don't need Ho-Oh to pass by us to gain that," she says. "All I need is you."

Ash turns to look at his wife and gives her a toothy grin.

"I only need you, too," he says.

The two of them briefly kiss and stare at each other before Ash turns his head to face the direction where Pidgeot is flying. Serena closes her eyes and snuggles her head against her beloved's shoulder again and smiles brightly, knowing that her dream has come true, and it is only the beginning.


	86. Chapter 86

Delia is outside, tending to her garden with Mimey with a smile on her face. It has been two and a half years since Ash and Serena got married, and Delia couldn't be happier for them. Every now and then, the two of them and Pikachu will visit her in Pallet Town, and she will hear all about the new adventures and people and Pokemon they have met along the way. She can always tell from the way they tell their stories that the two of them are happier than before now that they are united in the bonds of holy matrimony. She does get lonely with only her and her Pokemon in the house, but she is content, knowing that her only child is happy with the love of his life.

The woman wipes her forehead, feeling exhausted after filling her basket with her homegrown tomatoes. She turns to her Mr. Mime, who walks over to her with a basket full of green beans.

"Thank you, Mimey," she says, sweetly. "Those look very fresh."

"Mr. Mime," Mimey says cheerfully.

Delia smiles back and stands up before the two of them start waking back inside the house. She reaches out for the doorknob before she hears two familiar voices in the distance.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Pika, Pi!"

Delia's eyes widen, and her heart skips a beat. She and Mimey turn their heads to find Ash and Serena walking over to them with Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Delia smiles brightly before she runs toward the three of them and pulls Ash into a tight hug.

"Ash!" She exclaims as she hugs her son.

Ash chuckles and says, "Hi, mom," as he hugs her back.

Delia lets go and turns to Serena before the two women hug. When they finish hugging, Pikachu jumps into the older woman's arms, and she hugs the mouse Pokemon while facing the couple.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" She asks. "I could have prepared lunch for you two and set up the guest room."

"We already had lunch before he came here from Viridian City," Serena answers. "Besides, we wanted to surprise you this time."

Delia smiles brightly and says, "Well, consider me very surprised. It's so good to see all three of you."

Serena smiles while Ash gives his mother his signature toothy grin. The three of them then walk to the house with Delia, still holding Pikachu and Mimey entering behind them. The five of them enter the living room where Delia puts Pikachu down and gestures Ash and Serena to sit down on the couch before she and Mimey go to the kitchen to make some tea. When the two of them come back, Delia places the tray of tea and takes her cup before sitting down, pouring a cup or herself, and takes a sip. She then turns to Ash and Serena, who haven't poured any tea for themselves, and are instead looking at her, smiling.

"What's the matter?" She asks.

The couple then to each other before Ash turns back to his mom.

"We have some news for you," he says. "We're going to buy a house here in Pallet Town."

Delia gasps sharply and puts down her tea.

"Going to buy a house? Why?" She asks.

"We've been talking about some things, and we decided it's time we find a place of our own together," Serena answers.

Delia blinks, bewildered with their announcement.

"But wait, don't you two still have your dreams to accomplish?" She asks.

"Of course we do, mom, but they're not going anywhere," Ash says assuringly. "We just need to put them on hold for a little while."

"But if that's the case, then why buy a house?" Delia protests. "You can stay here as long as you'd like. You know that."

"Of course we do," Serena says. "But we just think it's time that we find a place for ourselves that we can call home. In fact, we've heard that my old house next to Timothy's family is up for sale, so we're hoping we can buy that one."

"Yup," Ash says. "Besides, as much as we love it here, there wouldn't be enough room if we eventually give the baby a brother or sister."

Delia smiles and nods as she picks up her cup of tea.

"That's very mature of you, Ash," she says before taking a sip. "You never know if you'll end up having more than one ba -"

Suddenly, Delia's eyes widen, and her cup slips from her hand. Mimey quickly stretches out its hand, and the cup stops falling in midair, surrounded in a blue outline. It carefully puts the cup back on the table without spilling any of the tea. The older woman stands still like a statue with her eyes wide as she stares at her son and her daughter-in-law, who are grinning excitedly.

"B-b-b-baby?" Delia stutters.

Serena nods and puts her hand on her stomach.

"Seven weeks in," she says.

Delia keeps staring at the couple before her look of shock turns into indescribable joy. She jumps out of her seat and lets out a high-pitched scream, and Serena happily screams back as she and Ash stand up just in time for Delia to hug them both. Pikachu and Mimey are letting out their cries of happiness while Delia breaks the hug to look at the couple.

"Y-y-you're going to have a baby!" She stutters. "I-I-I'm going to be a grandma!"

"You sure are, mom," Ash says.

Delia feels tears coming out of her eyes as she asks, "Who else knows?"

"We dropped by Vaniville Town to tell my mom," Serena answers. "We planned to tell everyone else on the video phone after we told you."

Delia squeals excitedly and shouts, "I don't believe it! You're going to be parents. My little boy is going to be a father!"

"Yup, I'm going to be a daddy," Ash says with a toothy grin.

It takes a few moments before Delia slowly calms down while still smiling gleefully.

"Oh, I can't believe this is happening," she says.

"How do you think I felt when Serena broke the news to me?" Ash says with a chuckle. "I was out of my mind."

Serena giggles and says, "Oh, he was energetic, alright."

Delia giggles back before she turns to her son.

"I hope you'll be ready for when the baby comes, Ash," she says. "Raising a child is not the same as raising Pokemon."

"I know that, mom," Ash says assuringly. "It's not going to be easy, but I plan to do my best together with Serena. Plus, we have seven months to prepare while I'm helping Serena through the pregnancy."

Serena nods and confidently says, "It's going to be a challenge either way, but I know we're going to be great parents."

Delia smiles brightly and says, "I know you will. And when the little one is born, I'll stop by to help out every step of the way."

"Thanks, mom. We're counting on it," Ash says.

The room is silent for a moment before Delia's smile grows, and she lets out another scream.

"Oh, I can't wait to meet my little grandchild!" She shouts.

"Me neither," Serena says cheerfully. "I'm just so excited that I wish I could meet our child right now."

*_Seven months later_*

Delia is tapping her foot while she sits on a chair in the waiting room with Pikachu, Grace, May, Drew, Max, Bonnie, Dawn, and Piplup. The eight of them can hear Serena screaming to kingdom come on the other side of the hall. Max is rubbing Bonnie's back while she struggles to control her eagerness for the baby to be born. May also struggles to keep her cool at the sound of her friend's screams while Drew holds her hand. Dawn bites her lip while she subconsciously plays with the wedding ring on her finger. Pikachu looks at the floor with its ears down, uneasy with hearing Serena be in so much agony. Grace notices Delia still tapping her foot and puts her hand on top of Delia's.

"Calm down, Delia, she's going to be fine," she says. "My girl is tough."

"I know, but hearing her scream like that reminds me of when Ash was born," Delia says worriedly.

Grace lightly chuckles with her mouth closed and says, "I understand. It was pretty tough for me too."

"Is it always going to be tough?" Dawn says nervously.

Grace shakes her head and says, "Don't worry about it, Dawn. Unlike me, with Serena's father, you'll have Kenny with you the whole time."

"I know. It's just so unsettling," Dawn says with her voice cracking. "To think that will be me in a matter of months."

"Piplup," Piplup whines, sharing its partner's dread.

"I know what you mean," May says, turning to Drew. "I want us to have kids, but I feel terrified about going into labor."

Drew scoffs and says, "Come on, May. We all know you're stronger than that. You'll get through giving birth just fine."

May glares at the way her husband tries to comfort her nonchalantly, but then smiles, knowing that he's trying to be comforting.

"Ugh, I just wanna see the baby now!" Bonnie says childishly. "We've been waiting for ages now."

"Calm down, Bonnie," Max says. "We've only been waiting for -"

Bonnie turns to Max and gives him a menacing glare. The young man whimpers as if he saw a monster and gulps.

"I-I-I mean I want to see the baby really bad too," He says fearfully.

Bonnie gives him a smirk and says, "There's the guy I married."

Grace chuckles with her mouth closed, amused with the youngest couple. Everyone goes back to waiting in complete silence while Serena's cries are still heard. But then her cries start to die down, and another sound of crying is heard. Pikachu's ears perk up, and it raises its head while everyone else turns to the end of the hall. They all get up from their seats as the sound of a baby crying is heard from the other side of the hall. Bonnie's eyes light up, and she screams in joy.

"The baby's here! The baby's here!" she shouts.

Delia and Grace begin to tear up, and they turn to each other with bright smiles.

"We're grandmothers now," Delia says, trying to fight the tears.

Grace nods and hugs Delia, both trying to contain their tears of joy. The group waits several more minutes before the sound of the baby crying dies down, and a doctor leaves the room from the other side of the hall to walk over to them.

"Are Serena and the baby alright?" Dawn asks half-worriedly.

"They're both fine and perfectly healthy," the doctor says with a smile. "They just finished cleaning the baby up, so you can see them now."

Everyone smiles brightly and don't hesitate to walk past the doctor. Pikachu runs ahead of them and goes inside the room before they are halfway into the hall. They can hear Ash greeting his partner before they enter the room. All five women say, "Aw," at the same time as they see Serena lying on a hospital bed, holding her newborn baby wrapped in a soft blanket. The honey blonde woman is giving the child a heartfelt smile as the baby sleeps peacefully. Ash is standing next to Serena and the baby with a warm smile while Pikachu is on his shoulder, smiling widely at the sight of the baby. Delia and Grace walk over to Serena's other side and feel tears in their eyes again at the sight of their beloved grandchild. Dawn, Bonnie, and May have stars in their eyes while Max and Drew smile.

"What a cutie," Bonnie squeaks, trying not to wake the child.

"So adorable," Dawn coos while holding Piplup.

"Piplup," Piplup says happily.

"So adorable that I can't look away," May says either her hands clasped together.

Max and Drew nod before the later says, "And look, there's little z-marked cheeks just like Ash."

Ash grins and says, "Yep, and Serena's eyes too."

Right on cue, the baby wakes up and slowly opens its bright, ocean-blue eyes. The women "aw," simultaneously again before Bonnie stretches out her hands.

"Can I hold the baby first?" She asks.

"Sure, Bonnie," Serena says, sitting up to hand her child to her friend.

Bonnie's smile widens as she holds the baby, who looks at her curiously.

"Hi, I'm your Auntie Bonnie," she says cheerfully. "It's so good to finally meet you."

"And I'm your Aunt Dawn," Dawn adds, looking over Bonnie's shoulder. "And the Pokemon I'm carrying is Piplup,"

"Piplup," Piplup says, giving the baby a friendly smile.

"And you can call me Aunt May, you little cutie," May says behind Bonnie's other shoulder.

"Alright, now it's my turn," Delia declares.

Bonnie doesn't object as Delia scoops the baby up from her arms. The older woman looks at the newborn with a heartfelt look on her face.

"Hello, my little one," she coos. "I'm your grandma. Yes, I am. You are such a beautiful baby, just like your father. Oh, yes, you are."

Delia starts making baby noises as she holds the baby until Grace steps in.

"Alright, my turn," she announces. "I've been waiting to meet this kid longer than any of you."

Delia frowns but ultimately gives the child to Grace. The woman from Kalos stares deep into the baby's blue eyes and smirks.

"Hey, there. I'm your Grandma Grace," she announces. "I may not get to see you a lot since I live far away, but I promise to visit as often as I can. And when you get older, I'll teach you how to be a Rhyhorn Racer just like I did with your mother."

"Mom, please don't," Serena protests.

"Why not?" Grace challenges. "You never know what will happen. I thought you were going to be a Rhyhorn Racer until you went on your own path. Maybe having the passion for it just skips a generation."

Serena pouts before she sighs, reluctantly admitting her mom has a point.

"Fine, but can you at least give me back my baby before you get any other ideas?" She asks.

"Sure, honey," Grace says with a chuckle.

The older woman walks over to her daughter, and Serena takes her baby and smiles as she stares into the child's eyes. Ash silently gets on the bed, making Serena scoot over and Pikachu hop off his shoulder before he puts his arm around his wife while staring at the child too. The couple then turn to each with loving eyes before they lean in for a kiss.

"I'm proud of you," Ash says.

Serena looks at his husband, sweetly.

"I love you," she says.

"I love you too," Ash replies.

The raven-haired man then kisses Serena's head, and they go back to looking at their beloved child with everyone watching them happily. The moment is soon interrupted, however, by the sound of footsteps outside of the room before the door opens to reveal Brock and Holly. Brock is holding a gift bag and a couple of plastic balloons while Holly walks behind, with her hand behind her back to support her eight-months-pregnant body.

"Hey, you guys," Ash greets with a smile.

"Hey, sorry we're late," Brock says.

"It's okay," Serena says. "What matters is you're both here."

Brock nods before Holly steps in and asks, "Can we see the baby?"

Serena smiles brightly and nods before holding the baby up so that Brock can take it. The tan-skinned man holds the baby in a direction where his wife can see the child despite her large belly.

"Aw, what a cutie," she coos.

"That's what I said," Bonnie says.

Brock smiles and turns to his two friends.

"You do have a good looking baby," he says.

"Thanks. It sure wasn't easy," Serena says.

"You're telling me," Holly says, rubbing her belly. "I got child number six growing inside me here, and I can only imagine what Coovers' wife, Erin, went through with their triplet boys."

Serena makes a grim face, silently agreeing with the auburn-haired woman. Brock and Holly go back to looking at the newborn baby with everyone watching until Drew realizes something.

"Speaking of Coovers, isn't the Indigo League finals starting about now?" He asks.

Max's eyes widen, and he says, "That's right. Timothy might have started battling already."

Everyone else's eyes widen in alarm before Ash quickly grabs the remote on the stand next to the bed and turns on the TV implanted on the wall. He changes the channel until the image of the Indigo stadium appears with an audience cheering. On the battlefield, they see a familiar man with a "H.A.K." shirt on standing on one side of the field with a Raichu standing next to him.

"Pikachu," Pikachu says, happy to see Electchu on the screen.

"Oh, good. Looks like we turned it on before it started," Dawn says in relief.

"Piplup," Piplup chirps.

"Yeah, hope he wins this time so he can finally face Lance again," Bonnie says with a smile.

"You said it," May agrees.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've been waiting for is finally here!_" An announcer shouts from the speakers. "_Who will win this match? Will it be Liam Harrington from Vermillion City, or will it be Timothy Durbin from Postwick in the Galar region? I'm on pins and needles, so let's get this battle started!_"

The crowd cheers again, and a referee walks to the sidelines with a flag on each hand.

"_This is a full-on battle between Liam and Timothy!_" He declares. "_The battle will be over when all Pokemon from either side are unable to continue! If anyone returns their Pokemon, it will be out of the match! Are the contestants ready?_"

"_Ready!_" The man named Liam says.

Timothy, however, turns to the referee and says, "_Actually, I have something I need to say first._"

The referee looks at Timothy, confused before gesturing him to go ahead. Everyone in the hospital room looks at the TV, confused while Timothy clears his throat.

"_I just want to take a moment to thank my family for all of their support!_" He shouts proudly. "_I don't know where I would be without the love of my life and our two children!_"

The image cuts to a woman who has a two-year-old girl on her lap and a five-year-old boy, both sitting in the middle of the stands. The woman and the two kids are happily cheering for Timothy, not caring if anyone else is looking at them.

"Wow, it's his whole family," Bonnie says with a big smile.

"Yup, there's his wife and their kids, Christopher and Judy," Ash says. "They came to visit us a couple weeks ago before going to Indigo Plateau."

Serena smiles fondly and says, "I'm glad we were finally able to meet Judy."

"_So I devote this battle to my family and to my friends, Ash and Serena Ketchum, who I recently heard had their child!_" Timothy continues. "_So Ash, Serena, congratulations, and I hope you enjoy the battle!_"

"_Raichu!_" Electchu shouts in agreement.

Ash, Serena, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup, Bonnie, Max, May, Drew, Delia, and Grace look at the TV in confusion.

"How does he know that already?" Grace asks.

Brock and Holly turn to each other, smiling before the former says, "Oh, we may have video called him on the way here. Thought he would like to hear the good news as soon as possible."

Ash and Serena turn to their friend and smile appreciatively. But then they hear a whimper and realize that their baby is starting to cry. Serena frowns and reaches out to Brock with both hands before he gives her back her child, and she cradles it gently.

"Oh, it's okay, sweetie. There's no need to cry," she says soothingly. "Mommy and Daddy are here."

"That's right, and we're not going to leave your side," Ash says, looking at his child in a fatherly way with his hand still wrapped around Serena.

The baby starts to quiet down, feeling comforted by Ash and Serena's voices. The married couple smile before Serena turns to Ash.

"Say something else, Ash," she says.

"Say something else? Why?" Ash asks.

"Because babies usually become more comfortable around their parents when they hear their voices before and after birth," Delia answers.

"Uh, what do I say, though?" Ash asks.

"Whatever you feel like saying just so long that your child hears you," Grace answers.

Ash frowns and tries to think of something to say until Bonnie snaps her fingers.

"Hey, I know. Why not tell a story?" She suggests.

"That's a great idea," Dawn says happily.

"Piplup," Piplup says with a nod.

"That would be a good way to talk for a good long while," Max says.

"Mmm-hmmm," Drew nods.

"Yeah, tell a story," May says.

"Tell a story? But I -" Ash begins before Serena puts her hand on his lap.

"Please, Ash? You always tell wonderful stories," she says.

Ash still hesitates before he smiles and kisses his wife's head again.

"Okay. I'll tell a story," he says.

Serena smiles at her husband and rests her head on his shoulder while still holding the baby. Delia, Grace, Brock, Holly, Dawn, Piplup, Bonnie, Max, May, and Drew huddle around the bed while Pikachu stands beside Ash, Serena, and their child. Ash scratches his head to think of a story until he glances at the TV, where Timothy's battle is about to begin. His old rival calls out Gengar as his first Pokemon while his opponent takes out a Nidorino. Ash smiles brightly, knowing exactly what story to tell. He places his hand on Serena's hand that is holding the baby's head as the couple looks at their beloved child with hearts full of love.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy who dreamed of becoming a Pokemon Master," he begins. "The night before he got his first Pokemon, he was watching a big Pokemon battle just like this one."

On the TV, the man in the "H.A.K." shirt smirks as Gengar and Nidorino get ready to attack each other.

The End

**Author's Note: For the record, there's supposed to be a picture of Gengar and Nidorino attacking with the text "The End" but won let me show it. If you'd like to see it, it should appear in the story on Deviantart and Wattpad. **

**Anyway, hey, everyone. Thank you so much for reading _The Road to our Destiny_ all the way through. To be honest, a part of me kind of wanted to write a story that takes place in the anime but decided against it because I thought I wouldn't have a story that would bring anything new to the table. But then after going through the Battle Frontier season, I realized that with contests also talking place in Kanto and Johto in the anime, Serena really had four regions to choose from, not just Hoenn and Sinnoh. That discovery that I could make a story where Serena chooses to go to Kanto with Ash and they start a journey together that eventually leads to romance is what gave birth to this major passion project. The past 15 months of writing, editing, and then publishing this story from start to finish was a lot of work and I want to thank my editor from Deviantart who helped me edit the story and make sure that it was accurate to the anime and Pokemon in general as possible. This story would not have been as authentic as it is without him and I'm thankful for his help. I'm also glad that so many of you really enjoyed this story. It shows that all of my hard work paid off.**

**Having said all of that, I must announce some news that I imagine you will be bummed to hear. _The Road to our Destiny_ is my final fanfiction story. I am working on giving my big My Little Pony: Equestria Girls story, _A Search for Something More_ one big edit for full publishing, but apart from that I am officially retiring from writing fanfiction. To put it plainly, I've run out of stories that I really want to tell, and I want to move forward beyond fanfiction. I have a couple of future writing projects that I hope to start working on soon that I hope (Lord willing) will lead to some good things. **

**So, I just want to say that I appreciate the time you've all taken to read all of my stories and that you've enjoyed them so much. If you'd like to see more from me, I also make fanart on Deviantart that I hope I will continue doing, so if you want more Amourshipping stuff from me, my artwork is there under the same username. If you're a fan of My Little Pony fanfiction, I would also deeply appreciate you taking a look at my stories on , also under the same username. Regardless, I thank the Lord for all the experience I've gained as a writer over the past 4 ½ ish years of writing through 9 whole stories (not counting an unfinished My Little Pony one) and I hope you will continue to enjoy the stories I've made in all of that time. I wish to part from my fanfiction writing days with lyrics from a song that I think is fitting for this moment: The Last Goodbye by Billy Boyd from _The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies_. **

**I saw the light fade from the sky**  
**On the wind I heard a sigh**  
**As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers**  
**I will say this last goodbye**

**Night is now falling**  
**So ends this day**  
**The road is now calling**  
**And I must away**  
**Over hill and under tree**  
**Through lands where never light has shone**  
**By silver streams that run down to the sea**

**Under cloud, beneath the stars**  
**Over snow one winter's morn**  
**I turn at last to paths that lead home**  
**And though where the road then takes me**  
**I cannot tell**  
**We came all this way**  
**But now comes the day**  
**To bid you farewell**

**Many places I have been  
Many sorrows I have seen  
But I don't regret  
Nor will I forget  
All who took that road with me**

**Night is now falling**  
**So ends this day**  
**The road is now calling**  
**And I must away**  
**Over hill and under tree**  
**Through lands where never light has shone**  
**By silver streams that run down to the sea**

**To these memories I will hold**  
**With your blessing I will go**  
**To turn at last to paths that lead home**  
**And though where the road then takes me  
I cannot tell**  
**We came all this way**  
**But now comes the day**  
**To bid you farewell**

**I bid you all a very fond farewell**

**Thank you once again for reading and the Lord be with each and every one of you.**

**-HAKDurbin**


End file.
